Benster and D Pick Your Games----Why Is Tom Brady Doing A Packer Game Edition

Imagine backing up the Brinks truck for Tom Brady to be your lead analyst when he hasn't done any sort of broadcasting, and then seeing him get hit with restrictions on what he can say and do because he wants to be an NFL minority owner. I've been waiting to talk about this, and have some things to say. 

It's a pretty good gag. Or is that gag order?

Meanwhile, the Packers survived Jacksonville, despite a lot of key injuries. Holy crap, that game was close. 

A W is a W, Seabiscuit.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-3) vs. Illinois Cheating Illini The Gophers trounced Maryland the last time out, and have an interesting game against the Illini on the road. Max Brosmer has been playing pretty well lately, and while the Gophers are likely not going to get to the Big Ten title game, this means that the the predictions that PJ wouldn't be able to hack in the new Big Ten don't look so good right now. As a reminder, I have praised PJ in the past, and will give him credit for turning around the Gophers lately. Illinois on the other hand has a good win against Michigan, but it is obvious that the defending champions have a severe hangover. I think that the Gophers are going to impose their will in the first half and win fairly comfortably on the road. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 38, Lou Henson Bribing Chicago High School Basketball Stars 26.

I do not understand why the Gophers are favored. I really don't. The Illini are a solid team and they handled Michigan with relative ease. The Gophers are at a minimum competent, but to be a road favorite in this game makes no sense to me. And I'm picking it accordingly. Illini 24, Gophers 21.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (+2.5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes It is easy to say that losing to Penn State is a talent issue and that Fickell needs time on that front. While there is an element of truth, Fickell has to answer for a couple of things. I question if Locke is the guy, and think that Longo once again fell back into the same traps as the USC debacle. I do think that getting a quarterback in the portal is going to be needed. Iowa City at night is always going to be a challenge, and I want the coaches to understand that this is going to be a low scoring game with an emphasis on taking advantage of your chances to score. The Badgers didn't do it last year, and I would sell out to stop the Iowa run game. Make the Iowa passing game beat you. This is going to be a very old school type of game, but the Badgers have won in Iowa City multiple times in my lifetime. Badgers 19, Iowans 11.

It's true, they have won in Iowa City. But I'm not convinced they will with this team. Iowa can run the ball effectively and the Badgers have struggled at times to stop the run. It will not be pretty; it rarely is down there, but I think the Badgers aren't good enough to win there this time. Iowa 24, Wisconsin 20.

A School In Columbus (-3) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions I'll be fair to Penn State, as they played well last week in Madison to keep their perfect season alive. Fox really screwed the pooch on this one by putting the game in the Big Noon timeslot. I understand that there could have been a Game 7 between the Yankees and Dodgers, but at least put the game in the mid afternoon timeslot. I don't blame the Penn State fans for being angry at Fox, as the White Out for this game would have been epic. This isn't an elimination game for either side, but the Buckeyes are facing a smaller margin for error if they lose, and the narratives around Ryan Day's ability to win big games and the Curse of the Six Game Minimum are haunting the Buckeyes. Penn State is facing the ghosts of James Franklin's big game record and the struggles they have had against Ohio State outside of 2016. I'm invoking the Desperate Team At Home theory for this one given that the Buckeyes looked highly suspect against Nebraska and because Penn State did impress me last week. Lions 23, Blow Up The Phone Lines Of Ohio Sports Radio 20.

I've seen both teams. I think Penn State is better. It should be a hell of a game. Penn State 34, Ohio State 31.

Indianapolis Colts (+5.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings come in rested from the mini bye, and I think that them getting Cam Robinson should help the offensive line. The Vikings are facing some adversity, given that the Super Bowl parade plans have been put on hold with the two losses. I think that the Vikings are going to catch the Colts at a good time. Anthony Richardson is an enigma. He looks like he should be great, but pulling yourself from a game because you were tired isn't a great look. The Vikings are too well-run to completely collapse, and should get through this game well by running the ball. The Packers did it without Jordan in Week 2, and the Vikings can do it with Sam Darnold. Vikings 35, Colts 17.

