1 month ago
27
Fox Sports brought some criticism down on their heads when Tom Brady replaced Emmy-award winning analyst Greg Olsen in the No. 1 color commentary spot for the network's NFL coverage.
Olsen, recognized as one of the best in the business, was demoted to the second team with Joe Davis while Brady took the top spot alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
Brady spent all of last season getting more acclimated to the job, but still faced detractors as the seven-time Super Bowl champion appeared to need to iron out some wrinkles that Olsen very clearly didn't have.
However, the two were able to treat their situation - and each other - with mutual respect and grace while trying to be as amicable as possible.
'There's a part with our jobs where people want to write about it. I don't give a s**t about any of that,' Brady said in a recent appearance on Olsen's podcast 'Youth Inc.'
'I just care about my relationship with you, because I know if I'm cool with you, that's all that matters,' Brady continued.
Tom Brady addressed his 'rivalry' with Greg Olsen, saying it's less angry than things seem
Brady admitted to learning a lot from the former tight end, even saying that he watched plenty of Olsen's broadcasting tape in order to help himself get better throughout last season
The pair framed their conversation in the context of youth sports - with the two showing how the always competitive broadcasting field could compare to kids' athletics.
'I've been very comfortable sharing it with you and sharing it with everyone else, I kind of think it's cool for you and I in this moment to show we can both want to be great, and it doesn't mean I want either of us to be bad,' Olsen said.
Brady hasn't been as outspoken about his relationship with Olsen. However, he revealed on the show about how much he's learned from the former tight end - including how he watched Olsen's game tape to improve.
'When I look in broadcasting, I was very much a rookie this last year. But I looked up to a lot of people who I thought, "Man, he does a great job." And you're obviously one of the greats already at such a young age,' Brady told Olsen.
'I watched so much Greg Olsen broadcasting tape, and I just said, what does he do that I really like that maybe I can apply in my prep … or my on-air?'
Brady also compared his competition with Olsen to his struggles on the depth chart early in his career - when he fought up the ranks at Michigan and with the Patriots.
'This time will come and go and the articles will come and go, and the only people that need to be cool are me and you,' Brady told Olsen. 'Because that's all that matters to me in my life.'
