“Three Stars of the Week” is an award that Tom Brady, now the lead NFL Analyst for FOX Sports, hands out every midweek. Brady, who has undoubtedly drawn mixed reviews as an analyst thus far, routinely highlights the three most standout performers, in his opinion, from the week’s slate of NFL action.
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has earned Brady’s “three stars” award three times already, which is almost certainly more than anybody else in the league.
“It’s hard to believe, but for the third time, Derrick Henry is one of my stars of the week. What an unbelievable year he’s had,” Brady said.
“This last game in Washington, [he had] 24 carries, 132 yards and two touchdowns in a huge win over the Commanders. Derrick’s been literally a perfect fit in Baltimore. They started 0-2 and now they’re 4-2, and Derrick is a huge reason why. He leads the league in rushing [yards] and touchdowns. That’s the way to play winning football.”
Brady is right- Henry has been a perfect fit in Baltimore. It’s not hyperbole that he’s been the most impactful signing of the NFL offseason.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin was also a recipient of “Three Stars of the Week,” which prompted Brady to mention the Ravens’ next contest, the highly anticipated Monday Night Football clash against the Bucs.
Like the rest of us, Brady is looking forward to that huge game.
Tampa just hung a 50-burger on New Orleans, prompting Brady to mention, “I never even did that.” While he still references himself and his career a bit too much for my taste, Brady is on a learning curve as a broadcaster, and he does seem to be improving.
His long-time former teammate, Julian Edelman, has noticed Brady’s progress in the booth. Edelman is as big a fan of Brady’s Analyst work as anybody.
“You can tell he’s gotten more comfortable,” Edelman said in an exclusive with RG. “It’s not easy — it’s kind of like a rookie quarterback going in and having to identify.
“You have to take the personnel group in your play, break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, identify their front, you identify the safeties. He’s learning that in the booth now. It’s tough.
“I’ll be a lot more excited when he gets into a close game and you get to hear the quarterback’s mindset when he’s down a certain amount of points or a fourth quarter drive. That’s probably his forte, you know? I’m excited and he’s been killing it.”
No matter what you think of Brady as an Analyst/Broadcaster, his role got much harder. This week, the league approved his partial ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders, which will present all kinds of conflicts of interest.
As an NFL owner (he will now officially own 5% of a club valued at $6.7 billion), he will be limited in his access to other teams, coaches, and players, which will affect his participation in production meetings.
According to NFL bylaws, he’s also prohibited from publicly criticizing game officials or other clubs. It will be interesting to see how the quarterback G.O.A.T. adjusts to this.