Tuesdays with Tom: The Mailbag Opens Again

Answering questions from readers about athletes-turned-broadcasters, Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, college football playoff contenders, coaching flops and unique celebrations

Welcome back to the official Tuesdays with Tom mailbag! We have another round of questions from the readers that demand answers. Let’s get into it.

Who are some of the best pro sports personalities who crossed over into broadcasting? Outside of the Olympics, have any women made that transition successfully?

• Sheila P.

Many assume that stellar athletes are destined to become great broadcasters. Networks are increasingly horny for big names, like Tom Brady, because they are enamored with their star power. But some of the best players have squandered broadcasting opportunities. You’d think that Joe Montana, Drew Brees, Jason Witten and other megastars would’ve excelled. All of them flopped rather quickly. The jury is out on Brady, who thinks he’s above the rules in his conflicting role as FOX broadcaster and minority NFL team owner.

Strong broadcasting requires more than just knowledge of the game. You need personality, energy and a knack for concise story-telling. A great broadcaster can elevate a game. Weak ones stand out. This is not an exhaustive list, but I think these ex-athletes have done the best at making this transition.

It started way back with Pat Summerall, the longtime NFL play-by-play broadcaster. Summerall was the New York Giants kicker until 1961, when he jumped into the booth for CBS and later FOX Sports. Summerall was one of the greatest play-by-play guys, but most people don’t remember his football career. His Giants teammate, Frank Gifford, was a great analyst for Monday Night Football.

In the modern day, there are a few outstanding in-studio analysts and in-game broadcasters. Michael Strahan is a do-it-all television star for FOX’s NFL coverage and even crossed over into co-hosting Good Morning America for several years. He’s not my favorite, but clearly a huge hit in broadcasting. I think Charles Barkley is the best in-studio analyst ever. He’s incredibly entertaining, hilarious and brutally honest. There will never be another Charles Barkley. I’d argue that Troy Aikman’s second act as a broadcaster is even better than his Hall of Fame football career. All three are examples of star athletes who became star broadcasters.

Cris Collinsworth was a decent NFL player, but he is an exceptional broadcaster. He’s not as sharp as he used to be, but he’s still pretty good even now. Kirk Herbstreit flipped an unremarkable quarterback stint with Ohio State into a tremendous broadcasting career in college football. He’s done alright with NFL games as well. In hockey, Eddie Olczyk is an absolute ace with local coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken, in addition to his work as a national color commentator for the NHL postseason. They’re all proof that you can be a great broadcaster without being massively successful as professional players.

Women haven’t gotten as many broadcasting opportunities as men, but there are some who’ve made the leap into television well. Doris Burke was the first woman to call an NBA Finals last summer. Mary Carillo and Billie Jean King both covered women’s tennis with great results. Candace Parker was a WNBA legend who is now double dipping as a WNBA and NBA analyst. Jessica Mendoza is a major voice for ESPN’s MLB coverage both in studio and in the booth. With the emergence of women’s sports as prominent television, I expect more female athletes to get the chance to make their mark as broadcasters.

How do you feel about The Pittsburgh Steelers’ experiment with Aaron Rodgers so far?

• Mom & Dad

A two-for-one parent question special! I’ve got some bad news for the Aaron Rodgers haters. He’s been pretty good as a Steeler. Through six weeks, Rodgers is in the top 10 for passing touchdowns and QB rating. He ranks 22nd in YPG and 17th in EPA, or “expected points per play”, defined as “how much a player contributes to a team’s scoring potential” through a variety of calculations. In totality, Rodgers is playing like an above average starting quarterback.

Rodgers is 41 years old, two years removed from an Achilles tendon year, playing his 21st season in the NFL. Other than Tom Brady, there’s virtually no quarterbacks that play this well in their 40s. Statistically, he’s playing historically well for a 41-year-old. You also have to remember what Pittsburgh had in previous years compared to Rodgers. In 2023, their first pound pick, Kenny Pickett, was quietly benched for a third-stringer, Mason Rudolph, after a horrendous stretch as their starter. Last year, the Justin Fields-Russell Wilson combo got them to the playoffs, but neither impressed enough to warrant a second chance.

