Former All-Pro shares why Tom Brady will excel as broadcaster

Former All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman played against quarterback Tom Brady when Brady featured for the New England Patriots and believes the former QB possesses knowledge that will allow him to stand out as Fox's lead NFL in-game analyst later this year.

"His ability to take you into a play mentally and articulate … people say things, and you can start envisioning [it] in your head," Merriman said about Brady during a recent chat with Ryan Gaydos of Fox News Digital. "That’s what’s going to separate Tom Brady possibly from everyone else. And I’ve been on the short end of the stick with that because I know how he analyzes the game. But his ability to articulate and have your mind track what he’s talking about, that’s how good he is. He may go down as one of the best to ever do it because he has so much knowledge of the game."

Brady is set to replace award-winning analyst Greg Olsen on Fox's top team via a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375M. At least one media expert believes Brady's presence could result in "an extra 500,000 to one million" viewers tuning in to see the future Hall of Famer make his regular-season announcing debut when the Dallas Cowboys play at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8.

Brady acknowledged last month that he does not "want to let the people at Fox here" or "the great NFL fans" down with his performances in the booth. As Faith Pinnow of Boston.com pointed out, Brady gave a promising sneak peek of what he'll be as Fox's No. 1 analyst during a June appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program.

"But if you really, really look at Tom Brady and listen to him, he can articulate and make your brain track what he’s talking about," Merriman added. "And that’s what’s going to separate him from everybody."

Brady is no stranger to breaking games down, as he has experience talking about different aspects of the league thanks to his "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show. Of course, discussing certain plays with friend Jim Gray the following day isn't the same as having to react to the action live while inside a commentary booth.