Tag: Rob Gronkowski

Giants’ Brian Daboll expects Gronk-like dominance from Theo Johnson

New York Giants coach Brian Daboll has been showing TE Theo Johnson clips of Rob Gronkowski and expressing his desire to see similar play.

When the New York Giants selected tight end Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft, it seemed as though the franchise was expecting Darren Waller to retire.

The Penn State product has the size and speed to be a steal, which is what the Giants’ front office saw in him before selecting him.

Head coach Brian Daboll has made it clear to Johnson that he is expecting Rob Gronkowski-level production from his new tight end.

Daboll, who coached and is close with Gronk, has been showing Johnson clips of the retired tight end and expressing a desire to see similar results on the field.

“There’s countless times where we’ll be in the middle of a meeting and he’ll be like, ‘Theo, Dabs wants to see you,'” Johnson told Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com. “Pulls me out of the meeting and I’m like, ‘What could this possibly be about?’

“And then he’s got up a clip of Gronk just running somebody over, catching a back shoulder, and he’s like, ‘This is what we expect from you.’ I can tell he puts a lot of intentional eye into the tight end position … I think it goes to show how he feels about me and what he thinks I’m capable of.”

Coincidentally, Daboll did try to lure Gronkowski out of retirement last offseason.

If Johnson can contribute anywhere close to the level of the future Hall of Famer, the Giants are in for a treat.

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WATCH: Every TD from Rob Gronkowski’s iconic run with the Bucs

Relive every touchdown from Rob Gronkowski’s time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the first things the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did after signing Tom Brady in free agency back in 2020 was convince his good buddy Rob Gronkowski to come out of his brief retirement and reunite with the GOAT.

The Bucs sent a fourth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Gronk’s rights, and while many wondered whether or not the future Hall of Fame pair would be as effective as they’d been for the Pats, they put those doubts to bed with lightning speed.

Brady and Gronk kept up their incredible connection, putting up huge numbers over the two seasons they played together in Tampa Bay.

Here’s a look back at every touchdown Gronk caught in a Bucs uniform:

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Rob Gronkowski calls former NFL defender ‘the Patriot killer’

This is a name longtime Patriots fans will never forget

The name Bernard Pollard isn’t popular among New England Patriots fans for good reasons. Some would call it bad luck, and others have gone to far more nefarious extremes for the former NFL defensive back that Rob Gronkowski calls “the Patriot killer.”

When appearing on “Games with Names,” the legendary tight end commented on the defender some still view as the reason the Patriots didn’t win at least three more Super Bowls.

“Pollard was kind of like the Patriot killer,” said Gronkowski. “He took out [Tom Brady’s] knee. I think he messed up [Wes] Welker as well, in a way. I forgot that injury. He was kind of a Patriot killer. He was a dirty player, I feel like at the time. There was a lot of them back in the day though when the rules was kind of like whatever. You could do whatever out there as a defensive player.”

After having their perfect season ruined by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, there were high expectations for the Patriots in the 2008 season. It was set to be their revenge tour following one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.

However, Brady suffered a torn ACL in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs after taking a low hit from Pollard. He missed the rest of the season, and despite a valiant effort with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots failed to make the playoffs.

A year later, Pollard had on a Houston Texans uniform, and he was the one in on the play that resulted in Welker tearing his ACL in Week 17 of the 2009 season.

Granted, Welker hurt himself on a non-contact injury, while attempting to make a move with the ball in his hands. So that injury really had nothing to do with Pollard.

But it’s still bizarre that he was the one credited with the tackle. That incident left the Patriots without one of their best playmakers in the postseason, and they got eliminated in the wild card round by the Baltimore Ravens.

Pollard was also responsible for the hip-drop tackle that injured Gronkowski in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.

Gronkowski was officially diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, and he looked like a shell of himself when attempting to play through the injury at Super Bowl XLVI, where the Patriots lost to the Giants, again.

After initially calling Pollard dirty, Gronkowski walked back the comments about his injury. He credited the former defender for a good tackle on that play in particular.

