Joe Theismann is interested in Tom Brady’s eventual transition to broadcasting, but he seems to have some questions as to whether it will work out.
Theismann transitioned from playing to broadcasting following his career-ending injury in 1985, and warned Brady that the move presents an entirely different challenge compared to what he’s used to. In fact, Theismann said on “The DA Show” Friday that his first word of advice to Brady would be to keep playing as long as possible.
“First of all, I’d say keep playing, Tom. Just keep playing,” Theismann said, via Tom Hanslin of Audacy. “Because, whatever you faced on the field, it’ll be different once you go in the booth. You have three hours, roughly, to communicate the game to people. I don’t think he’s ever really worked in that environment. Like everything else, there’s a transition period.
“I wish him a lot of luck. He’s extremely intelligent about the game, and has terrific communication skills. And now, you walk into the booth and it’s a bit different. Things are done there in soundbites because you have to give the play-by-play guys a chance to their job. So, there’s a bit of a routine that has to be developed, a chemistry that needs to be developed.”
Theismann does not sound like he’s necessarily doubting Brady. It seems to just be more of a warning that the transition from playing to announcing is a significant challenge.
Brady has already agreed to join Fox Sports as its lead analyst once he ends his playing career. That may be as soon as next season if you take some of the things he has said into account.
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