Many anticipated the broadcasting debut of Tom Brady on FOX ahead of the Week 1 contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
Those results returned mostly negative after the game with most fans displeased with his performance. Granted, it was the future Hall of Famer's first time with the head set, but he certainly showed his inexperience on the call.
However, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback turned in a smoother outing on his second call this past Sunday. Since he is very green to this venture, there remains a lot for him to take in.
But the greatest challenge, according to Brady, revolves around the timing, speed and delivery of his analysis. He discussed those difficulties on his SiriusXM podcast, "Let's Go!" with Jim Gray and former head coach Bill Belichick.
"Anybody can get on there and talk about, 'In Cover 2, this is what you gotta do, you got to read the high-low.' Yeah, that's fun and that's technical, but people won't understand s*** if we do that," Brady said. "So we got to find simple ways, and I've got to continue to find simple ways to describe that to people who are just tuning in for those three hours every week."
The objective of communicating shortened simple yet complex messages to a national audience proves quite difficult, especially for those like Brady and Belichick who are only recently removed from the game.
"It's a challenge for sure. I definitely feel like a rookie out there," he added.
Belichick echoed those sentiments.
"You got 20 seconds to analyze everything," Belichick said. "Break down the last play, set up the situation for the next play, and then they're on the ball calling signals. It's not really much time."
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While both have taken on different responsibilities in the broadcast and creative space, they are each, as Brady puts it, "rookies" to a new craft.
One could draw the parallel of an NFL rookie learning the speed and cadence of the professional level. Specifically for Brady, he has returned to that same arena of over 20 years ago.
As Brady continues to navigate and improve along this journey, the league has certainly saved him some preparation work. He will be on the call for the third Cowboys game of the season as they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.