“I ain’t going to say it was a dirty play at all. It was a proper tackle, and he just ended up landing on my ankle,” said Gronkowski. “When I fell down, my ankle basically twisted the other way and snapped. It was a high sprain.”

Some often forget that Pollard was also the defender who delivered the knockout blow to former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, causing a fumble and turnover on downs in the 2012 AFC Championship Game. The Patriots went on to lose that game 28-13 at Gillette Stadium.

It’s a weird run of coincidences that four of the most game-changing injuries for the Patriots involved one player.

Rob Gronkowski tells epic story about late teammate Ryan Mallett

Rob Gronkowski tells an incredible Ryan Mallett story

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had an epic story to tell about his former teammate, the late Ryan Mallett.

Gronkowski recalled a moment when Mallett was talking to him during the 2011 AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos. The quarterback issued a challenge to the tight end, and Gronkowski took it and ran with it.

“So, I had three touchdowns in the first half, I’m pretty sure,” Gronkowski said, when appearing on “Games with Names.” They were all in the first half, right? I had two already, and Ryan Mallett, rest in peace, he came up to me on the sideline, and he goes, ‘You’re gonna have three tuds (touchdowns), there’s no doubt about it. He goes, ‘And when you have your third, shoot that [expletive] in for a 3-pointer after you spike it.'”

Gronkowski followed through with Mallett’s advice and did the 3-point motion following his third touchdown of the game. The Patriots rolled to a 45-10 victory over the Broncos that night.

Mallett was drafted by the Patriots in the third round with the 74th overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft.

He spent three seasons with New England, before being traded to the Houston Texans before the 2014 season. He then went on to play three more seasons in the NFL, splitting time between the Texans and Baltimore Ravens.

In June 2023, Mallett tragically drowned when swimming in Destin. He was only 35 years old.

Rob Gronkowski’s hilarious take on Bill Belichick’s dating life

Rob Gronkowski shared a hilarious take on Bill Belichick dating

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski cracked a joke at Bill Belichick’s expense, when talking about Belichick’s relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

Gronkowski threw a piece of advice back at Belichick during an appearance on Julian Edelman’s “Games with Names” podcast earlier this week.

The tight end mentioned that Belichick would always tell his players to not get involved with three specific things: alcohol, [expletive], and girls. As Gronkowski pointed out, Belichick was caught up with the latter.

“He’s all caught up with the girls,” Gronkowski told Edelman. “We love you, coach. We love you.”

Gronkowski also pointed out that because Belichick was not a head coach this season, he’s allowed to be involved with the trifecta.

“He’s not coaching anymore though. That’s a pass. He’s allowed to be in the trifecta,” Gronkowski said. “Watch out, he’s going to be blacked-out hammered every night now.”

It’s certainly humorous to hear Gronkowski weigh in on the matter. There are probably more than a few playful jabs coming for Belichick, who is currently enjoying his time away from coaching.

Who knows? Maybe he’ll have some playful jabs of his own in the not-so-distant future.

Rob Gronkowski makes an incredible Jerod Mayo comparison

Rob Gronkowski gave Patriots coach Jerod Mayo the highest compliment

Jerod Mayo was one of the more dependable New England Patriots linebackers during his playing days.

No one knows that better than his former teammates, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. During an episode of “Games with Names,” Gronkowski and Edelman talked about the one thing that set Mayo apart from everyone else.

Gronkowski even went as far as calling him the “Tom Brady” of the defense.

“Jerod Mayo was just a phenomenon, on the football field with lining everyone up, and also in the meeting rooms as well,” said Gronkowski. “He knew where every player needed to be during any situation that occurred on the defensive side of the ball.

“I mean, he knew how to read offenses. He knew when to call out plays, and he was always correct when he called a play out, or else he was just making the whole defense aware of when that play was going to be called. …Jerod Mayo was the Tom Brady on the defensive side of the ball, getting everyone lined up.”

Mayo finished his career with 102 tackles, 11 sacks, 19 past deflections and three interceptions. He was able to do it all for the Patriots’ linebacker group, as they remained one of the top defenses in the NFL.

That success did not happen by accident, as Gronkowski attested to. If anything, Mayo’s intelligence as a player was an early indication he’d have a future in coaching.

