Tom Brady is far from a finished product in the broadcast booth, so Joe Buck believes the legendary quarterback's critics should back off a bit.
Brady made his NFL broadcasting debut Sunday as part of FOX's coverage of the Dallas Cowboys' road win over the Cleveland Browns. The call was met with a good deal of criticism, with many knocking Brady for awkward soundbites and timidness, among other things.
But Buck, who has been calling NFL games since 1994, knows how long it can take to find your groove in the booth. As such, ESPN's "Monday Night Football" play-by-play voice came to Brady's defense after his first broadcast.
"This is a hard job, and we all do our piece of it," Buck said Monday on "The Michael Kay Show," as transcribed by the New York Post. "We all have to be able to settle in; know what you need to know. I talked to him on Friday, and I don't think anybody's put in more work into being prepared for his first broadcast than Tom did. And now, you have to go forward and settle in. It's grossly unfair that everybody wants to weigh in after five seconds. That's not the way it works."
It's tough to imagine the criticism will get to Brady, who dealt with far worse frustrations over the course of his lengthy playing career. The seven-time Super Bowl champion also has made it clear he won't be taking himself as seriously in the booth as he did behind center.
Brady will be back at work Sunday when FOX broadcasts the Saints-Cowboys Week 2 matchup in Dallas.
