Less than two years after he stepped off the field for the last time, Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth for the first time on Sunday. Reviews were mixed.
Brady deflected attention from himself when he and Kevin Burkhardt did their open ahead of Cowboys vs. Browns, instead putting the focus on Dak Prescott and the quarterback's shiny new contract, but it wasn't long before Brady's debut became the most compelling aspect of the game. Dallas jumped out to a 24-point lead and ultimately cruised to a 33-17 win.
Brady was a bit choppy early on, with some fans noticing some unusual pauses during the middle of his sentences. The analysis, however, was solid. There was little doubt Brady had the football IQ to talk about the game in-depth, given he played in the NFL for 23 years, but he quickly passed that test.
Brady also largely avoided stepping over Burkhardt's words and shied away from loud noises, taking somewhat of an anti-Tony Romo approach. The future Hall of Famer seems to have plenty of work ahead to sound as natural as veteran analysts, but considering it was his first game in a broadcast booth, Brady has plenty of good to take into Week 2.
The Sporting News tracked the best moments from Tom Brady's broadcasting debut during Cowboys vs. Browns. Check out all of the highlights below.
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Tom Brady live updates, highlights, best moments from Cowboys vs. Browns
(All times Eastern)
7:05 p.m. — Hard to dispute this...
Tom Brady could walk down from the announcing booth, no stretching, no warmups, no pads and be an upgrade for the Browns at quarterback
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 8, 2024
6:35 p.m. — Brady's raw reaction to a near 71-yard field goal attempt was cool, but Scott Hanson has a point. He didn't exactly meet the moment (or the moment that almost was).
Scott Hanson did not think Tom Brady was excited enough for Brandon Aubrey's 71-yard field goal attempt.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 8, 2024
Aubrey just hit from 66 but it was called off due to a delay of game. The Cowboys decided against the 71-yard try after the time-out.pic.twitter.com/EEHr1bWnRn
6:22 p.m. — Fox probably didn't envision Brady's broadcasting debut being this lopsided, but the Cowboys have opened up a 27-3 lead over the Browns.
6:00 p.m. — Brady is definitely receiving some mixed reviews in his debut, but this is true: he's not overcorrecting with noise or overstepping Burkhardt.
I like Tom Brady in the booth. It’s smart. He’s not pressing and screaming w faux excitement. Let’s Kevin talk then steps in. Easy, intelligent call. Just my two cents 🤷🏼♀️
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 8, 2024
5:26 p.m. — This was a nice, succinct breakdown by Brady after a Micah Parsons sack:
Tom Brady breaking down Micah Parsons’ sack: “This guy deals with more double teams than anyone. He’s just too athletic. This is what you deal with when you’re a great rusher … ‘You get two on you, you know what, put two on me, it doesn’t matter.’” pic.twitter.com/hcEsA4vj8g
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 8, 2024
5:10 p.m. — Brady circles Myles Garrett right before Garrett sacks Prescott, so credit to him for that.
5:01 p.m. — The Browns and Cowboys trade punts after the touchdown, so there haven't been too many fireworks for Brady to call. Deshaun Watson is 4-of-5 for just 23 yards for the Browns.
4:46 p.m. — Brady drops a Tony Romo-esque "OHHHH" as Brandin Cooks runs into the end zone for a touchdown. He lets the moment settle for a few seconds before sharing his thoughts.
4:43 p.m. — Plenty of penalties early in this game, so that's keeping Brady on his toes.
4:41 p.m. — Brady's cadence is a little bit off, with some unusual gaps between words in the middle of his sentences. It's going to take some time for him to settle in, to no surprise.
4:33 p.m. — Here was Brady's open, talking about Prescott's contract and the expectations the Cowboys QB will face. He didn't talk much about himself.
The first moments of @TomBrady's broadcasting debut 👏 (via @NFLonFOX)
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
📺: #DALvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/yeEfYMwJw8
4:28 p.m. — A sack of Prescott forces Brady into analyst mode again. He sounds a little choppy, but obviously he knows better than just about anyone how to deal with pressure as a quarterback and explains what Prescott could (or couldn't) do about it.
4:27 p.m. — Brady starts the day by briefly breaking down Prescott's 2023 season, hours after Prescott landed a historic extension. The Cowboys are starting with the ball.
4:20 p.m. — Brady and Kevin Burkhardt are getting ready to go in Cleveland with kickoff now five minutes away.
2:45 p.m. — Brady will get to talk about the NFL's new highest-paid player, as Dak Prescott agreed to a massive four-year, $240 million contract extension with the Cowboys earlier today. More than 96 percent of the deal is guaranteed.
2:30 p.m. — Tom Brady is ready to roll from Cleveland.
Tom Brady just walked thru press box with a game face on. Looked as intense as when he was playing.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) September 8, 2024
Cowboys vs. Browns start time
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 8
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
The season opener for the Cowboys and Browns will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET from the newly-renamed Huntington Bank Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday.
How to watch Tom Brady's broadcasting debut
- TV channel: Fox
- Live stream: Fubo
Brady is the color analyst on Fox's top NFL broadcasting team, so his broadcasting debut can be found on Fox. Cowboys vs. Browns is set to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET from Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
Fans looking to stream the game can watch it with Fubo, which offers a free trial.
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