Patriots Daily: Brady in the Broadcast Booth; Tyreek Hill Detained

The New England Patriots season got off to an exciting start yesterday with a 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Most of Patriots Nation was focused on the game, but it wasn’t the only one that might’ve caught their attention on Sunday. New England head coach Jerod Mayo wasn’t the only former Patriots player making a new type of NFL debut in Week 1. His former Foxoboro QB was a rookie once again as well.

Tom Brady Debuts in Broadcast Booth

Brady began his 10-year $375 million deal with FOX by broadcasting the Browns-Cowboys game alongside Kevin Harlan. The reaction to Brady’s performance was mixed, though largely negative. For someone of Tom Brady’s stature, a group of people are always happy to take them down a peg. When people are so successful, it leads to jealousy. Jealous people are always ready to pounce.

In reality, the broadcast debut for Brady wasn’t great. He didn’t come across as relaxed as confident, traits that helped him excel on the field. It was only the first game of a 10-year contract though. Nobody should be betting against Brady becoming exceptional in his second career, even if he’s not there in Week 1.

Brady can (and will) improve his demeanor, knowing when to chime in and how best to articulate his wealth of knowledge about what is happening in the game. He does have two things working against him, however. Despite his many gifts, Brady does not have a great voice for broadcasting. Viewers getting accustomed to hearing him will help in that regard.

The first moments of @TomBrady's broadcasting debut 👏 (via @NFLonFOX)

📺: #DALvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/yeEfYMwJw8

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Also working against Brady are the restrictions he faces as a broadcaster by being a potential minority owner of an NFL franchise (the Las Vegas Raiders). According to ESPN, there are rules in place that make Tom Brady’s job more difficult than others in his position.

“Brady is not permitted to be in another team’s facility, is not permitted to witness practice and is not permitted to attend broadcast production meetings, either in person or virtually.”

There are also restrictions on Brady interacting with players and criticizing NFL officials. This all makes a tough job much more difficult. Can Tom Brady overcome this to eventually excel as an NFL broadcaster? Nobody should bet against it.

Tyreek Hill Details by Miami Police

There was a disturbing incident before the Miami Dolphins game yesterday. Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill got detained by Miami. Hill got pulled over by members of the Miami-Dade Police Department on his way to the Dolphins-Jaguars game. He was cited for reckless driving, which in itself would not have been a story. The situation escalated when Hill got handcuffed and placed face down on the ground.

Video of Tyreek Hill’s arrest today: pic.twitter.com/Kope2Ma6tk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2024

Hill stated he did not know what caused the situation to escalate to that point. He claimed he was not disrespectful toward the officers and did not use profanity. Teammates Jonnu Smith and Calais Campbell pulled over to check on Hill when they saw the situation. Campbell eventually got detained as well, which he said was for disobeying a direct order to stay away from the scene.

Tyreek Hill played in Miami’s 20-17 win over Jacksonville. He finished with seven receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. Hill reenacted being apprehended after scoring.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill celebrates his first touchdown of the season by pretending to be in handcuffs. Hill was detained by police before the season opener Sunday.

Photo by @aldiazphoto pic.twitter.com/MbGb6ntjwZ

— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) September 8, 2024

Miami-Dade Police Department issued a statement later in the day that one of the officers involved was “placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted.”

Also in Monday’s Patriots Daily:

Patriots Fact/Trivia of the Day

Rhamondre Stevenson’s 120 yards rushing yesterday were the third most for a Week 1 game in New England Patriots history. It was the eighth time for a 100-yard rushing game to start the season for the Patriots. The leaderboard:

137 – Tony Collins, 1982
125 – Stevan Ridley, 2012
120 – Rhamondre Stevenson, 2024
105 – Sam Cunningham, 1977
102 – Curtis Martin, 1995
101 – Shane Vereen, 2013
100 – Danien Harris, 2021
100 – Robert Weathers, 1983

Post of the Day

The New England Patriots celebrate Jerod Mayo’s first NFL victory as a head coach:

Everyone contributes, everyone wins. pic.twitter.com/acOqLjmDv5

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 8, 2024

Nobody Should Try to Rain on the Patriots’ Week 1 Parade – New England did not win a Super Bowl or clinch a playoff spot yesterday. Those things are tough to do in Week 1. But they did start the season 1-0 and deserve to celebrate their success.

Ten Takeaways From New England’s Week 1 Win in Cincinnati – Observations from the Patriots 16-10 win over the Bengals yesterday. From overcoming a sloppy start to taking a knee in victory formation. Rhamondre Stevenson, Keion White, and the Patriots coaching staff were just some of the people who came up big in the opener.

Potential New England Patriots Award WInners in 2024 – Jahlani Tavai, Mike Onwenu, and Christian Barmore were among those to earn accolades for their work in 2023. Trying to gauge who will follow in their footsteps this season left many options. Will Marcus Jones, DeMario Douglas, and Christian Gonzalez live up to PFN’s expectations?