Drew Brees is making his Fox debut Sunday afternoon, calling the Packers-Giants game at MetLife Stadium alongside Adam Amin. This assignment places Brees on what appears to be Fox’s No. 3 or No. 4 broadcast team—a softer landing spot compared to the one Tom Brady experienced when he transitioned into the booth last year.
Brady understands what Brees is walking into and offered some advice during Fox NFL Sunday’s pregame show. “I’m glad I’m not a rookie anymore, but I’d warn him of all the mistakes I made in my first year, but we’d be here for an hour,” Brady said. “So, I’m not going to tell you any of those things. He knows what to do. Have fun, just enjoy yourself, and don’t read all those social media comments after.”
During his first season, Brady faced criticism for being too cautious, lacking in-depth Xs-and-Os analysis, and delivering surface-level observations that didn’t seem to match Fox’s $375 million investment. Since the network replaced Greg Olsen with Brady on the top team, every underwhelming moment was magnified. By February, many in the sports media—including us at Awful Announcing—were still debating whether he even belonged in the broadcast booth.
Brees is stepping into a similar environment, albeit with lower stakes and less money tied to his role. He is also entering the picture after Fox cut ties with Mark Sanchez following his arrest on felony battery charges.
This is Brees’ second chance at calling NFL games. NBC initially brought him in for 2021 to work on Football Night in America’s studio show and to call Notre Dame games. The network was grooming him as Cris Collinsworth’s eventual successor on Sunday Night Football. However, after a disappointing audition during the Raiders-Bengals wild-card game in January 2022, Brees was out of a job.
Whether Brees sticks with Fox depends largely on how quickly he adjusts to the role. Brady’s first year was rough enough to cause doubts about the value of the network’s investment. Although Brady is not elite on the mic, he has improved to a level that Fox isn’t regretting the deal.
Brees has the advantage of entering with lower expectations and a broadcast partner who can help carry the team. However, he also faces the disadvantage of having already experienced failure once in this arena. Only time will tell if this second chance will lead to lasting success.
https://awfulannouncing.com/fox/tom-brady-advice-drew-brees-debut.html