Gronkowski hopes to keep playing with Brady in ’21 season
Former Patriots TE says he still has a good rapport with his QB
TAMPA — On the third play of the Bucs NFC division playoff game at New Orleans last Sunday, Tom Brady’s deep pass to Rob Gronkowski went off tight end’s fingertips.
“He told me I was running too slow so that’s why the ball was overthrown,” Gronkowski said Thursday. “I told him, ‘You know, he’s just got to stop working out because his arm is too strong, and he can’t read my speed.’
“But if we’re being for real, those are plays that him and I [have] got to connect on. There’s no, ‘Oh, next game. We’ll come back.’ We’ve got no next games. We’ve got no practice.
“You win or you lose. You win or you go home.”
But win or lose this weekend at Green Bay, Gronkowski says he has found a home with the Bucs and wants to return in 2021.
“Definitely. I don’t see why not,” Gronkowski said. “Obviously there’s logistical things. I mean, I’m just on a one-year deal . ... My main focus, obviously, is the season, going to Green Bay. But if I had that question now, I just don’t see why I wouldn’t be coming back for the 2021 season.”
At 31, having ended his retirement from the NFL after one year to be reunited with Brady, Gronkowski has had a very solid, if not spectacular year.
Start with the fact that the oft-injured Gronkowski will play his 19th consecutive game Sunday. He hadn’t started all 16 regular-season games since 2011.
Not only has he contributed in the passing game with 45 receptions for 623 yards and seven touchdowns, but he has been selfless in his role as a run blocker and pass protector.
“Who are we kidding? Anytime you have Gronk in the huddle, it’s a plus for your team,” offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said. “His personality, the energy that he brings to us, the joy that he has with this game of football is a unique thing. Very few players and very few human beings have his outlook on life and football.
“It’s good for us to have as many of those type guys in the huddle as possible.”
The season-ending Achilles injury to O.J. Howard made Gronkowski’s presence even more important.
Gronkowski said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he joined the Bucs. His body, which had undergone multiple surgeries and an array of serious injuries during his nine seasons with the Patriots, benefited from the year off. But he had to work hard to get back into football shape.
“[This season] has matched a lot of hopes that I had coming here, big time,” Gronkowski said. “It’s just so hard to win football games in the NFL . ... The main goal, obviously, is always to make it to the Super Bowl, but it’s hard. It’s one of the hardest things to do out there in the sports world.”
The fact that the NFC championship game will be played at storied Lambeau Field is a bonus for Gronkowski, who has only played there once in his career. He lists it among his three favorite venues in the NFL.
“Just the atmosphere there is unbelievable,” Gronkowski said. “Just the way that stadium is built, the way the fans are on top of you. It’s a full-blown atmosphere.
“This is what it’s all about. Going to Lambeau Field and playing the game of football. It is just what football is all about.”