Bob Raissman: Tom Brady’s rookie season with Fox comes down to his Super Bowl performance

It’s thing to laughter at, but the concern Tom Brady finds himself successful is comic — particularly erstwhile he’s getting paid millions to get safely retired the different extremity of shot broadcasting’s mentation of a blizzard.

With each the hype, hyperbole and hysteria, that’s what a Super Bowl telecast should beryllium equated to. Nonetheless, Sunday’s Chiefs-Eagles matchup won’t beryllium Brady’s astir formidable TV challenge. That already took spot connected Sept. 8, 2024, Brady’s debut connected Fox, moving Dallas-Cleveland with his play-by-play spouse Kevin Burkhardt.

On that occasion, the aboriginal Hall of Fame backmost went into the booth with nary acquisition analyzing NFL games down a microphone. It was the archetypal clip helium worked done the mechanics of a telecast with a manager and a producer.

Unlike a Super Bowl broadcast, the full satellite was not watching. Yet, erstwhile it came to drafting eyeballs, the tilt was not precisely needy.

Dallas-Cleveland recorded 23.8 cardinal viewers, Fox’s astir watched Week 1 telecast since 2020. Brady was already justifying the $37 cardinal per (for 10 years) the Foxies are paying him.

But successful September, those who tuned-in paid much attraction to however Brady handled his role. Some adjacent tuned successful to spot him fail. They focused connected his performance. That won’t beryllium the lawsuit Sunday. In fact, those attending the goo-gobs of Super Bowl Feedbags won’t wage immoderate attraction to what helium says.

They volition beryllium eating and drinking with the mute fastener on.

Besides, look however acold Brady has travel since that archetypal game. He has logged astir 75 hours doing NFL games connected Fox this season. He has astir apt spent a mates of 100 hours connected probe and watching film. Brady has 21 games nether his belt.

He hasn’t sucked. The close mode to picture Brady is “steady.”

Amazingly, astatine this constituent successful the season, his credibility is inactive intact. Should helium adjacent beryllium considered a rookie broadcaster?

While Brady has been gathering connected his broadcasting experience, it doesn’t alteration the axiom astir it being unheard of for a rookie dependable to execute down the Super Bowl microphone, the biggest signifier nonrecreational sports tin offer.

The voices who worked the astir Super Bowl’s together, the precocious John Madden and Pat Summerall (eight Supes), would accidental erstwhile the crippled started it, but for longer commercialized and halftime breaks, was conscionable different telecast. Any unit they mightiness person felt filtered into the booth moments earlier kickoff.

Brady has the vantage of having played successful 10 Super Bowls. He is already alert however the unit manifests itself. It’s hard imagining the TV unit volition beryllium astir arsenic intense.

Still, determination is an eventual world Brady can’t escape. His archetypal play arsenic an NFL TV expert volition beryllium judged solely connected however helium performs successful the 3 — possibly 4 — hours moving Sunday’s crippled successful New Orleans.

And his show could beryllium defined by however helium handles immoderate 1 of a assortment of moments destined to beryllium unforgettable: A important play, a atrocious coaching decision, a questionable referee’s call.

Or 1 singular on-field oddity.

For amended oregon worse, that’s however Tom Brady’s play volition beryllium remembered.

A FAN OF BOYLE

It sounded similar Pat Boyle, connected WFAN, was dreaming.

Working precocious Saturday nighttime into aboriginal Sunday morning, his code was unsure, arsenic helium reported Mavs prima Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.

Then Boyle did a astute thing. He formed immoderate uncertainty implicit the wild, out-of-nowhere study saying helium wanted to get much confirmation earlier helium could beryllium definite the Beyond-Blockbuster was true. He got the confirmation but wasn’t finished.

Boyle enactment the commercialized successful humanities perspective, calling it the “biggest commercialized of superstars successful NBA history.” Then helium took immoderate calls.

A dilatory Saturday nighttime astatine FAN became precise interesting, acknowledgment to the stunning commercialized and the mode Boyle handled it.

TO BET OR NOT TO BET

As Walt (Clyde) Frazier would say, possibly it was conscionable “serendipity.” Or was it much than coincidence.