Russell Wilson lost his job after three games with the New York Giants and seems totally done. Ironically, Fields’ only good game with the New York Jets this season was against Pittsburgh. Otherwise, he looks like the same, highly flawed player. Rodgers is pretty easily the best Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. That’s not saying much, but it’s true. When Roethlisberger turned 40, he severely limited Pittsburgh’s offense. Rodgers isn’t mobile anymore, but he’s not holding them back. His Hall of Fame brain and arm talent remain incredibly valuable. That’s been sorely missed.

My biggest concern with Rodgers joining Pittsburgh wasn’t about football. For years, Rodgers was hellbent on showing everyone (with mixed results) that he was more than just a great quarterback. That’s basically all gone away since he joined the team. There are no more weekly conspiracy rabbit holes with Pat McAfee. He’s been suspiciously reserved in public and free of controversy. It appears that Rodgers genuinely respects the team enough to put those desires aside.

From my perspective, I see a team-first player, one that other Steelers admire and appreciate. They’re not turning over the entire franchise to him like the Jets did. The Steelers have plenty of issues and it’s a long season, but Rodgers has been a huge positive. They are firmly in the AFC playoff race because of him. I’m giving this an A grade as a one-year rental for Pittsburgh.

Who do you think will win the College Football Playoff this season?

• Chris K.

I’m going way deeper on this question than you likely expected. There are eight weeks between now and the College Football Playoff Selection show. Many things could change within the current rankings. For now, I’ve put together a tier-list ranking teams that I think are still in the hunt. I’ve concluded that 32 of the 136 FBS teams remain alive for a College Football Playoff slot. If you root for a school that’s not listed below, I’m sorry: that team has been unofficially ELIMINATED.

As I wrote about earlier this year, making the CFP and being a serious title contender are two very different things. There are not many programs capable of winning three or four playoff games consecutively en route to a national championship. With my tiers, I’d be shocked if anyone below the A-tier won it all. Many of them won’t even be considered in December when the final 12 teams are selected.

S-Tier: CFP Title Favorites

Ohio State is the reigning champ and they deserve to be the overall favorite again. The biggest surprise? Indiana! After their road victory at Oregon, I’m convinced this is different than last year’s Hoosiers. With Penn State’s shocking demise, their road to an undefeated regular season is clear. The other teams here have strong rosters, playoff resumes and the juice to make a deep playoff run. Nobody would blink if they’re holding the CFP trophy in January.

A-Tier: Built for Championship Run

I knocked Oregon out of the S-tier after last weekend’s loss to Indiana, but the Ducks are still formidable. LSU and Notre Dame have not delivered on their high expectations, but they still have elite talent that few other programs can match. Notre Dame made the championship game last year under similar circumstances. I’m down on LSU, but if they can get through their daunting schedule (A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma), they would be in. Oklahoma and Texas A&M are playing much better football today. They’re all very much in the mix for a championship.

B-Tier: Playoff Contenders With Slim Title Chances

The Big 12 is like watching a kindergarten soccer team. It’s total chaos, but eventually someone is going to score. Right now, there are nine teams with a reasonable chance to win this conference: BYU, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Utah, Arizona State, Houston, Baylor, Iowa State and Arizona. I’m putting all of them together because this will be a single bid conference. I’d be surprised if any Big 12 team made a serious championship push, but it’s too unsettled to declare that officially now.

The other teams are listed because of their pedigree. Ole Miss hasn’t technically proven it, but I believe what I’ve seen. They have a puncher’s chance on the right day. Tennessee made the CFP last year, so they have experience to build upon with their talented team. All of them are long shots, but if you squint you can make the case.

C-Tier: The Playoff Is The Ceiling

If Miami doesn’t win the ACC, it will likely be Georgia Tech or Virginia that steals it away. That would be massive for those programs, but that’s where the excitement ends for me. They would follow 2024 SMU’s path towards annihilation in the playoff. Many have proclaimed Illinois as “this year’s Indiana”: a Big Ten team that breezes through an easy schedule towards a high win total. But they have two blowouts on their resume, including a 63-10 loss to Indiana. I’d hope the committee sees through that, but we’ve seen them reward inflated records before.

