Gronk Surprised At Belichick's High Praise
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had a whole lot of praise for tight end Rob Gronkowski on Wednesday.
Belichick was uncharacteristically candid about the All Pro tight end, opening up about how he sees Gronkowski as an underrated leader of the team. He spoke highly of Gronkowski's run-blocking, and even dropped Mark Bavaro's name, who Belichick has always considered among the best tight ends to ever play the game.
It turns out, Gronkowski was just as surprised to hear the praise as the media. It's not very often Belichick compliments his players in the way he did Wednesday, so Gronkowski is going to make sure he soaks it all up.
"No, he definitely only does it for you guys," Gronkowski told reporters on Thursday. "Coming from him, it's definitely flattering. Getting such a high praise from Coach [Belichick], I have the most outright respect for him and everything he does, and his coaching abilities, which are at the top of the board there. Everything he says you want to listen to because it's always a good point. He always has a good coaching point. I definitely love listening to him and taking what I have and bringing it out there on the field and doing what I have to do."
Don't be surprised if those Belichick quotes end up on the Gronkowski family refrigerator, or the mini-fridge on his party bus. And when it comes to his run-blocking, Gronkowski knows just how important it is to the offense as a whole.
"I believe that the run game helps out the pass game a lot. Definitely play-action, too, it helps out. I love run blocking," he said. "It's just as good a feeling as catching a touchdown, making a big play in the run game. But don't get me wrong, I don't like run blocking every single time. I don't like running out for a route every single time. I like a good balance. I like doing both, and that's what comes with being a tight end."
With that attitude, it's easy to see why Belichick views Gronkowski as a good leader. It's another role that Gronkowski takes pride in.
"I definitely look at myself as a leader on this team, for sure. Some players are vocal leaders and some are more quiet leaders. I just like to go out there and do everything right," said Gronkowski. "Do my job, go out in the weight room, work hard, and show these young kids what it takes to get to the next level, to keep pushing your body to get to where you need to be so when you go out on game day you are ready and you're prepared."
Part of that leadership this week will be voicing Belichick's desire to play a full 60 minutes. The Patriots may be 2-0, but have yet to put together a complete game from start to finish. Gronkowski hopes that trend ends this weekend when the Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium.
"That's a huge point of emphasis. You can't just go out there and dazzle around for 10 minutes of the game then play hard for 50 minutes. You've got to play all 60 minutes hard, you've got to be ready for all 60 minutes of the game," he said. "The game is not over until it's over, from the first play to the last play. You've got to go out there, you've got to be mentally and physically ready so when all 60 minutes come you're ready to play."
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