Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Nov. 27, 2022, in Cleveland. Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl winner with New England and Tampa Bay, announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 exactly one year after first saying his playing days were over, by posting a brief video lasting just under one minute on social media. (AP Photo/David Richard, file) (David Richard, AP)
When May turned into June, Aaron Rodgers had company when it came to generating NFL buzz. There was Patrick Mahomes and questions about whether he is capable of building a dynasty in Kansas City.
Then there was the man who supposedly won’t set foot on the field again — the budding TV star, Tom Brady. Suddenly, after he purchased a stake in the team, and because of Jimmy Garoppolo’s physical iffiness, speculation bubbled about Brady ending up quarterbacking the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Thursday, even after Brady told Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg: “I’m certain I’m not playing again…..” it didn’t deter some of the football cognoscenti from speculating that once training camp rolls around, Brady could get the itch to return to the field.
Brady wants to shut the spec down, but the hubbub is terrific for his nascent TV career at Fox Sports, where he’s currently the number-one-game-analyst-in waiting, scheduled to enter the booth in the 2024 season and replace Greg Olsen. Brady’s ability to sustain buzz and generate attention is just one reason Fox suits signed him to a 10-year contract worth a cool $375 million.
That he’s taking a year off before starting the gig signifies his commitment to TV. With Brady taking the 2023 season “off,” Fox has an unprecedented opportunity to tutor Brady. He will have the freedom to do “practice” games from an auxiliary booth in stadiums during live action. He also can get a feel of what his routine will be like during the season. Fox execs will also have the time to start “horse trading” for marquee matchup games for Brady to work in 2024.
There are other valid reasons why Brady’s playing days should be over. 1) The Fox contract. Just over $37 million per to work basically once a week for five months a year is incentive enough. 2) More importantly: Brady’s made a career of hard work, preparation, determination, dedication and proving people wrong.
That’s his motivation. It will be no different in TV, especially when other networks, Valley of the Stupid Gasbags, and broadcasting agents start sniping at him and nitpicking his performance in the booth.
Finally, never once in his storied career has Brady backed down from a challenge, which TV — initially — will be. Those who say Brady has changed his mind before are correct. Yet this is a different time in his life.
To see him bail on Fox would be a shocker.
NO BRADY CONFLICT
If anyone thinks Brady being a part owner of the Raiders will be seen by the NFL as a conflict of interest, or short-circuit his Fox gig, keeping him out of the network’s NFL booth, think again.
TV executives and leagues have already set precedent in that regard. Earvin (Magic) Johnson was a panelist on ESPN/ABC’s “NBA Countdown” when he owned an undisclosed stake in the Lakers.
If the NFL was concerned with conflicts they could “remind” Fox that Brady should not work any Raiders games. Or just spin it, saying Brady has the chops to be impartial. And he doesn’t believe in passing info from coach to coach.
WILL PAT CHANGE ESPN?
Pat McAfee, and his viewers/listeners have been fretting over whether his show, with its cast of thousands, will change when it moves to ESPN. An inordinate amount of time has been used to ponder this life-or-death question.
Moses, er, McAfee has already come down from the mountaintop to deliver his I-got-to-be-me sermon to a few different outlets. Another question worth squeezing in is: Will the coming of McAfee’s show change the way other ESPN programs do business?
After all, ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro has described how McAfee, and his show, generates “audience expansion.” So, ESPN producers know, even if just in the back of their mind, “what Jimmy wants.”
Nonetheless, for the past couple of years, ESPN has spent time emphasizing the benefits of hard news (”Get Up,” “This Just In”) and a more measured approach. The rationale is, for example, when hard news breaks on “First Take,” it will dominate the show, no matter what the plan is. Same holds true on “NFL Live” and “NBA Today.”
McAfee’s soiree is more free-form. The show can get into personal issues as well as dissecting games and newsy/noisy interviews, like its Aaron Rodgers stuff. ESPN is betting $85 million over five years that McAfee’s show will attract new eyeballs to ESPN.
If it does, will other ESPN offerings mimic it? For the old adage in sports TV is this: Stealing is believing.
STREAMING BLAME GAME
Michael Kay did an admirable job of shielding the Yankees from criticism about their streaming situation, until his shell game became apparent.
Yankee games streaming on Peacock and Apple+? “The Yankees had nothing to do with games on Apple and Peacock. That’s the greed of Major League Baseball…,” Kay said on his ESPN-98.7 show.
Well, what is MLB? It’s actually a company operated and owned by the baseball owners, including Yankee boss Hal Steinbrenner. He has to sign off on these TV deals so you CAN blame the Yankees for Apple+ and Peacock.
And the 20 games the Yankees stream on Amazon Prime Video used to be on “free” TV Ch.11 where a subscription fee was not necessary.
AROUND THE DIAL
The Knicks parted ways with GM Scott Perry and team prez Leon (Sphinx) Rose was nowhere to be found to explain why. How shocking! … Talk about an unprecedented NFL season. While remote, there is actually a possibility in December for three prime-time games to be moved out of those windows (TNF, SNF, and MNF) and three more attractive games to be flexed in. That’s 12 teams out of 32 in the league in the entire league being impacted by Roger Goodell’s determination to boost viewership numbers, which in many cases are already spectacular. … Peter Rosenberg (ESPN-98.7) recently made plenty of sense when he pointed out the ridiculous nature of trying to micro-analyze Mets and Yankees games, the day after on a daily basis, during what is the longest season. He didn’t come out and say the day-after analysis makes for boring, repetitive, radio, but came awfully close. Bravo! … Don La Greca, on 98.7, neatly straddled the line between lunacy and passion last Wednesday when he defended the “sanctity” of the Yankees jersey, railing against those who would allow any sort of advertising on the uniform top. Ironically Michael Kay didn’t have a problem with an ad patch. Remember? This is the guy who, when describing the back of the Yankee jersey during radiocasts, coined the phrase, “no name….of course” and made it famous.
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: TIM KIELY
For his creativity and consistency. The veteran producer (27 years) of TNT’s critically acclaimed “Inside the NBA,” retired following the Eastern Conference Finals. Kiely did so knowing he ushered in and developed a studio show that maintained its quality, energy and quirkiness.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: CBS NEWS
For hyping a CBS Mornings’ “interview” with Alex Rodriguez as “exclusive.” The spot was basically an infomercial where A-Rod “revealed” he had recently been diagnosed with gum disease and has partnered with a health company to help raise “awareness” about the ailment.
DOUBLE TALK
What Tom Brady said: “I’m certain I’m not playing again, so I’ve tried to make that clear, and I hate to continue to profess that….”
What Tom Brady meant to say: “At least for today, I’m certain I’m not playing again.”
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Originally published at Tribune News Service