Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth on a full-time basis last season and it was a roller coaster ride in terms of his effectiveness in his first season.
There were plenty of good moments for Brady, mixed with learning experiences that only come with the repetitiveness of being in the booth and calling games.
Fox Sports lead producer Richie Zyontz spoke with The Athletic's Richard Deitsch on Deitsch's podcast to discuss Brady's improvement and what has changed.
"I think he took a pretty deep dive into year one," Zyontz said. "He made adjustments to his preparation. Now he sort of has a much better feel for what a broadcast actually is, what's required and what's not."
The focus with Brady and his producer is to make sure that he's finishing his thoughts more often in year two, which will certainly be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. It was a common social media criticism of Brady's first year in the booth, and something he's been working hard to correct.
"These guys know so much about the game," Zyontz continued. "Tom is a walking encyclopedia. His wisdom is beyond belief. You know how to start a thought. Everyone can start a thought, but it's what's the exit ramp for that thought? How do you end the thought? And I think that there's where we still need to improve. But I think it's imminently fixable."
All eyes will be on Brady in year two, but he's certainly working to improve, much like he did in his two-plus decades in the NFL as a player.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Brady Learning Fast to Improve in Year Two of Broadcasting.