It’s still all about Gronk
Healthy TE top option in Brady’s offense
FOXBORO — Tom Brady has a bunch of new weapons.
There’s a speed receiver in Brandin Cooks, who looks like he’s going to add some flash and dash to the offense. There are running backs Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead. There’s also tight end Dwayne Allen, whom Brady is breaking in, just to help make life even more miserable for opposing defenses.
But during the opening day of training camp yesterday, we were all reminded there’s an old friend Brady already had in his arsenal who remains the single biggest nightmare for any defense.
Rob Gronkowski can be an unstoppable force, the bane of any defensive coordinator trying to shut down the Patriots offense.
On Day 1, it was his own defense that couldn’t stop the tight end — especially in a 3-on-3 drill — as Gronk put on a show for the 15,349 fans who turned out to watch the defending champions.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Gronkowski so “juiced up,” as he called it, but he was animated and had his dancing cleats on after hauling in a pair of touchdown passes from Brady down by the goal line. He was dancing, spiking the football, getting in the faces of the defense and generally having a good ol’ time, much to the crowd’s delight.
Yes, the Patriots won a Super Bowl without him. But when Gronk is healthy and staring down a safety or a linebacker, there’s no greater weapon for any quarterback to have at his disposal. Let’s just say the chances for the Pats to get back to the dance are much greater with him, than without.
“He’s a big target. He has good speed, he can do it all,” said cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who had to worry about Gronkowski when he played for the Bills. “I’m happy to have him on my team now.”
And Gronk, who is returning after being on the shelf for that thrilling come-from-behind Super Bowl LI win following back surgery, is champing at the bit. He can’t wait to hit somebody and move on to the next phase.
“You always want to take hits,” Gronkowski said. “When we put pads on, I’m definitely going to be ready. I’m going to be ready to take hits. I’m going to be ready to play ball.”
Given how his 2016 season ended, Gronkowski had to be thrilled to be feeling so good yesterday, practicing without limitations, and looking great in drills. Granted, the Pats haven’t had a padded practice yet, but with three back surgeries in the books, and countless other ailments and surgeries on the list, Gronk is ecstatic.
“It’s just when you’re feeling good when you’re out there making plays, you just want to have fun,” said Gronkowski, who caught four passes in practice. “It’s the whole game of football, going out there, enjoy it, having competition ... that’s what makes you better as a player. That’s what makes the team better. Competition.”
Jonathan Freeny gave it his best shot in the camp opener to compete against Gronk, but the linebacker had no chance. The 6-foot6, 265-pound tight end is moving freely and that’s the best news for him and the team.
The fans loved his every move, and he gave them reason to roar.
“It’s great to have that enthusiasm from them,” said Gronk, who stayed late signing autographs. “It’s the first day, so we’re all juiced up. It’s great to have them the whole time. They keep you juiced, they keep you fired up, they keep you going.”
Obviously Gronkowski, who inked a new incentiveladen deal with the team that could potentially make him the highest paid tight end in the league, has had trouble staying healthy. But he’ll take it one step at a time. He’s healthy now, and he’s hoping to keep it that way going forward.
“Overall, it was just a good day,” he said. “I feel good. There’s always room for improvement. Overall, it was cool. It was fun to be back out there. I got a lot to work on. But I enjoyed myself out there. It was awesome.”
In this offense, Gronkowski is still the one player there’s no answer for. So while all the shiny new toys are nice, and helpful, he’s still the resident superstar.