Rob Gronkowski said Tom Brady performed like a rookie in his Fox NFL broadcasting premiere last week and has a lot to improve on. (Watch the video below.)
While many would agree with the tight end great, one couldn’t blame Gronk if he had gone totally easy on his friend and former teammate after they shared 11 seasons and four Super Bowl titles.
Brady, who won seven Super Bowls overall in 23 seasons, finally got behind the mic two years after reportedly signing a $375 million contract to be an analyst for Fox. Expectations were high, which might have tripped him up a bit, Gronk told Kay Adams of “Up & Adams.”
“It was definitely a rookie debut,” said Gronk, a studio NFL analyst for Fox.
“He was like a quarterback that was picked No. 1 overall — all the hype in the world. And he came through. He did come through, but he had a lot of jitters, that’s for sure.”
Gronk conceded that Brady made some great calls and missed some as well.
“He’s got a lot to learn,” Gronk said.
Perhaps Gronk’s best insight came later. He pushed back at Adams’ assertion that some media personalities say Brady should call the game as if he were watching while drinking beer with friends.
Gronkowski countered that viewers would be better served if Brady broke down the action as he did in his playing days.
“The Tom Brady that people are looking for is him in the meeting room with his teammates and explaining defenses, and explaining, you know, the techniques that you need, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents,” he said.
Brady, who called the experience “a learning process,” will work the booth for Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.
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