Tom Brady discovers golden rule of being a good pundit

“The interesting thing is they still have three timeouts,” he told the audience of the Bills. The Rams led 44-35 with just over a minute left. Three timeouts meant something significant. An opportunity to score, kick deep, use the timeouts to stop the clock running out and get the ball back in time to clinch a winner. This was a real-time insight into how a seven-time Super Bowl champion thinks in clutch moments.

The Bills messed up. They tried to crash it in rather than throwing the ball, failing to convert in doing so. Timeout. Eventual touchdown. Not going to cut it.

“To me, you take three shots throwing and don’t use a timeout, and then you can kick it deep and use your three timeouts and still get the ball with good time,” Brady explained.

“It changes the entire complexity of the last 1:02 of the game. Even if they score what is the big deal... I did not like that one bit. That could have just cost them the game right there.” 

The one-time 199th sixth round draft pick rose to the top with one pure rule. Do whatever it takes to win. Bills coach Sean McDermott made a bad call. They would now have to try and recover an onside kick to give themselves a chance. Instead, the Super Bowl contenders broke Brady’s law and lost.

Brady’s early explorations in this new role were rocky. As a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, there are severe limitations on what he can and can’t do. No access to other teams’ facilities, no broadcast production meetings with players and coaches, no public criticism of officials. Worse still, he was wooden. Trapped in a traditional bind in a bid to be a good punditry partner. He seemed reluctant to be overly critical of players and coaches, deferential to the lead, trying so hard to say the right thing that he ended up saying nothing of interest. Then he snapped.

It first happened a few weeks ago after Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield hinted at the “stressful environment” Brady cultivated during his stint there. The GOAT didn’t see it that way. When he was looking for fun, he went to Disneyland with his kids. Stressful to him was not having Super Bowl rings.

Too simple? Sure. True to who he is? No doubt. This is a man who once hung over the edge of a 200+ feet cliff so he could hit a third shot in a Pro-Am golf tournament. A starting quarterback in the world’s richest league, preferring to risk his life than take a drop. It was essentially meaningless given his pro partner was certain to do better on that particular hole. But Brady couldn’t concede. He hated to lose.

As an analyst, Brady displaced former tight end Greg Olsen; a superb performer who was popular for his ability to blend narratives with data. Tony Romo has cultivated a hardcore fanbase by predicting plays and igniting after explosive moments. That golf shot story was shared by Brady’s former coach, Bill Belichick, who became an engaging storyteller in between departing the Patriots and recently joining North Carolina college.

Olsen isn’t box office. Romo can be hyperactive. Belichick was purely interested in using punditry as a means to an end.

They are each different. That is the point. In a world where the gap continues to narrow between talking about sport and actually playing it, splinters are inevitable. There was a time when what Eamonn Dunphy said was absolute and The Sunday Game dictated the dial. Times change.

In the face of an increasingly fracturing sphere, the only chance to carve out some space is to stake a claim on your own convictions. Roy Keane spent years fending off the advances of punditry gigs until he finally found a place where he looks completely at home. There is no expectation. He can play his own character.

If that is not your thing, the intricate tactical breakdowns are available elsewhere. Tribal fury is in mass supply. Serious football chat still dictates podcasts. Others offer the pub talk. The audience isn’t singular now. There are no set rules other than to say how you truly feel.

Brady was a competitive animal. Channelling that is his best bet of making Fox believe he is value for money. It doesn’t have to please everyone; just make it register with someone. That is the beauty of this new age. Entertainment and explanation were once pitted against each other as an either/or option. Not anymore. The performative theatrics aren’t what you were looking for? Don’t fret. It exists elsewhere.

This matters for the hopeful pundit. They now know what they have to do, whether they be the tactician, the comic or the heel. Lean into it.