Gronk Expects To Play Full Game Against Buffalo
BOSTON (CBS) -- When the New England Patriots close out their regular season Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, many fans wouldn't mind if some of their star players got to watch from the sidelines.
The Patriots are the top seed in the AFC, courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals' win over the Denver Broncos on Monday night. So with little to actually play for, why not rest some players?
Rob Gronkowski is a prime candidate, with the All Pro tight end missing the postseason fun the last three seasons due to various injuries. But when asked about possibly getting this weekend's tilt off on Tuesday, Gronkowski would have none of it.
"I'm preparing to my ability that I do every week. I'm preparing to the max and expecting to play all game," said Gronk, who leads the Patriots with 12 touchdowns this season. "We just have to go out every single week like we do; execute at practice and work hard so when it comes to game time we execute all four quarters."
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So don't expect to see No. 87 making his way around the sidelines in a plastic bubble. The same goes for safety Devin McCourty, who is focused on closing out the regular season with the team's 13th victory of the year.
"I'm ready to play," said McCourty. "We're players, so we don't decide who plays or what plays are called. We can only do one thing and that's being ready to play."
"We're going to do the same thing that we always do. We're going to do what's best for the New England Patriots," said head coach Bill Belichick. "That's what we do every week. That's what I've always done. I can't imagine ever doing anything different."
The Patriots hit Gillette for their first practice of the week on Tuesday, a day earlier than normal given the Christmas holiday on Thursday. Many of the Patriots didn't watch the Bengals-Broncos game on Monday night because they knew whether they had the top seed or not, it would be business as usual come Tuesday morning.
"I don't think [the Bills] care much that we clinched the No. 1 seed," said McCourty. "Right now our focus is on Buffalo. We realize this is the game we're playing and we want to go out and win.
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"The playoffs will come. When they're here, it'll be here in full effect," added McCourty. "This team understands what it is to be in the playoffs, but right now we want to finish the season right."
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Bills game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots! Pregame coverage begins at 10am on the Sports Hub, and at 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay. Stay tuned after the game on 98.5 for three hours of postgame coverage, and catch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's press conferences live over on myTV38 on Patriots 5th Quarter.
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