NEW YORK — Considering the circumstances, things worked out swell for Greg Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt.
On their way to Fox’s NFL booth to work Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII telecast, Tom Brady announced he would wait until the 2024 season to join the Foxies' No. 1 team replacing Olsen.
Knowing this will keep the current broadcast team together for at least another season, Brady’s words amounted to a “reprieve” for Olsen, producing sighs of relief from the Fox crew.
The pressure drop is only temporary. Olsen and Burkhardt now face the greatest challenge of their short partnership. Working a Super Bowl broadcast, their first one, puts them under an unforgiving spotlight.
It’s a high-wire act sans net. If they succeed and produce a clean call their stock rises. If they turn in a poor performance, any good work they already produced will be forgotten.
Everything they say, every bit of Olsen’s analysis of Chiefs-Eagles, will be sliced, diced and pulverized into a fine powder. Any routine slip of the lip by Burkhardt will be blown out of proportion, on social media, in the Valley of the Stupid, and other media precincts, by pontificators who consider themselves experts.
Not only are fans across the NFL landscape tuning in, but also millions of casual eyeballs who may not be familiar with Olsen and Burkhardt’s work or even seen them call a game all season. The non-hard-core have not yet witnessed the chemistry the voices have developed. Also, they may even have no idea who these guys are.
See, it’s a very exclusive club when it comes to recent Super Bowl voices. In the last 13 Super Bowl telecasts only seven mouths have been heard. So, it won’t be surprising if someone who hasn’t paid much attention this season wonders why Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (now at ESPN) are not on the screen.
Another hazard: Their performance could be compared to past Supe calls delivered by Buck and Aikman. Still, working the Super Bowl, will also give Olsen/Burkhardt the opportunity to have their words magnified, offering a proving ground to develop their big-event chops. You have to start somewhere, right?
And while any mistake becomes bigger than it should be, so does the opportunity to deliver a memorable call. Or provide analysis that will be remembered for years to come.
Even the best can deliver faulty analysis but also have the ability to turn it into something memorable. Such was the case for the late John Madden down the stretch of Rams-Patriots Super Bowl XXXVI, Brady’s first Supe appearance.
Madden questioned the Pats’ electing to play for the win in the final two minutes of a 17-17 tie, with the ball on the New England 17, instead of letting the clock run out to send the game into overtime. As Brady moved the ball closer to field-goal range, Madden recognized how flawed his analysis was becoming. Like viewers, the Big Man was riding on an emotional roller coaster.
It led to a memorable Madden line after Brady completed a pass to Jermaine Wiggins, setting up a 47-yard field-goal try for Adam Vinatieri. “I’ll tell you,” Madden said. “What Tom Brady just did gives me goosebumps.”
While they must be aware of all the potholes, Burkhardt and Olsen actually have all they can ask for: A gigantic opportunity.
The Brady Plan
Taking a year off before he starts his broadcasting career with Fox, gives Brady time to get plenty of practice as a game analyst.
Industry sources said Brady could “quietly” record live games this Spring when Fox broadcasts the USFL. The players might not be recognizable but it would be a great opportunity for Brady to work on his mechanics and get accustomed to a producer talking in his ear.
The 2023 NFL preseason is another opportunity to get reps. Fox could pair Brady with Kevin Burkhardt for private tapings.
