FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In case you hadn’t heard, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski loves to play football.
As usual, he’s been entertaining the thousands of fans attending training camp, and the larger-than-life tight end has been catching passes with relative ease in the first four days of camp. Practices begin at 9:15 a.m. sharp, and for the next two hours and 45 minutes they never stop.
“You definitely got to enjoy it,” Gronkowski said. “It’s definitely a grind. You’ve got to come out here and work hard to get your mind right, or else it’s going to be a long day. The defense is always bringing it, so as a offensive unit we have to come out and be ready, too.”
The pace to Bill Belichick’s practices is intense, and the players are vocal throughout the entire session, including Gronkowski.
“That’s what's so great about being on this team: If you’re feeling down low, feeling tired, guess what? The guy next to you is bringing you back up. He’s working hard, and that’s what gives you the motivation to push through,” Gronkowski said. “During camp there’s always one teammate, or a few, always grinding, making you get through it.”
One teammate who has impressed Gronkowsi is linebacker Jamie Collins.
Collins finished with a team-high 109 tackles during the 2014 season. He also had four sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. During the playoffs, he led the defense with 23 tackles and one interception.
“He’s a freak,” Gronkowski said. “He’s fast. He’s long and he’s strong. He plays the game of football how it should be. He knows how to hit. He knows how to cover. He’s an overall good player, so it’s great going against guys like him. It definitely makes you compete and gets you better.”
Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without Gronk being asked about Tom Brady or about being the defending Super Bowl champions. Gronkowski answers in a typical Patriots fashion.
“Every time we step out onto the practice field we’re trying to get better, getting in better football shape and gain more chemistry as a team,” he said.