We’ll now get to see how far that knowledge can take Mayo and the Patriots in his first year as a head coach. He will be facing an uphill battle with a new-look offense and one of the hardest schedules in the NFL.

Yet, if everything comes together in training camp and the regular season, this Patriots team could have a lot of potential.

Rob Gronkowski explains why Bill Belichick is his new favorite person

Rob Gronkowski is seeing a different side of Bill Belichick these days

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski admitted he’s liking the new side he’s seeing from Bill Belichick.

Ever since “The Roast of Tom Brady” Netflix special, things have been different for the former coach and de facto general manager of the Patriots. He’s cracking jokes, giving out hugs and showing a willingness to cut it loose and have a little fun.

In May, he was taking shots onstage with his former players. That’s the version of the legendary coach Gronkowski loved to see.

“I think Coach Belichick may be my new favorite person ever since The Roast,” said Gronkowski, when appearing on “Games with Names” with Julian Edelman. “If he just showed that personality at all while he was a head coach, I still think we would be playing for the New England Patriots and winning Super Bowls.”

Gronkowski has been open in the past that playing with the Patriots wasn’t always fun. During an appearance on the “Up & Adams” podcast in early 2023, he explained that losing in New England felt like a “super depression” and even winning felt like losing the next day.

He wasn’t taking a shot at the organization but merely expressing how he felt at the time.

Belichick ran his ship a certain way, and it was obviously effective considering the team won six Super Bowls. Yet, an argument could be made that those ways fell out of favor in his final years in New England.

The hard-nosed way of doing things wasn’t accepted the same when the team was losing football games.

Former Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski returns to Tampa for a good cause

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski is back in the Bay area to support a worthy cause

For two seasons, tight end Rob Gronkowski reunited with Tom Brady and continued his dominance of the NFL, this time in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform.

This week, Gronk returned to One Buc Place, this time for a much better cause than catching touchdowns and winning Super Bowls.

One of the Bucs’ major annual charity events is “Cut for a Cure,” which benefits childhood cancer research. Members of the organization allow kids to cut or color their hair while raising money for the cause.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer made sure he was back in town for the occasion, getting a fresh new do courtesy of some eager youngsters:

Kudos to Gronk for coming back to Tampa to give back to the community.

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Patriots legends unite for epic movie trailer schedule reveal

You’ve heard of “Good Will Hunting” but have you heard of “Good Jules Hunting”?

The New England Patriots’ 2024 schedule was released on Wednesday night, and two Patriots legends helped with the reveal.

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared in a movie trailer video spoof of the Academy Award-winning 1997 film “Good Will Hunting” for the 2024 schedule reveal.

The spoof is called “Good Jules Hunting”.

It was a clever way to announce what is otherwise being deemed a brutal schedule for the Patriots.

Things don’t start off easy, as the Cincinnati Bengals will host the Patriots on the road. It ends at home against the Buffalo Bills on a date still to be determined.

It will be an uphill climb for a Patriots team looking to find its way back into playoff contention for the first time since 2021.

Gronkowski and Edelman were the perfect combination for this skit. Let’s just hope the product on the field matches the excitement of the video.

WATCH: Rob Gronkowski spikes shot glass onstage during Netflix special

You should probably wear safety glasses when drinking with Rob Gronkowski

Tom Brady might have been better off bringing a pair of safety goggles when taking a shot onstage with his former teammate, Rob Gronkowski, during Sunday’s “The Roast of Tom Brady” Netflix special.

After finishing his drink, Gronkowski promptly turned away from the group and spiked the grass into the floor like he was spiking a football after scoring a touchdown in a Super Bowl.

Brady’s reaction to the spike was just as epic as the actual spike itself. He could be seen in the background leaning back in complete shock while “Gronk” did Gronk things, which usually ends with something being broken.

Gronkowski’s spike put the exclamation point on a Netflix special that was full of surprises, including multiple appearances by celebrities and former players.

The roast was ultimately a toast to the greatest quarterback in NFL history, and Gronkowski made sure to send them out with a bang the best way he knew how.