Tag: Rob Gronkowski

Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski not buying Bill Belichick report

Is Bill Belichick being fired a done deal? Former Patriots legends Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski aren’t buying it.

Former New England Patriots legends Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski aren’t buying the report that Bill Belichick being fired as head coach at the end of the season is a done deal.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran reported sources close to the situation telling him it was a done deal after the team’s Week 12 loss in Germany to the Indianapolis Colts.

However, both Edelman and Gronkowski, who both won multiple Super Bowls with the Patriots organization, are pushing back on that notion.

“I don’t think it’s 100 percent done,” Edelman said, when appearing on “Up & Adams.” “…I don’t think either of them on either side are thinking about that right now—or at least on Bill’s side. Bill is probably just going to play the season out and worry about trying to win football games. But it won’t hit me until it’s actually hit.”

Gronkowski agreed with that sentiment, even though he didn’t feel like the reporting was necessarily a stretch.

“I agree with Julian,” said Gronkowski. “I think those reports are kind of, they’re not too far stretched out there, but they’re kind of false still because I think there’s still some season left to play. Coach Belichick could definitely prove himself. If you asked him in the media this week, I saw it. The media people were asking the question, ‘Hey, are these reports true. What do you think about it?’ And he just kept saying, ‘I’m on to Kansas City, I’m on to Kansas City,’ which I think is a great answer. I think that’s the best way to handle it.”

At the end of the season, Kraft and Belichick will probably have a sit-down discussion to ultimately decide the best actions going forward.

People tend to gloss over the fact that the two have been tied at the hip since the beginning of the greatest dynasty in NFL history. There’s well over 20 years of partnership on the line with this decision. That isn’t something Kraft and Belichick are going to take lightly.

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Rob Gronkowski absolutely hates ‘loser’ Colts for Deflategate

Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski isn’t a fan of the Colts for obvious reasons.

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski still hasn’t forgiven the Indianapolis Colts for the media circus surrounding Deflategate.

The whole controversy came during the 2014 AFC Championship Game, when Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson handed an intercepted pass from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the Colts’ equipment manager to keep as a souvenir.

NFL officials were then notified by the team of an issue with the inflation level of the football. Even though Jackson claimed he never noticed the difference, the entire ordeal created a circus that was much to do about nothing.

The referees didn’t even log the pressure of the footballs during the game. There was never any proof of wrongdoing, and still, the league made the decision to suspend Brady for four games, fine the Patriots’ organization $1 million and force the team to forfeit two draft selections.

“I absolutely hate the Colts bro,” said Gronkowski, when appearing on Julian Edelman’s “Games With Names” podcast. “They needed to find some B.S. answer of why they kept losing to us every single year. And they weren’t just losing to us. We were absolutely pounding that ass. I don’t like them. You can’t be any bigger of a loser pulling that off, you know? ‘Oh guys, we lost by 50.’ Are you kidding me? We ran the ball for 300 yards.”

Gronkowski does have a point about the Patriots typically owning the Colts. They went on to win that AFC Championship Game 45-7. There’s clearly no love lost between the two teams nearly a decade later.

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Rob Gronkowski recounts hilarious pre-draft visit with Patriots

Rob Gronkowski’s pre-draft visit with the Patriots is one of the most “Gronk” stories ever told.

There’s an old saying that goes “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski certainly made quite the impression during his pre-draft visit with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in 2010.

New England was his last stop on his pre-draft visit tour, and between sickness and exhaustion, he fell asleep during the visit. He elaborated on it on Julian Edelman’s “Games With Names” podcast earlier this week.

“I go into the interview session and Billy O’Brien draws a play up and then he erases it on the board and he’s like, ‘Alright, can you name what the wide receivers did?’ Like re-name their route and what their responsibility was. I was like, bro I have no clue,” said Gronkowski, via WEEI’s Mike Kadlick. “I couldn’t even think. And then he’s like, ‘What do you do?’ I was like, ‘You just throw me the [expletive] ball Billy O, I’ll make some guys miss, I’ll run over some people.’

