Media pundits and colleagues have already extensively criticized Tom Brady’s broadcasting career.
On Thursday, college football analyst Victor Cruz offered input on what could elevate Brady’s broadcasting abilities.
In Brady’s debut in the Fox booth, it was clear that he was still trying to find his footing. When Week 2 came around, there was a noticeable difference from Brady that helped show his potential alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
As Brady continues to get more comfortable in the booth, he will likely open up about some of the fascinating stories from his playing career that listeners are clamoring for, which should make him more favorable to the Fox audience.
Cruz, who serves as a studio analyst for TNT Sports on their Mountain West college football broadcasts for the 2024 season, largely said exactly that in a recent interview, sharing his opinion that Brady “needs to loosen up” in the broadcast booth and “talk more football.”
“I think he needs to loosen up a little bit,” said Cruz in a conversation with Daniel Trainor of US Weekly. “I think he just needs to relax and talk more football, and not try to be so Xs and Os sometimes. That will come with reps, just like anything else. The more reps he has, the more he hears himself, the more he has his repetitions, he’ll understand what his voice will be.”
Cruz understands the challenges of transitioning from a career in the NFL to a career in media.
However, Brady’s role in the broadcast booth comes with an entirely different set of challenges than Cruz’s studio role.
In Cruz’s eyes, fans want to see media members, particularly those with a background in football, to act authentically and just be themselves, which we may not have entirely seen from Brady to this point.
“With the transition of what sports media is now, I think the most surprising thing is that they want me to be myself,” Cruz added. “That’s the best part of it all. I can go on these shows and crack my jokes; I can still talk my ball and be myself. I don’t feel like I have to answer to some type of agenda or bite my tongue about certain things. I can speak my mind, and it will be accepted.”
Once Brady starts showing more of himself on the broadcast, Cruz added that he has “no doubts” that he will ultimately succeed at Fox.
“I have no doubt he’ll be as successful as he was as a player,” Cruz said of Brady.
