It's pretty rare for an NFL game, and a good matchup, to be overshadowed by who's in the broadcast booth.
The NFL schedule will be released on Wednesday, but one of the biggest games was released early. Fox announced that the second Sunday game of Week 1 will be the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Cleveland Browns on September 8th at 4:25pm ET.
More notable than the game itself is that it will be Tom Brady's Fox debut. The greatest quarterback of all time signed a monster 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox, becoming the network's top color commentator.
The Brady element in the Cowboys-Browns game is so noteworthy that the NFL allowed its network partners to announce the game on Monday, two days before the rest of the schedule.
Brady performed well in his first broadcast game. The Cowboys are coming off his NFC East championship and are always a big draw. The Browns made the playoffs last season and should be a contender in the AFC North. It's a fascinating game and will be aired in the coveted late afternoon time slot. The Athletic's Andrew Marchand It pointed out, there will be no NFL game between the Cowboys and Browns on CBS. CBS will air the US Open tennis tournament.
Brady was in the spotlight in network circles as he neared retirement from his legendary career. Fox acquired him in a deal unprecedented in broadcasting. But the $375 million bet by Fox is significant because Brady has yet to see a game broadcast.
It's not often that a broadcaster's debut game is one of the big stories of Week 1, but few have turned out as predictably as Brady's first game.
