New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is going to put the offense on his back during the first four weeks of the season. Star quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended, while wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, and running backs Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount are returning from injuries. Gronk is going to have to carry back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo over the finish line.
Gronkowski spoke to the media about his budding relationship with Garoppolo and how the two have worked on improving their connection on the field.
“It definitely started two years ago,” Gronkowski said. “That's the whole point of not just focusing and practicing with one person. That's the whole point of training camp. That's the whole point of practices. I've gone with Jimmy many times, threw with him one-on-one many times out at practice. So, to just get that chemistry going we've just got to go out on the field, get reps together, go do one-on-one sessions together, just throw like we do and we always do. Just like any other process, repetitions with each other so that everyone's on the same page.”
Garoppolo is likely going to operate with a limited playbook when compared to Brady’s offense. I expect Garoppolo to focus on the middle of the field and on short passes in the flat in order to reduce potential for mistakes and to get him into a rhythm. Gronkowski is a big believer in the young quarterback’s natural ability.
“Just his power of the ball, his accuracy going out there,” Gronk said when asked to explain the strengths of Garoppolo. “The way he moves the pocket; I like how he can scramble out and keep it going if everything's not going right. He's just a competitor, a hard worker, which is always great, which always goes good with the team when you have someone that wants it and goes out there and competes.”
Jimmy has been saying all of the right things as he embarks on his journey of becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL. Gronk is going to help him get there.
Gronk also had a few classics in his presser. When asked about whether Garoppolo can scramble better than Brady, he replied, “No one makes better scrambled eggs than me.”
The All Pro tight end is also the first football player in recorded history to admit they are not in the best shape of their life.
“It's always tough to get back into football shape,” Gronkowski explained. “I'm not going to lie and say I'm in top notch shape, no chance. I've still got a long way to go. I don't feel like anybody can be in top notch football shape when you first get out there, and that's what training camp is for and that's why it's a long process.”
Gronkowski and Garoppolo are going to continue to develop over the coming weeks and get into prime football shape.