OutKick Exclusive: Joe Theismann Gives Tom Brady Advice On How To Go From Player To Broadcaster

Former NFL Super Bowl Champion quarterback Joe Theismann joined Mike Gunz of OutKick to talk about all things football this past week - including giving broadcasting advice to Tom Brady ahead of his massive ten-year, $375 million broadcast deal with FOX.

Brady could learn something from Theismann's words - after all, Joe is one of the few former players-turned-broadcasters that was able to last for 20-plus years in the broadcast booth.

‘BE YOURSELF, DON'T TRY TO BE TONY ROMO'

"Tom is very knowledgeable about the game of football, but there have been lots of knowledgeable former players [that didn't make it in the broadcasting realm.] But it will come down to how Tom presents it, how he works with his broadcast partner and it will all come down to him being comfortable."

Joe Theismann began his broadcasting career in 1985 and was fortunate to call Super Bowl XIX and ESPN's Sunday Night Football from 1985 until 2005. During that time, he worked with some of the greats - including John Madden.

"I was fortunate to be getting into broadcasting and learn from the great John Madden. And John had his own style, and [that's what Tom] will have to do," Theismann began. "Be Tom Brady, don't try and be somebody else… that to me would probably be the biggest and best piece of advice."

"Be Tom Brady, be the guy that we know knows football, be the guy that has the knowledge about the game and then let the game tell the story. You embellish it a little bit, but you don't tell the story - the game tells the story."

When I followed up on how Madden had a distinct style while adding that so does someone like Tony Romo - who has made a reputation of predicting plays before they happen (albeit, annoyingly at times), Theismann said that Brady shouldn't want to be a Tony Romo.

"The game is the story, all you want to do is help tell the story a little bit…" while acknowledging that if Brady tries to emulate someone like Romo or Madden, then it won't work because he needs to be himself."

‘FANS NEED TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO GET COMFORTABLE’

There's no doubt that Tom Brady will have his work cut out for him.

For one thing, his dominant play that allowed him to win 7 Super Bowl Championships made 31 other NFL team fanbases extremely jealous and angry for more than a decade. When you combine that with the overgrowing, trolling atmosphere of social media, every single thing that Brady does wrong will be magnified in a way that previous generations of sports broadcasters never had to deal with. Theismann hopes fans give Brady the benefit of the doubt.

"To the fans out there, don't judge him early on. Give him a chance to get comfortable, give him a chance to get his feet wet, give him an opportunity to understand and learn the broadcasting business just like he did in football," Theismann explained.

Tom Brady heads to the NFL on FOX broadcast booth later this year. (Photo by Nic Antaya/UFL/Getty Images)

One thing's for certain - Tom Brady is coming in with a TON of buzz in recent weeks thanks to the immense success of his hilarious Netflix Roast of Tom Brady as well as a sold out Gillette Stadium event as the New England Patriots retired his No. 12 jersey.

The good thing for Brady is that he's used to proving the doubters wrong. After all, he was the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 Draft, and we all know what happened after that. 

WILL BRADY BE GOOD IN THE BROADCAST BOOTH?  TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow with your thoughts!