On Wednesday “First Take,” Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo went into Super Bowl analysis, indicating which mode helium was leaning.

Stephen A. Smith seized the infinitesimal to punctual the Free World: “Doggie is an adept astatine losing money.” Funny line. But was it immoderate benignant of purchaser beware warning?

For a fewer moments aboriginal a promo aired connected “First Take” for “ESPN BET” touting “Mad Dog Super Bowl Parlays.”

CAL’S MYSTERY MAN

The sum acceptable the moment.

It seemed similar ESPN had John Calipari’s instrumentality to Rupp Arena with his Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday nighttime scripted.

The network’s cameras didn’t miss a 2nd of the coach’s expansive entranceway (although Calipari showed up successful the hallway aboriginal and had to retreat backmost to the locker room).

One question that went unanswered was: Who was the large feline astatine Cal’s broadside during his entranceway and exit?  Did Calipari adhd immoderate needed musculus to his entourage?

AROUND THE DIAL

Hubie Brown, 91, is scheduled to extremity his broadcasting vocation connected Sunday wherever his NBA coaching vocation began, successful Milwaukee, moving Sixers-Bucks connected ABC. Brown broke into the NBA successful 1972 arsenic an adjunct manager for the Bucks nether his person Larry Costello. As helium made his media rounds down the stretch, Brown produced an indelible representation during an affectional interrogation with SiriusXM’s Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo. … Glad to spot that tanking NHL nationalist TV ratings are not stifling creativity connected the telecasts. We anticipation to again onshore connected an ESPN NHL telecast erstwhile “The Rush” is on. ESPN mutes its announcers and goes lone with the “natural” sounds wrong the arena. Network’s moving different sports should effort their ain versions connected “The Rush.” … Adam’s revenge? With Luka Doncic unexpectedly shipped to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Adam Silver, successful presumption of media attention, “stole” Super Bowl buildup week from the National Football League. This was bully “payback” by the NBA for the NFL “stealing” exclusive Christmas vulnerability from Silver and his TV Robots. … Glad to spot Mike Breen truthful acrophobic with fans caught up successful this MSG Network-Altice carriage standoff. Wonder what broadside of the contention he’s on? … Just due to the fact that Jeff Van Gundy has recovered a location arsenic Ty Lue’s pb adjunct with the Clippers, doesn’t mean we can’t inactive miss him (Mark Jackson too) down the ESPN/ABC microphone. Working Lakers vs. Knicks past Saturday nighttime connected ABC, the trio of Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson, did not marque up for VanJax’s absence. They talked a spot excessively much. The broadcast didn’t flow. Maybe much enactment unneurotic for the trio volition amended a so-so performance. … FAN’s Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata squeezed plentifulness of foodstuff retired of erstwhile Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff during a Tuesday chat. The Gasbags got Dimitroff to unfastened up astir his Jets GM interview, including what helium told Jets suits astir Aaron Rodgers. Unfortunately, nary of the Mid-Day Mouth’s colleagues publically recognized the brilliance of their interviewing skills.

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DUDE OF THE WEEK: JACK BECH

For his inspiring performance. The TCU wideout turned it successful astatine the Senior Bowl, 1 period aft his brother, Tiger, was killed during a violent onslaught successful New Orleans. And astatine the Senior Bowl, wherever shot players spell to beryllium themselves, Jack Bech did conscionable that and a full batch more.

DWEEB OF THE WEEK: KEVIN DURANT

No subordinate who has moved connected from teams 3 times, similar Durant, should beryllium grumbling astir NBA teams being capable to vessel retired talent, similar Luca Doncic, during midseason. “Players are held to a antithetic level of loyalty,” Durant said. K.D. should beryllium thankful helium didn’t play successful the 1960s and ’70s erstwhile question was virtually impossible.

DOUBLE TALK

What (NFL Referees Union boss) Scott Green said: “It is insulting and preposterous to perceive conspiracy theories that someway 17 officiating crews are colluding to assistance 1 team.”

What Scott Green meant to say: “Nobody trusts us.”