Former Patriots continue to dominate the sports media in January. It seems like every network has at least one Patriot or championship vintage guy on their broadcast depth chart. Shortly after retirement, Devin McCourty took on the NFL’s top studio role, defining “Football Night in America” in NBC’s ratings.
Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison also joined the show as an on-field analyst.Devin’s twin brother Jason hosts NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” and called the game on CBS and his brother Westwood One.
(Their call was a nice change from listening to Tony Romo and Jim Nantz chat through Ian Eagle’s simple Romo-to-English translation on the CBS call-inducing AFC-Ravens-Ravens play-by-play.)Who else? ESPN has Teddy Bruschi and Randy Moss. Fox has Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, but the former is much softer in his studio role than the latter.James White cannot be missed. He is an analyst for the Big Ten Network, host of Sirius.There are dozens of other Patriots who appear regularly on local television or radio or have smaller national roles.
Ty Lowe, appearing Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” may be the funniest guest on Boston’s two sports radio stations.Of course, those who aren’t fans of the six-time Super Bowl champions are probably tired of the Patriots’ media saturation. They lost a lot during their playing days. Since you’re a broadcaster, you can’t avoid it. This is a difficult discovery for them. Very hard break.
Because when Tom Brady starts signing a 10-year, $375 million contract to become the No. 1 color analyst. 1 on Fox next season, there’s no avoiding the most iconic Patriot (and perhaps the most iconic player in pro football history).And the recently fired coach, who hasn’t been shy about press conferences for 24 years and stole the show every time he’s on TV, should be on the show next season instead of just watching from the sidelines.
Anyone who doesn’t think Bill Belichick can be great on TV probably doesn’t know he won an Emmy for his work on the NFL Network’s NFL 100 series.That doesn’t mean Brady and Belichick will have to meet again in the broadcast booth in September. This is an example of one of the greatest coaches and quarterbacks in NFL history best separated to play to their individual strengths.
It’s a bit of a shame that Belichick didn’t get a head coaching job. He’s been around the NFL for a long time. But here, between the abysmal end of his Red Sox managerial career and a fresh start in Cleveland, there’s a huge opportunity not unlike Terry Francona’s at ESPN. The media’s job is to make sure Belichick is never far from the minds of NFL owners interested in hiring him.
But what role? He did a great job in the studio. Still laughing at his “College Game Day” performance before Navy’s game at Gillette Stadium? – But I think this method doesn’t work for him. He’s not someone you can put together and film like Rex Ryan. He’s not a jerk like “Coach” Cowher or Jimmie Johnson. What he needs to do is find a high-quality, low-volume role where he can play to his strengths.
Perhaps Belichick’s “Tuck” segment with McCourty on “Sunday Night Football,” if aired sparingly, would make his performance seem like a special event. Or appearing regularly on Bill Simmons’ podcast as Doc Rivers. Or niche shows like Peyton Manning’s Peyton’s Places, where he travels to interesting places around the country and talks football with interesting people, usually his friends like Nick Saban. He might start his own production company and call it Eight Rings or Good Luck Jonathan. And what is the theme of the show? “We are working… . “surely. Belichick has some attractive options.
Brady chose his path a long time ago. When he signed a contract with Fox in May 2022 without a specific date for when he would start, it was easy to find doubt that he would do so. When he said he would be benched for the 2024 season, it was true that he needed time to prepare, talk with former successful player analysts and learn what it means to be a good analyst. .
In November, an executive at another network told me that Brady was practicing broadcasting at Fox.Brady is now on the media scene (Tom is on the phone 24/7) and appeared on the Colin Cowherd and Pat show to talk about how he approaches his job and what he wants to convey. McAfee last week. “I think I can bring a unique perspective that a lot of people will really like,” Brady told Mike McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
Interestingly, Brady has made it clear that he does not want to work in a three-man cubicle. Beloved Greg Olsen (everything Romo should be as an analyst) will rise to the top after two seasons alongside Kevin Burkhardt.Olsen may eventually move to another network. It would make a lot of sense for Amazon.
In the long term, it would be ideal for him to succeed Chris Collinsworth and play Sunday Night Football. Although that’s wishful thinking on my part. Brady’s increased competitiveness, education and willingness to be outgoing suggest he’ll be a great analyst, even if it takes him a few weeks or months to find his footing.
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