“He’s like, ‘But you don’t know the play,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t need to know the play just throw me the ball.’ Like that’s basically how our interview went.”

The tight end ended up being selected in the second round with the 42nd overall pick in the draft.

When all was said and done, the pre-draft visit did not affect his draft stock at all since he ended up going to the Patriots. It certainly made for a memorable experience, as Gronkowski mentioned on the podcast.

Gronkowski would end up becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the NFL and play an integral role in the second half of New England’s near 20-year dynasty.

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Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski speak fondly on time with Bucs

The two NFL legends had a lot of great things to say about their time in Tampa Bay together.

Quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski may have forged most of their Hall-of-Fame legacy with the New England Patriots, but they’ll never be forgotten by Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans — and it doesn’t seem like Brady and Gronkowski will forget their time in Tampa Bay, either.

The two recently appeared together on Brady’s “Let’s Go!” podcast, and both of them reminisced on their brief stint with the Bucs. Both had a lot of kind things to say about the city of Tampa Bay, the organization and the teammates they played with while both were with the Bucs.

Brady spoke on his free agency choice, talking about choosing the Bucs and playing with Gronkowski in red and pewter.

“I got a chance to really look around and say, what locker room do I wanna join,” Brady said. “And when I chose Tampa, you know, I didn’t know that Robbie G was gonna come out of retirement. Of course, I was hopeful, but there was no certainty about it. He was retired for a year and then I called him and he’s like, ‘Tampa, huh?’ And we went down there and we had so much fun.”

Brady also spoke about the organization and the fans in Tampa Bay, stressing how important it was to him that he was accepted by the team, his teammates and Bucs fans.

“I think to be accepted by that organization really meant the world to me, too,” Brady said. “Obviously, I was accepted so much by the Patriots fans and the team and the organization and then when I left there to go to another place and see the way that we were welcome was awesome. And the only thing I wanted to do was give back to them.”

(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Gronkowski reminisced as well. He spoke about how exciting it was to be a part of a new organization and mentioned that while he loved his years in New England, there was a lot to appreciate about his time in Tampa Bay and winning a championship with the Buccaneers.

“In my time of my time, just going down in Tampa, I think it was a perfect fit for myself where I was in my career, what age I was in my career, the location as well in Tampa with my mom being down the street in Fort Myers,” Gronkowski said. “I love the sun, love the beaches as well. And just overall going down there and winning, too. I just feel like it solidified, you know, especially winning a championship, winning a Super Bowl solidified my happiness that I was, what’s the word, like content with my career, happy with my career.”

Brady echoed Gronkowski’s sentiments on winning a championship, saying that he was happy they were able to bring the city and the organization a Super Bowl win after everything they had given to them.

“I thought we rewarded that organization with a championship through a lot of hard work by our teammates,” Brady said. “And we celebrated like no other. That boat parade will go down in history as one of the great parades of all time.”

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Rob Gronkowski says Giants tried to lure him out of retirement

Rob Gronkowski says both the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders attempted to lure him out of retirement during the offseason.

In August, just before the start of the 2023 NFL season, retired tight end Rob Gronkowski created headlines and sparked speculation about a potential return — this time with the New York Giants.

Gronkowski suggested that Brian Daboll was the coach who had the best chance to lure him out of retirement. Gronk also joked, “Brian Daboll wants me on his roster, I know it,” during an interview with Kay Adams.

As it turns out, that wasn’t as much of a joke as Gronk made it seem at the time.

“I got a call from two teams in the offseason, but you know, just wasn’t interested. I mean, they’re great teams. It would have been a great situation, but I just wasn’t ready to go,” Gronkowski told Barstool’s Pardon My Take.

