“Tom’s insight into situational football, into moments that he’s had during his career, challenges, things that you’re facing on the field in real time, he can reference. And I’m mesmerized by him.”
As Tom Brady preps for his debut calling NFL games for Fox this fall, longtime Fox studio analyst Howie Long is hyped for the legendary quarterback to join the network. In fact, Long believes Brady has the potential to rival the great John Madden in the broadcast booth, at least when it comes to drawing in an audience of football lovers.
In an interview on the Green Light podcast with his son Chris Long, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long explained why Brady could be the rare announcer to pull people in simply off the strength of his fame and brilliant analysis.
“People are going to tune in for Tom,” Long said. “Generally you say the game is what draws people in, and I think that’s still true. Dallas-Philadelphia, people are going to tune in … but it’s like John Madden. You’re watching John Madden do a football game and he brings a different element. Tom’s insight into situational football, into moments that he’s had during his career, challenges, things that you’re facing on the field in real time, he can reference. And I’m mesmerized by him.”
Long compared Brady replacing demoted game analyst Greg Olsen at Fox to when Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe as New England Patriots quarterback in 2001.
Long got to know Brady over the summer during a Fox team-building trip to the Bahamas. He was struck by Brady’s kindness and the down to earth way in which he thinks about football from a human standpoint.
“He understands what it means to be a good teammate … as well as [how to be] someone who holds people accountable and all of that,” Long explained. “Tom is a smart guy, he’s a passionate guy. He talks a lot about the one thing that drives success the most is your willingness to work. And not everyone is willing to work. And I think Tom is going to work his rear end off at it.”
Long has been on Fox NFL Sunday since the show’s inception in 1994, the year after he retired from the league. He certainly knows what it takes to stick around in football broadcasting, and has seen tons of game announcers come and go across three decades at Fox.
If Howie Long believes Tom Brady can be an iconic broadcaster just like he was on the field, there’s probably something special awaiting football fans when they tune into Fox in September.