I agree - this should be a get-well game for the Vikings. My only nagging concern is whether the league is figuring out Sam Darnold. The thing is - even if the league is figuring him out, that doesn't mean the Colts will be able to do anything about it. And while there are now holes in the Flores defense, I don't see how the Colts exploit them. I think it will be comfortable. Vikings 31, Colts 14.

Detroit LOLions (-2.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers Last week was a very lucky escape from Jacksonville given that there were a ton of injuries. The good news is that it looks like Jordan is going to go, which gives the Packers a good chance. The bad news is that the Packers are going to be short on defensive backs, which I am sure that Goff is going to be licking his chops about. The complicating factor is that there could be some rain, and the Lions are an indoor team. A lot of people forget this, but the Packers were undermanned on Thanksgiving, and went into Detroit and stunned the Lions. I think that the Packers have a much better chance than the experts have. Packers 39, LOLions 10.

I assume you mean than the experts are giving them? The Lions rarely play the experts. Sorry, couldn't resist the grammar nudge. Anyway, the Lions are damned good and they can beat you in multiple ways. I think the Packers will make it difficult and the weather could very well be a factor in this one. I am guessing I'll regret this pick, but my homer instincts are here. I smell another Brandon McManus moment at the gun. Packers 31, Lions 30.

And now, it is time for A Very Special Comment. My concerns about Brady being the lead guy for Fox are centered around a couple of factors. First, Fox paid him over 30 million a year before he had stepped into a booth. That makes Brady the most expensive analyst in the history of sports television. But what tape did he have? Take his broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt. He worked his way up from being a reporter on Mets games through working on lower tier games to being the lead NFL guy and the studio host of Fox's coverage of MLB. I like Burkhardt a lot, but he wasn't handed these top jobs right away. Let's be frank, Brady got handed the top analyst job at Fox without having any live sports broadcasting experience of any kind. He was never a guest analyst during the NFL playoffs, didn't do a game during his bye week, or anything like that. How could you say for certain that Brady is the best game analyst that Fox has on their roster coming into this year? 

He's a celebrity hire. I assume they couldn't get Taylor Swift.

The second reason why I think that Brady won't succeed at this role is because he also owns a stake in the Raiders. Because of this, he can't enter team facilities, can't participate in the production meetings, and can't criticize the refs. This also brings up the question of when Brady is doing a game, is he speaking as a Fox analyst or as a Raiders owner? Can he balance those two jobs, or is he shortchanging one to serve the other. Plus, the rest of the top Fox crew has to work harder to pick up the slack. Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi are all pros. But in addition to having to figure out the chemistry with Brady, they have to do a lot more behind the scenes to cover for Brady's restrictions. Also, did Brady tell Fox about his plans with the Raiders? Did that violate his contract? 

Probably not, but he's Tom Freaking Brady. Bow to him, peasant!

The final reason why I am against this move is for Greg Olsen. I think Olsen was doing a great job as the lead guy for Fox. He is able to explain things in a way that makes sense, while also having observations that the hard core fans like myself could appreciate. Olsen also paid his does, doing games for Fox during his playing career, working his way up to the lead booth, and a lot of football fans like him. I hope that if Fox sees Brady quit, that they give Olsen first dibs. Or heck, if CBS or NBC needs a top analyst, I would love for Olsen to get the nod from those networks. He got screwed over here.

He did, but he spent his playing career in Carolina and Chicago so he should be used to it.

So what would I have done if I were Fox? I would have started Brady off doing a year or two of college games, UFL games, and lower tier NFL games. Ideally, I would have paired him with veteran play by play guys who could help Brady get in. Someone like a Tim Brando or Kenny Albert type who has experience working with new analysts. And I would have put in a clause in his contract that he can't take an ownership stake in a team. If Brady blows me away as a great analyst, I would have put him in the top NFL booth with Olsen as a three man booth. I think that Brady could be good. But he has to decide if he wants to broadcast games and tell the story or be an NFL minority owner and be part of the cast that performs the story. 

He doesn't care as long as the check clears. And in the NFL, the checks clear with ease. It's not what I would have done, either, but having Brady on the broadcast was what the big suits wanted and they know that the hardcore fans would watch if it were Wayne Brady or any random member of the Brady Bunch in the booth. It's about getting the casual fan and Brady is a household name. But it's a good rant on your part. So, good for you.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.