FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick presented tight end Rob Gronkowski the game ball following Thursday night’s season-opening win over the Steelers, quarterback Tom Brady looked happier than Gronkowski himself, vigorously clapping his hands together with a cheek-to-cheek smile.

That behind-the-scenes moment, relayed on Patriots.com, was a topic of conversation Monday morning during Brady’s weekly interview on sports radio WEEI.

“I was very happy for Gronk; that was an incredible performance. He deserves it. He’s worked his [butt] off,” Brady relayed to the “D and C Show.”

“He’s just a force out there and nobody works harder than him and has overcome what he’s overcome. He’s a great player for our team, he sets the tone, his attitude, his work ethic, his enthusiasm. I love being out there with him. He’s just an incredible player and an incredible teammate, and nobody is happier for him than me.”

Brady then detailed how Gronkowski is a chess piece for the offense.

“Every week we go in there and go ‘OK, they’re going to do this to Gronk’ or ‘They’re going to do this’ and you have all these calls,” he said. "...What we try to do as an offense [is] put pressure on them, trying to get them to screw things up … [so it isn't] ‘this is where [Gronkowski] will line up every play and this is all you have to do to defend him.’

“You have to figure out a multitude of ways to get him open. One of the plays, the long pass down the seam [in the fourth quarter], we started him in the backfield. The first touchdown, we started him on the perimeter like he’s a wide receiver. So it’s easy to say ‘when he lines up in a traditional tight end spot, these are all the things we’re going to do to him [as a defense].’ But part of our offense has always been able to move guys around and put guys in position they don’t expect.”