There will be a 9-3 team that gets into the field, but I’m not sure who it will be. Could it be old and fair Missouri? They have a rough road ahead, but they can still get to 9 wins. USC is in a similar spot. They have Notre Dame and Oregon left to play. If they’re competitive in both games, it could come down to teams like Illinois, Mizzou and USC.

D-Tier (6): Obligatory Group of Five Cannon Fodder

Whoever emerges from this tier as a conference champion will get the Make-A-Wish program treatment. They will get autographs from their favorite players and head home after a brief, uncompetitive afternoon with the big boys.

What’s happening with the podcast lately?

We recently reviewed Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA and Tropical Hopslam. The Voodoo Ranger brand is well known in craft beer circles, with its iconic skeleton mascot featured prominently on social media. That launched us into a chat about other bones-themed characters and a derailed conversation about action team ups. For Tropical Hopslam, we created some “hopslams” of our own. It’s essentially a hater episode, featuring some takes that I expect will be wildly unpopular. Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast here and follow our Instagram page for relevant updates!

Did college football media overhype Deion Sanders and Bill Belichick?

Okay, fine. No one asked me this, but I’m thinking about it! ESPN and other sports outlets spent the last two years flooding the zone with pro Sanders and Belichick propaganda. But for all the bluster about Coach Prime, he’s 16-16 in three seasons at Colorado. One of those seasons included a Heisman Trophy winner going both ways. He’s 0-3 in bowl games dating back to his time at Jackson State. The Buffaloes will be lucky to make a bowl game in 2025. I’m sympathetic about his health issues, but there’s no getting around it. He’s a wildly overrated coach.

Hiring Sanders was understandable at the time, but he’s not living up to the hype. He’s the highest paid coach in the Big 12. Colorado is 13th in the conference. They’ve never seriously contended for a conference title or playoff spot. Retirement is possible with Sanders given his perilous health. Frankly, that would be an easy out for Colorado. Otherwise, they owe a mediocre coach $44 million through 2029.

I pontificated about Bill Belichick’s bizarre and embarrassing offseason in my last mailbag. I expected mediocrity, but Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels are downright terrible. They’re 2-3 and have been thoroughly outclassed by TCU, UCF, and Clemson. North Carolina hasn’t even played a ranked team yet. This is unacceptable for a coach with his credentials. We’ve seen plenty of less qualified coaches immediately turn programs into contenders (see Indiana’s Curt Cignetti).

Both Belichick and North Carolina seem to agree that this was a huge mistake. There are rumors that they’ve discussed mutually parting ways. A Hulu docuseries about this season was scrapped. North Carolina GM Michael Lombardi wrote a letter begging donors for patience. But that contradicts Belichick’s initial message. He wasn’t hired for a lengthy rebuild. He’s a six-time Super Bowl winning head coach.

Nothing ever made sense about Belichick and North Carolina getting together. His contract includes a quirky footnote. If they want to fire him, he’s guaranteed $20 million through 2027. But if he leaves for another coaching job, he owes North Carolina $1 million. I’ll spare you the suspense. No one is hiring Belichick after this.

As many predicted, the 73-year-old NFL lifer looks totally unprepared for this world. North Carolina’s uncompetitiveness is shocking. I don’t think Belichick ever wanted to be in college coaching. This was his last resort after he was essentially blackballed from the NFL. But North Carolina is stuck with him unless they’re willing to bite the bullet on one of the biggest buyouts in college football history.

Sports media is quick to bury its failures and biased takes, but this is one I’m not moving on from for a while. Given the obnoxious coverage of Sanders and Belichick, they all deserve to be criticized. The people who propped them up should be held accountable. Unfortunately, neither Sanders, Belichick, or their supporters will be held to the fire. Instead, both coaches will get a healthy payday to go away (eventually), and sports media will pretend like none of this ever happened. But you can call me Seth from Superbad because I will never forget.

Why is Waluigi standing next to a mailbox with Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Herbstreit and Troy Aikman?

THIS is why!