Training camp is here and as expected New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will be in the spotlight of the media and fans.
So what about this New England Patriots offseason? In what has been labeled as the summer of Gronk, the All-Pro tight end took some time to address some of the headlines that have contributed to the uncharacteristic drama surrounding the team over the last few months.
Starting with his non-committal demeanor on the podium following the team’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Rob Gronkowski has been the talk of the town and nation. From a break-in of his home to swimming with sharks, the dominant playmaker has not shied away from the spotlight.
In fact, he has used the spotlight and social media in a passive aggressive approach to show the team that he was not happy how things were run at One Patriot Place and certainly not happy about his contract.
Basically, all those talks of retirement and taking his talents to Hollywood were highly exaggerated. Gronkowski would never admit that.
According to him, it was all about the physical wear and tear on his body. There is no reason to believe that that wasn’t part of it. But, with how quickly he has changed his tune now that the two sides are back at the negotiating table pretty much proves it was all about the money all along.
In any event, none of us truly know what’s going on in Gronk’s head.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Ben Raskin, the Patriots tight end explained his thoughts of retirement, skipping OTAs and his thoughts on that guy named Tom Brady.
On retirement…
With Rob Gronkowski’s injury history, there is no doubt the physicality he has endured has taken a toll on his body and mind.
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So, when he was asked about possibly retiring following that tough Super Bowl LII loss back in early February, Gronk’s non-committal answer was based on how he was feeling at that particular moment. Coming off a tough loss and mentally dejected, the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions told Raskin he just needed time to see how he would feel after the long season.
"“I was seeing how I was recovering, how my body was feeling,” Gronkowski said. “Taking a little break mentally and physically from the game. Just seeing how I felt and seeing if I wanted to do it another year and if I was able to endure another season. That was the main thing. I feel like I’m ready to go, physically and mentally.”"
Certainly, good news for New England Patriots fans. But, all the uncertainly drove fans crazy for weeks and even led to the team to reportedly field trade offers for the big tight end.
Along with the apparent friction with Bill Belichick, Rob Gronkowski’s actions were beginning to wear thin. So much in fact that a trade prior to the 2018 NFL Draft wouldn’t have been a shock at all.
But, now that he is back on board and feeling good for the moment, it is good to have one of Tom Brady’s top and favorite weapons back in the mix.
On skipping voluntary workouts…
Rob Gronkowski’s comments about the reason he was contemplating retirement wouldn’t have held true if he did in fact participate in voluntary team workouts back in May.
Although he participated in the mandatory sessions, Gronkowski told Raskin that he needed to keep his body fresh, which was his rationale for skipping out on the voluntary sessions in the spring.
"“Yeah, keep the body fresh and mentally and physically take a little break, off the body, off the mind,” Gronk said. “See where I was at. Now I am definitely ready to get back to football and play the game.”"
Again, refreshing news, but back then it just added to the drama that was heralding the team. The more Tom Brady and Gronkowski was not around the team, the more the speculation held true that both players had friction with the team and was not happy with the coach or their current contracts.
The fact that Rob Gronkowski is expected to attend training camp means things must be close to satisfactory when it comes to his contract. As far as all the drama goes, Gronk echoed James Harrison’s recent comments of all the “friction” basically being fake news.
We will see, however, if things aren’t going so great before or during the regular season.
On Tom Brady…
And what did Rob Gronkowski have to say about his quarterback and buddy Tom Brady?
When asked about the almost 41-year-old ageless wonder, Gronkowski played coy at first. Then he lauded his future Hall-of-Fame quarterback for his ability to stay in shape at his age.
"“He looks good,” Gronkowski said. “He looks the same as when I first got there, which is unbelievable. His work ethic is second to none. It’s just unreal, what he’s been accomplishing, how he’s still going and how he looks.”"
The reigning NFL MVP will have his work cut out for him this season. Not only is he coming off a similar offseason filled with drama, Brady will have to work with an unproven group of receivers.
Luckily, he will still have arguably the best tight end in the game to get the ball to when he needs to. As long as both players are dialed up and relatively happy, the New England Patriots offense will be fine.
Rob Gronkowski also went on to address how the team has managed to uphold their dominance for almost two decades. He attributed it to the overall team’s ability to put in the work and even threw in the motto “Do your job.”
With all that has gone on this offseason, it’s good to see Gronkowski is still buying in to the phrase made popular by Bill Belichick.
Maybe it all really is what New England Patriots Robert Kraft calls “hogwash.”