Rating Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's broadcast starts: NFL Media Mailbag

The NFL begins in Week 5 – can you believe we're 30 percent done with the regular season? – I thought it would be a good time to answer NFL-specific media questions.

Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Let's go.

If you had told me we would be raving about Bill Belichick and trashing Tom Brady, Well, most people would have thought it the other way around. What do you think of all the “rookies” (in broadcasting) this year? —Tom R.

Four weeks into his broadcasting career, what grade do you give Tom Brady? Where does he still need to improve? — Deven B.

When I worked at Sports Illustrated in 2016, I first wrote that I thought Belichick had all the qualities to be a successful NFL broadcaster. Then this piece came along The athlete in 2023 and this piece in January. So it doesn't surprise me in the least, and I wouldn't be surprised if he sticks around after this season.

I wrote after Brady's debut and second game and then saw him call the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. The progress is there. That's just progress, but four games in compared to his call on September 8th, he's already a different broadcaster. The most obvious is the increased comfort. After four weeks I would give it a grade of B-minus and I would consider that grade a success.

Where Brady needs to improve is that he still comes to games a little late, he has little to no criticism of the coaches, and we still don't get enough second-level analysis, which I define as teaching me something new Game where I didn't see if I followed the ball. But the ongoing work is moving in the right direction.

Has the NFL considered shutting down the networks and running the broadcasts themselves? Would they make more money if they broadcast themselves through NFL.com and perhaps rent out their stream to third parties like ESPN and others? –John B.

It's the opposite. The NFL has attempted to divest itself of media assets, including management of the NFL Network. The financial cost of producing the games yourself – think of all the staff they would have to employ in production and elsewhere – and then sublicensing the games to another broadcaster would be so high that it's not worth it. Plus, there are existing rights deals with companies, so the league couldn't even think about it for years.

I think the NFL will be more likely to be involved in one-off media projects than large-scale broadcasts, which is why I wouldn't bet long on NFL Network hosting games in the next decade, at least not under the NFL Media banner.

Which current players are most in demand for post-retirement careers at the major networks? – Paul E.

The name that always comes up on the networks is not a player, but a coach: Mike Tomlin. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach would be hired immediately if he wanted to. All broadcasters love him.

If the NFL adopts a schedule in which each team plays one international game each season, might it dare to extend that package of games, currently largely limited to Sunday mornings, to Saturday mornings? – Mark B.

What are the chances that the NFL will put together a package for international games, and if so, who could be in the running for it? —Pete G.

Never say never to NFL owners who value money above all else. But for competitive reasons I can't imagine them playing on Saturdays in the near future. Additionally, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 effectively prohibits the NFL from broadcasting much of its programming on Friday nights or Saturdays between the second Friday in September and the second Saturday in December.

As for the international package: it will definitely happen. Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, told Sports Business Journal's Ben Fischer in September: “In the short to medium term, it's realistic to expect the league to play up to 16 games overseas.” It looks that way , like the obvious window of opportunity will be the Sunday morning window to create a new media rights package, and I think you'd look out for streamers like Amazon, ESPN+, Netflix and Peacock being interested.

Expect the NFL's international games to become their own, separate broadcast package in the future. (Vincent Mignot/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

When do you think Sean McVay (head coach of the Los Angeles Rams) will leave to go into television? He has hinted that he wants to spend time with his growing family. Also, I heard from analysts that he would be great on TV, which I think he would be. Yes, the money is better in coaching, but the stress is significantly lower in television. Do you think he'll catch up with (quarterback) Matthew Stafford in terms of play/coaching as the Rams' championship window closes? —Joshua B.

Thank you, Joshua. I forwarded your question to our Rams writer Jourdan Rodrigue, who is in a unique position to answer this question. This is what she said:

“That’s a great question. Since McVay seriously considered leaving coaching in 2022, it's reasonable for outsiders to wonder how long he'll stay in this world. However, my experiences and impressions are completely different than those of those who believe that he is ready to jump at any time. I don't think he feels tied to Stafford's own career trajectory, although it's entirely possible he once felt that way.

“I've written extensively about how McVay returned to coaching after mental burnout in 2022 – and through those conversations and this reporting, I believe he will at least want to hold on to his current contract, which runs through 2026, when…” no longer. McVay knows the booth will be waiting for him at any time, the prices still continue to rise and I think he really wants to be the type of coach who has a reputation for overcoming adversity and developing players. I think he now understands that his legacy as a coach and his reputation among his peers is about much more than just becoming the youngest NFL head coach or winning the Super Bowl.”

When will the NFL buy the Canadian Football League to expand its base? —Leslie G.

I can't imagine that happening. There is no economic reason for the NFL to buy the CFL. Canada is not a market the league wants to expand into – the Toronto/Buffalo Bills experiment was not a success – and the NFL has made it clear that Europe and Mexico are its immediate targets. And what would the NFL buy? None of the CFL teams would become NFL teams. On the other hand, the CFL is proud to be Canadian owned and operated. I just don't see it.

With all the money paid to top commentators for Sunday afternoon games, do these networks have any idea how many viewers they are losing to RedZone or Sunday Ticket? —Matt L.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that the salaries that companies like Disney, Comcast or Fox Corp. pay to broadcasters, represent rounding errors for the companies. This even applies to Brady on Fox. As for RedZone, the best estimates are that the channel attracts about 1 million viewers every Sunday. This does not represent a significant loss for the networks, considering that the networks average 17 to 20 million viewers in the first time slots and 25 million in the late afternoon slots.

What led NBC to extend Cris Collinsworth for another half-decade despite having a younger, superior talent (Greg Olsen) available? I would understand if the incumbent were better – or even as good – and I know that is highly subjective. I don't think that's the case here. Thoughts? —Barry S.

It's subjective, is the short and long answer. Is Olsen a better analyst? I think it is, but subjectivity comes into play here. Relationships play a big role here. NBC Sports leadership likes Collinsworth and he has close relationships with the people in charge of hiring. It's also a big step to bring in someone from the outside who has never worked with your production group before. Collinsworth has been affiliated with NBC since 1990 and has been the lead analyst on “Sunday Night Football” for 16 seasons. That's a lot of equity.

Now for the subjective part. I've written many articles praising Collinsworth, but I believe that in recent years he has become more and more of a spokesman for the NFL, where once he was truly an outsider when it came to his criticism of the league. Maybe that's what happens as the years get older and you get closer with Roger Goodell and the boys. But in terms of preparation for the broadcasts and enthusiasm for football, in my opinion he still gets high marks in both categories.

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(Top photo of Tom Brady: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)