With seven Super Bowl rings on his fingers and several other records to his name, it is difficult to impress Tom Brady.
However, the Detroit Lions, and especially Dan Campbell have already done that halfway through the season. The minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders couldn’t hide his admiration for the 48-year-old.
Dan Campbell Receives High Praise From Tom Brady
After beating the Green Bay Packers 24-14 this past week, the Lions are the favorites to clinch the top playoff spot from the NFC with a record of 7-1, according to Pro Football Network’s NFL Playoff Predictor. After decades of mediocrity, the resurgence of Detroit under Campbell has been no less than a miracle.
Brady in his closing arguments after the Lions handedly defeated their divisional foes shared his fondness for Cambell.
“I would have loved to have him as a coach,” said Brady. “I would love to have him as a teammate. He’s like the exact kind of guy you’d want. Selfless. Determined. Resilient. He’s got this way about him that he cares.”
Was very cool to hear the 🐐 Tom Brady talk about his impressions of Dan Campbell after yesterday’s big win in GB pic.twitter.com/o9yrHp3M7U
— Scott Turken (@Turk0219) November 4, 2024
Brady highlighted that Campbell stands out from the crowd based on one of his qualities, authenticity.
“He’s very authentic and in a world where we’re not dealing with it and a lot of people are feeding us a lot of BS, he’s obviously so truthful with the guys that he’s coaching. I think they love him for that. They love playing for him,” added Brady.
The Lions will travel to face off against the AFC powerhouse Houston Texans for their Week 10 matchup on Sunday. And as impressed as Brady has been by the team, the general consensus isn’t too far off from what he said.
The Lions’ +110 point differential is fourth-best through eight games in franchise history (their best since posting a +144 margin in 1954). While QB Jared Goff ranks first or second in the league in completion percentage, yards per pass, and passer rating.
Brady Gets Called Out for His Broadcasting Job
The 15-time Pro Bowler had gotten out of a possible trouble on his broadcasting job, however, he hasn’t received any mercy from the NFL pundits. Sportswriter Bill Simmons called Brady out for his fake energy on the job.
“I think he’s being poorly produced is where I’ve landed because I think whatever they’re telling him to do, it’s not working,” Simmons said. “I don’t feel like I’m watching the game with him. He comes in the beginning he’s got this, like, fake energy. None of it feels genuine to me.”
In Week 10, Brady will be in the booth to call the San Francisco 49ers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
However, it is not all negative. As tough as the start of his broadcasting career has gone, there are some that have seen improvements.
Sports Illustrated’s Liam McKeone wrote Brady did a “great job, by and large, of communicating what he was seeing to the viewers” during Sunday’s Lions-Packers game.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand said he believed Brady had “his best week” as an analyst so far while calling Lions-Packers. “I thought he sounded the most comfortable he did. … He was smoother. He seemed to understand a little bit more of what the job requires.”
When you are as popular as Brady is, the criticism just comes with the job.