Rob Gronkowski saw Tom Brady’s reaction to the New England Patriots’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. And in that moment, Gronk didn’t miss playing for the Patriots.
Brady moped his way through a short postgame press conference after Week 11 action, and then the quarterback expressed deeper frustrations in a radio interview on WEEI on Monday. Gronk, who is serving as an NFL analyst for FOX, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“He’s so frustrated, too. It’s like, ‘Yo, you guys are 9-1.’ That’s one part I don’t miss about being there. Hand down. I’m not going to lie. I don’t miss that,” Gronkowski said on air on Sunday before Week 12. “They’re frustrated. They’re 9-1. They win a game against Philly last week. We lost to them two years ago in the Super Bowl. They should be happy. Instead, you’re sitting there Sunday night thinking, ‘What did I do wrong?’ No, that’s not the feeling you should be having. But you won the game. Enjoy it. Go out next week, and build off it,”
Bill Belichick is the king of skipping celebrations. He doesn’t reward his team for big wins, and doesn’t get too low after big losses (see: “On to Cincinnati”). It seems Brady bears the burden of harsh self-criticism — he admitted earlier this year that he’s always frustrated during the football season. And to be fair to the Patriots, that negativity — or, at least, that inclination to self criticize — has worked for New England. They’ve won six Super Bowls under Brady and Belichick.
But at times, that recipe didn’t always work for Gronk, who reportedly fatigued on Belichick’s tough approach. At the end of Gronkowski’s career, he seemed to grow tired of the negativity and the tight end’s relationship with his coach grew strained. Perhaps that’s part of why Gronk again ruled out a return from retirement on Sunday.
“No, I’m not coming back,” he said.
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