“It wasn’t the Bills. Well, first off it was kind of out there, it was the Giants because of Brian Daboll. He was my position coach for three years here and I loved having him as my position coach. He was just a great guy, great attitude, brought the juice to the table every single time but I mean he knew it was kind of like a home run. We talk every once in a while and he was like, ‘Yo, come out, come out, come with us. You and Darren Waller, you guys would be a great duo’ and I was like, ‘I know we would be but bro, I’m good, I’m done.'”

After the Giants’ success last year, it certainly would have been a great story and provided the team with more depth at the tight end position.

Last week, Gronkowski also mentioned that while growing up, former Giant Jeremy Shockey was his hero. So there may have also been some interest from Gronkowski taking Daboll up on that offer to play for Shockey’s former team.

Although the Giants were unable to convince Gronk to return, it’s still nice to see Daboll’s former players singing his praises.

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Rob Gronkowski expects Bill Belichick to be with Patriots in 2024

Rob Gronkowski doesn’t see Bill Belichick going anywhere next season.

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski expects coach Bill Belichick to stay with the Patriots in 2024.

There has been speculation throughout the entire season that the 2023 campaign could be Belichick’s last with the team. The Patriots currently sit with a 3-10 record and the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, if the season ended today.

Multiple former Patriots players have weighed in on the possibility of a coaching change in New England, with Tom Brady also saying he would find it difficult see Belichick on another sideline.

Gronkowski appeared on Barstool Sports “Pardon My Take” in an episode published on Friday, and he thinks Belichick will be back in New England next season.

“I would be surprised for him to go to a different team. It would just be really weird, first off.” said Gronkowski. “He’s been with New England for so long. I kind of feel like, yeah, this season is really rough, but he is still one of the greatest coaches of all time. There’s no doubt about that. I played for him. I learned from him. He helped develop me to be the player that I was. There’s no doubt about that. If he’s not one of the greatest coaches of all time, he is the greatest coach of all time.

“I believe he really grandfather-claused in with the New England Patriots. I mean, he would have to have another year like this year, next year, for them to finally be like ‘Alright, it’s time. Let’s move on.’ But, I truly believe that he will be [in New England] next year.”

The Patriots are still riding high after their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. It marked their third win in a row over the Steelers and put an end to a five-game losing streak.

If anything, it’s a little momentum for a potential case for Belichick to get one more crack at things with the Patriots.

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Rob Gronkowski says ex-Giant Jeremy Shockey was his hero growing up

Rob Gronkowski reveals that former New York Giants TE Jeremy Shockey was his hero growing up and that he even wrote him a fan letter.

Rob Gronkowski is arguably one of the best tight ends of all-time and somewhere down the line, will find his way to Canton, where he’ll be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That’s a dream realized for Gronk, who grew up wanting to emulate some of the other great tight ends of his time.

But it wasn’t Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates or Jason Witten whom Gronk truly looked up to. Rather, it was former New York Giants great Jeremy Shockey.

During a recent appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, Gronk recalled writing to his “hero” as a young teenager.

“When I was in ninth grade, it was write a letter to your hero or whoever you looked up to or whoever it was,” Gronk recalled. “We wrote a letter and mine was obviously to my hero, Jeremy Shockey. . . I was also a big fan of (Shockey) already. I knew all about (him) from being at the University of Miami.

“To this day, that’s the only fan mail I’ve ever wrote to anyone.”

Shockey was highly amused by the entire story and joked that he’d been writing to Gronkowski for several years without a reply.

Gronk admits he, too, never got a reply from Shockey but acknowledges that the letter may have never arrived.

In recent months, the two have formed a bond and become friendly, which seems fitting given their respective personalities. Shockey was Gronk before Gronk was Gronk.

Shockey was a first-round pick (fourth overall) of the Giants in the 2002 NFL draft and he had an immediate impact. Coupled with unique athleticism, Shockey was an extremely physical player who never shied away from contact — often seeking out defenders to bowl over — and whose emotions were worn on his sleeve.

