The NFL did not impose any additional restrictions on Tom Brady this week

To those who would insist that Tom Brady has no conflict of interest between his work with Fox covering all the teams and his position as owner of one of them, the NFL has acknowledged the problem by placing limits on his activities for Fox.

For this week, with Brady calling the game with two assistant coaches, he interviewed for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy and a conflict of interest occupies a central placethe league did not change the existing rules.

“There have been no further restrictions this week,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said by email Friday. “Tom will continue to adhere to the broadcast guidelines as well as the anti-tampering policy and the Rooney Rules.”

Broadcast guidelines prohibit Brady from attending practice, participating in production meetings and entering team facilities. They do, however, allow Brady to talk to players and coaches on the field and/or before the game.

There is a way to thread the needle that allows Brady, if he chooses, to talk to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and/or Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on the phone in the days leading up to the game. And while Brady wasn’t there and wasn’t allowed to talk to them about the Raiders head coaching job (when in doubt, destroy the phone), Brady had a front row seat as they moved to game plan for the playoff game with high stakes.

That gives him an advantage that no other team has ever had in the head coaching search. He gets a chance to evaluate the process of the two Raiders head coaching candidates in real time as they prepare for the single-elimination game. What better way to get an overall feel for whether Johnson and/or Glenn will step up or back off when the pressure is on?

Think about it this way. If you’re looking to hire someone to come work for your company, wouldn’t you like to have the opportunity to witness the way the candidate performs in their current job? Access them while they do it?

Owners have overlooked or ignored the advantage the Raiders have, thanks to Brady’s dual roles. They might feel differently if/when the Raiders slide from “teams not to worry about” to “teams to take seriously”.