Following a rough first season in an NFL commentary booth, Tom Brady has made measurable progress behind the mic for FOX Sports.
He once again showed his improvement with some crucial analysis explaining why it’s so hard to make accurate passes in windy conditions.
Brady was on the call on Sunday during the NFC Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and the host Philadelphia Eagles.
It was very windy at Lincoln Financial Field – with the weather having a significant effect on the proceedings.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion and the greatest quarterback of all time explained to the audience his perspective on mechanics, wind and the effects the elements have on the game.
‘What you see, and I talk about the point of the ball a lot, you see it from; I’ll show it to you from this angle,’ Brady said, holding a football to demonstrate what he meant.
Tom Brady showed his improved announcing chops with a key breakdown on Sunday
Brady took the time to explain how windy conditions affect passing accuracy for quarterbacks
‘This is kind of like a neutral plane. This is when the plane is slightly down. When you’re throwing it into the wind, it has to be neutral.
‘If the point of the ball is up, any wind friction is going to push that ball up over the top.’
‘So, as a quarterback, you don’t really like that ‘U’ throw underneath, because naturally that’s going to point the tip of the ball up. You like more of a ‘C’ or an inverse, a reverse ‘C’. That’s how you kind of control the point of the ball.
‘And then you can kind of just snap it off as you throw it. But in these windy conditions, you can’t be underneath the ball. There’s too much wind surface of the ball to knock it off its path.’
It’s some key insight from the most accomplished person to ever throw a football.
Both quarterbacks struggled with accuracy this game. Eagles passer Jalen Hurts completed 20-of-35 passes (57 percent) for 168 yards while Niners star Brock Purdy had only 18-of-31 passes (58 percent) hauled in.
But ultimately, San Francisco managed to come out with a 23-19 victory.
The 49ers will play the NFC West-rival Seattle Seahawks in next week’s NFC Divisional round.
