Fox Execs Asked Tom Brady to Make Notable Change After Broadcasting Struggles: Report

"When most players leave the NFL for the broadcast booth, they immediately lean on X’s and O’s as their crutch. Seemingly every play, they dissect gaps and blocking schemes. In his first 10 games as Fox Sports’ top analyst, Tom Brady has instead focused on things you don’t find in a playbook: pointing out the leadership of stars, focusing on the development of young players, and looking for accountability among veterans," John Ourand said in his newsletter, via Sports Illustrated.

"Fox producers have been pushing Brady to incorporate more of what he’s seeing on the field—duh—into his commentary. And these sorts of observations—why a play worked or fell apart—are starting to pop up more frequently on the broadcast."

When he first started out as an analyst, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo stole the hearts of fans as he diagnosed plays both pre-snap and post-snap. While he's moved away from that tendency in recent years, Fox clearly wanted Brady to give it a try.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback will be back on the call this afternoon alongside partner Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporter Erin Andrews as they call a Thanksgiving showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.