Tom Brady looked a little nervous.

That’s right. The man who won seven Super Bowls, earned three league MVP awards and set countless quarterbacking records during a 23-year NFL career — not to mention having to endure hours of spicy criticism at his expense during a recent Netflix roast — wasn’t exactly stellar in his regular-season debut as a color commentator for Fox.

During Sunday’s Week 1 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns, working with commentator Kevin Burkhardt, Brady displayed the football knowledge one would expect from a player widely regarded as the best in the sport.

But after Brady started a game with Fox on his 10-year, $375 million contract, he has been criticized for his robotic play and the emotion he showed, similar to that of former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, during postgame press conferences.

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Just before halftime, for example, Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey lined up to attempt a 71-yard field goal after a record-tying 66-yard field goal was neutralized by a delay-of-game penalty. While Burkhardt bristled at the idea of ​​even attempting a kick from that distance, Brady noted that the Cowboys should be prepared in case the kick doesn’t go off and, after the Browns called a timeout, that “maybe everybody’s going to reconsider.”

The clip was shown on NFL Network’s “NFL RedZone,” with host Scott Hanson criticizing Brady for his lack of enthusiasm.

“Oh, come on,” Hanson said. “Brady’s got to get more excited than that in the booth.”

On Monday morning, Hanson reposted a clip of his comment, along with an apology to Brady.

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“That was unfair and thoughtless of me,” Hanson wrote. “Yes, I said it with a wink — but I didn’t anticipate how it would come across. @TomBrady, I apologize. I promise to continue to support you in this new endeavor!”

Incidentally, Brady’s analysis of the situation was correct. Dallas reconsidered the field goal attempt and instead ended the half with a Dak Prescott pass attempt to the end zone that was incomplete.

Another awkward moment occurred on camera, when Brady’s attempted fist bump with Mike Pereira went unnoticed by the rules analyst for several seconds. “Oh, don’t leave me hanging,” Brady joked, eventually being shoved back by Pereira.

To be fair, Brady didn’t have much to work with in his regular-season debut as an NFL announcer. The game itself was a bust, with the Cowboys coming away with a blowout win.

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Brady did have his moments, like when he referred to Belichick and said, “I played for a coach who didn’t mind calling his players names,” before explaining why he didn’t mind so much.

“If you want to be a great player, you want to be pushed, you want to be challenged, you want to be criticized,” Brady said.

He added: “I’ve benefited a lot from that hard coaching. … Discipline and accountability are pillars of any successful organization, and I have no problem with coaches who feel like they have to tell their players the truth, because as an NFL player, you don’t always get to hear the truth.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.