Advertisement

Matt Buckler: Tom Brady is an excellent fit for Fox's NFL coverage

matt buckler, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·3 min read

May 11—He started his pro football career as a sixth-round draft choice.

This week, however, Tom Brady became a No. 1 selection — Fox Broadcasting's choice to become its No. 1 NFL analyst — just as soon as his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is over.

Networks always want great quarterbacks in the booth. Fox, however, really wanted Brady because its No. 1 analyst, Troy Aikman, bolted for ESPN.

Fox's No. 1 team for the upcoming season are Kevin Burkhardt and analyst Greg Olsen, who is starting his second season. There is nothing exciting about Olsen, but there is about Brady. Olsen is a tight end. How exciting are they? Most former NFL players fail at the analyst job, which is similar to what Drew Brees is doing now. Big names can struggle in the beginning and then don't pan out.

Brady, however, has the potential to be more entertaining.

Here's what I base it on.

ESPN aired a special recently about the "Tuck Rule" game between the Patriots and the Raiders and I was impressed with the way Brady handled himself — his personality, his insight, his humor. He was not stuffy or at a loss for words once. If he can be relaxed like that in the booth, he will be a natural.

I also liked the way he interacted with Eli and Peyton Manning on an ESPN Manningcast this year.

The money that is being reported is hard to believe — $375 million for 10 years, double what Tony Romo and Aikman are getting.

And he won't even have to worry about the blindside rush.

Brady is proving one thing. To be a multi-millionaire analyst, you don't need broadcasting experience.

You just need seven Super Bowl rings.

Doubleheader delight

ESPN is kicking off the second week of the Monday Night Football season with a doubleheader — something ESPN has done early in the season since 2006.

Even though it's billed as a doubleheader, however, fans will see less live football than they have in the past.

New ESPN voices Joe Buck and Troy Aikman announced that Week 2 will feature two blockbusters — Buffalo vs. Tennessee on ESPN at 7:15 p.m. followed by Minnesota vs. Philadelphia at 8:30 on ABC.

Because of the starting times, however, fans won't be able to see both games in their entirety. The Bills-Titains will finish about halftime of the Eagles-Vikings game.

But at least we won't have to stay up past 1 p.m. to watch the late game. Of course, this won't be the last you'll hear about the ESPN/ABC doubleheader. Because Buck and Aikman will make their ESPN debuts, the network already has written press releases.

There's just one question. Which of the two games will have the Manningcast?

'V' movie

It doesn't have a title, it doesn't have a network, but it does have one important ingredient — a star.

Ray Romano of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame has signed on to star in a biography about the former North Carolina State coach's career, his national championship win, and his death from cancer.

Few people will ever forget the emotional speech Valvano made at the inaugural ESPY Awards when he knew he was dying from cancer. That one speech alone raised millions of dollars for cancer research.

With Romano in the coaching box, it would be difficult not to put a great movie together. There were some questions sometimes with his ethics. But never with his enthusiasm.

Matt Buckler is television and radio editor of the Journal Inquirer.

Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.