The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen for months, and possibly the entire season, following a knee injury he suffered during training camp. With Jensen out for the foreseeable future, that means Robert Hainsey will need to step in to replace him.
Tom Brady spoke about Jensen’s injury for the first time during a Monday press conference, along with the center who’ll replace him, complimenting Hainsey’s work ethic.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was not all praise, though. In true Brady fashion he made sure to not get ahead of himself and mentioned that even those who have worked hard still need to prove themselves when it’s game time.
“He’s worked really hard,” Brady said of Hainsey. “Obviously everyone’s heartbroken with what happened to Ryan, so that will take a little time, but [Hainsey’s] gotta ya know, step into the job and do a great job. He’s worked hard last year, really gained the trust of a lot of people, and he’s got to go earn it.”
Brady did not become a future Hall of Famer by just letting players off easily and this was no exception, putting emphasis on sustaining a solid work ethic throughout the entire season.
“So like all of us, it’s not what you did, how hard you worked in the offseason, it’s how good of a football player are you. It’s to be determined for all of us,” Brady said.
Hainsey was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the No. 95 overall pick. The Notre Dame alum has played in 9 games since he was drafted, but has not started a game in the league.