The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion hauled in 547 receptions for 6,143 yards and 37 touchdowns in his career, which also included stops with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Shockey was a favorite of the late Wellington Mara, who the tight end admittedly loved.

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Rob Gronkowski believes the Saints should bench Derek Carr, start Jameis Winston

Rob Gronkowski believes the Saints should change quarterbacks, bench Derek Carr in favor of Jameis Winston:

The struggles of the New Orleans Saints offense have been well-documented this season. Fans and analysts have really started to turn to quarterback Derek Carr as he has not thrown a touchdown pass in the last two games. It’s important to note that both Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston have score touchdowns from the quarterback position in that time, with a much lower snap count.

The most recent addition to the debate was from NFL legend and former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski. He had this to say on a recent appearance on the Up & Adams show with host Kay Adams:

“The consistency is not there with Derek Carr,” Gronk mused. “That’s a problem where you would have to go in and now you’re gonna have to look at the possibilities of starting Jameis Winston just because of the inconsistency. And I would say that kind of, you know, tends to be kind of his whole career. You know, he always is about to help you win and then he just has that bummer throw which is no good.”

A lack of consistency has been a big issue for Carr and the Saints offense, especially when they get to the red zone. After scoring 38 points on the Indianapolis Colts a few weeks ago they’ve struggled to hit totals of 24, 19, and 15 points in the games that followed.

Weeks of being able to drive down the field only to stall when it matters most has been frustrating for all to watch. Whether this regime actually wants to make any changes will be interesting to see. All they’ve done so far is voice support for Carr as their starting quarterback.

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This Rob Gronkowski Patriots comment was hilariously brutal

Rob Gronkowski admitted Sunday’s game was the first half of a Patriots game he’s seen all season, and it left him stunned.

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski did not mince words when talking about Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

Jones struggled in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. He threw for 89 yards and two interceptions before being benched for Bailey Zappe in the second half. His 27.8 quarterback rating was his lowest of the season, and his season rating of 77.0 is the lowest in his three-year career.

Gronkowski appeared on the Fox NFL halftime show, alongside Michael Strahan, and summed up the first half of the game in the most “Gronk” way possible.

“It’s very frustrating as an ex-Patriot to watch the game,” said Gronkowski. “It’s actually one of the first times this year I’ve watched a complete half of a Patriots game, and let me tell you, it’s as bad as what the fans have been saying. Mac Jones should have thrown about four picks already.”

The Patriots ended up losing to the Giants by a 10-7 margin.

It’s safe to say that everybody is beginning to recognize the struggles Jones is having. One has to wonder if Jones will be able to salvage his season in the final six games.

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Rob Gronkowski believes Stefon Diggs won’t be with the Bills next season

Future NFL hall-of-fame tight end Rob Gronkowski believes that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is in his last season with the team.

After Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs posted on “X”, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this week that his brother, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, should get out of Buffalo, nothing but drama has ensued. Not only did Trevon catch flack for what he said, but so has Stefon by association.

When something like this happens, that something being when a family member or someone close to a player speaks out, it is implied, whether correctly or otherwise, that the player has felt the same way long before it was said. Given the fact that there has been prior drama of Stefon Diggs possibly wanting out of Buffalo because of the Bills’ previous failures to make it to the Super Bowl, Trevon Diggs’ social media post just brings Bills Nation back to a familiar place of uncertainty and frustration.

More to the point, on Wednesday, Kay Adams of FanDuel TV, had former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski on her show, Up and Adams, to discuss the drama surrounding Stefon Diggs following his brother’s social media post. Gronkowski believes that Stefon Diggs is spending his last season as a Buffalo Bill:

“Just suck it up. Why cause these problems? Josh Allen is a great quarterback. Why? I don’t get it. I don’t know why there’s all this turmoil going on with Stefon Diggs.”

 

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