Tom Brady is settling in fast as Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst, and that much was obvious again during Sunday’s 49ers-Seahawks game in Seattle. In his third season on the job, the seven-time Super Bowl champion sounded far more comfortable than he did in those early, awkward broadcasts with Kevin Burkhardt.
Most of the night, he looked the part. But one moment in the second quarter was enough to stop everyone in their tracks.
The play came after Sam Darnold scrambled out of the pocket and headed toward the sideline. Dre Greenlaw hit him after Darnold was already out of bounds, and Darnold slid across the turf before crashing into a table. Brady’s read of the moment was blunt.
“I don’t think that’s an illegal hit at all,” Brady said while watching the replay. “I mean.
I know they might call a penalty but Dre Greenlaw is on a full sprint to make sure Darnold’s not getting anywhere near close to the first down marker, which is exactly what Darnald’s doing and it’s a little nudge out of bounds and Darnold with the acting. Football has changed so much.”
That call landed hard, mostly because the replay didn’t really support the “acting” line. Darnold was running at full speed and got hit while out of bounds, with the force sending him into a dangerous spill.
It also wasn’t the only bad-tempered moment that followed. After the hit, a scuffle broke out on the Seahawks’ sideline, Greenlaw was ejected after headbutting Seattle’s Ernest Jones, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, and Greenlaw was also flagged for a late hit on Darnold.
Brady’s take felt even stranger because of who was saying it. During his playing days, he almost certainly would have been looking for a flag after a shot like that.
And the line about football changing didn’t really hold up either, since a hit out of bounds like that would have been penalized when Brady was still under center. His own final season in 2022 included plenty of evidence that he was happy to plead for protection when a rusher got to him.
Just think back to his reaction after Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett hit him in the Bucs game.
For all that, Brady also showed why Fox wanted him in the booth in the first place. He delivered a sharp breakdown of the 49ers’ second-quarter touchdown drive, which came one play after their defense recovered a fumble deep in Seahawks territory. Brady explained what Brock Purdy recognized before the snap and why the handoff to Christian McCaffrey made sense.
“This call, Purdy playing field general, meaning he’s getting his offense into the best play,” Brady said. “It’s not quarterback.
It’s field general. I’m gonna alert, I see the safeties deep.
I’m going to make sure I get you a run where we have a fair fight. Trent Williams wins his block on the left side and McCaffrey explodes.”
He also had no patience for Seahawks running back George Holani after a costly fumble that the 49ers recovered in the end zone.
“The ball is just not secured, ever,” Brady said. “He had the ball out in the flat earlier in the second quarter, dropped it with nobody (near him).
And he’s carrying that ball like it’s a walk-through. The ball’s on his hip, it’s never tight or secured.”
Brady’s growth as an announcer has been clear, and Sunday was another reminder of how quickly he has climbed in the role. He still has moments that make you shake your head, but he also showed again that he can break the game down with real authority. Seahawks fans, though, probably didn’t enjoy everything he had to say.
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