Usually in July or August, there’s a profile of an NFL player in GQ including an interesting and inflammatory quote that inevitably results in a claim from the player that he was misquoted or his quote was taken out of context or the quote was off the record or whatever. While that may indeed be coming, we’ll have to settle for now with a standard Q&A between Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Variety.
Myles Simmons already posted something about Brady’s “this is my last year, unless it isn’t” shtick. Brady also discussed his broadcasting future with Fox.
He cleared up one open question about his eventual non-playing career. Will it begin in the 2022 postseason if the Buccaneers fail to make it to the playoffs?
“No,” Brady said. “I want to focus on football. I really want to commit to this year to be as best as I possibly can.”
That’s a fair response. It’s also possible that Brady, a notoriously bad loser, has no desire to be forced to watch and comment on playoff games for which his team failed to qualify.
Brady wasn’t specifically asked whether he’d be involved in the Super Bowl coverage on Fox if the Bucs don’t make it, but his answer to the broader question likely applies with equal force. He wants to focus on football and not on a premature commencement of his role with Fox.
Besides, he would be tormented by having to comment on games involving teams that advanced farther than his. Can you imagine Brady working the 2021 49ers-Rams NFC Championship or the Rams-Bengals Super Bowl after the Bucs stormed back from a big deficit before losing to L.A., at no fault of Brady’s?
Brady also addressed what can be expected from him, whenever he enters the broadcast booth.
“I’m there to support,” he said. “I’m there to inform. I have a great knowledge of the game. And I also have very high expectations of what players and coaches should do in the field. I’ll have no problem being critical of things that I disagree with, and I’ll have no problem praising things that are exceptional.”
He’ll be carefully scrutinized on that point. Will he be critical enough? Will he be too critical? And what does he regard as the kind of “exceptional” thing that will merit his praise?
Ultimately, the question will be whether he’s any good. He’ll be under plenty of pressure to deliver. Fortunately, he knows a thing or two about meeting and exceeding high expectations.
Brady also reiterated that the broadcasting career will begin when he’s done playing. He admitted that “there’s a chance” we won’t see him on Fox for another two or three years.
“But I’m very close to the end,” Brady said.
Unless, of course, he isn’t.
