Tom Brady is set to make his NFL broadcasting debut for Fox this coming season, which has had many sports media figures weighing in on how they think he will do. But one person who was once in his shoes, former NFL quarterback turned longtime broadcaster, Joe Theismann, offered a bit of advice recently on how he believes Brady should approach the transition.
Like Brady is trying to do, Theismann went from the football field to the broadcast booth, a position he held for over 20 years across numerous networks. Most famously, Theismann served as the color commentator on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football telecasts from 1988 to 2005.
Very few know more about the transition that Brady is attempting to make than Theissman. And in a recent interview with OutKick, Theissman offered a bit of advice to Brady that he learned from working with the great John Madden.
“Tom is very knowledgeable about the game of football, but there have been lots of knowledgeable former players that didn’t make it in the broadcasting realm,” Theismann said. “But it will come down to how Tom presents it, how he works with his broadcast partner and it will all come down to him being comfortable. I was fortunate to be getting into broadcasting and learn from the great John Madden.
“John had his own style, and that’s what Tom will have to do. Be Tom Brady, don’t try and be somebody else. That to me would probably be the biggest and best piece of advice. Be the guy that we know knows football, be the guy that has the knowledge about the game and then let the game tell the story. You embellish it a little bit, but you don’t tell the story, the game tells the story.”
Perhaps more than anyone else who has tried their hand at broadcasting after playing in the NFL, Brady will have an uphill battle on his hands solely because he simply isn’t all that popular with fans who have despised him for years.
With this in mind, Theissman urged fans to “give Brady a chance” as he settles into his new role in the broadcast booth.
“To the fans out there, don’t judge him early on,” Theismann added. “Give him a chance to get comfortable, give him a chance to get his feet wet, give him an opportunity to understand and learn the broadcasting business just like he did in football.”
Only time will tell how Brady’s broadcasting venture goes. But Theismann’s advice for Brady to find his own, original voice on color commentary could certainly go a long way in him getting in the good graces of viewers.
[OutKick]
