In Friday's AFC West meeting between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, longtime broadcaster Al Michaels made a comparison that has him in a bit of hot water. Late into the first quarter, Patrick Mahomes overthrew a pass intended for tight end Noah Gray, leading Michaels to compare the Chiefs' use of Travis Kelce and Gray to a tight end duo for the New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
“I'm thinking back to using the two tight ends, it reminds me of when Bill Belichick had Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez,” Michaels said. “He kind of changed everything and ran the offense through those two guys about a decade ago.”
And while there's some validity to what he said, the comparison was a bit controversial, given Hernandez's history outside of the game.
Al Michaels compares Aaron Hernandez-Rob Gronkowski to Travis Kelce-Noah Gray
Any time a team has two productive tight ends, there's the temptation to compare them to Gronkowski and Hernandez, as they're one of the best tight end duos in recent NFL history. However, it's hard to compare any NFL player to Hernandez, considering what he did off the field and how his career in the league fizzled out.
So, while it was likely meant as a glowing remark for Gray, it's one of those statements that doesn't come across as well as it might've been intended.
Gray has been a strong contributor to the Chiefs' offense this season. Heading into Week 13, Gray has caught 27 of 30 targets for 315 yards and four touchdowns, coming in as his most productive season yet.
And though he's been playing well, a comparison to Hernandez likely doesn't hit the same after everything that's come out about the former Patriots tight end.
Considering the nature of social media, they're laying in on Michaels for the controversial comparison.
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