After earning high praise for his work during his inaugural season in the top analyst chair for FOX Sports, Greg Olsen still could be pushed out of the network’s lead booth in 2024 due to the retirement of Tom Brady. Venerable play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle says there will certainly be backlash if that’s the case.
While appearing on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina, Eagle said he wasn’t surprised by the work Olsen has done, saying “you could tell this guy had a chance to be really good at this”.
Eagle then added that viewers will push back on Brady because of his history as one of the game’s greatest.
“There will be the natural backlash because A) it’s Tom Brady, so there are many fans who already have a general feeling on him and then the second part is there are fans who like the pairing and rightfully so,” Eagle said. “They’ve been excellent together. So is there an X on his back. Yeah. But he’s dealt with a lot worse. I don’t think that it’s something he would lose a whole lot of sleep over.
“I think the part he’s gonna have to determine is if he’s all in. If you’re all in, then, this — not to say it consumes every part of your being, but knowing him, he’ll wanna be great. And being great requires you to put the time and effort in.”
Eagle’s comments came after he said he believed Brady will work diligently to become great at the craft.
“Tom is extremely likable, extremely smart, extremely insightful. I think he has a chance to be great at this if he wants to do this and truly do it full-time,” said Eagle. “This guy hasn’t done anything poorly. Anything he puts his mind to, he’s gonna do well. If he puts the time and effort in, like I think he will, he’s gonna wanna be the best at it.”
