Grank was built different. While others spent years training like machines, strict diets, early mornings, hours of film, Grunk did things his own way. While others were hitting the film room, he was partying.
While they were meal prepping, he shotgun and beers. And somehow when Sunday rolled around, he dominated. In fact, the only thing crazier than his off-field antics was his onfield greatness.
So, how did a guy who partied harder than a frat president become arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history? Well, heading into the 2010 NFL draft, Gronk was easily the most talented tight end. At 6'6 and 260 lbs, he was a nightmare matchup.
Too fast for linebackers and too strong for safeties. On talent alone, he was a firstround lock. But NFL teams had two major concerns.
First, his back. Before his junior season of college even started, Grank suffered a severe back injury that required surgery. He missed the entire year, and suddenly, his future in football was in question.
A back injury for a player his size was a major red flag for NFL teams. And as if that wasn't enough of a hurdle, then came concern number two, his off the- field lifestyle. Grank had always been uh well, a free spirit.
In the college recruitment process, Grank had something like 65 scholarship offers, and his dad asked, "Where you going? Syracuse, Ohio State, Groncos, University of Arizona. " His dad asked, "Why there?
" And Grank responded by saying, "Dad, if you ever went to a pool party at Arizona, you'd understand. " So NFL teams weren't just worried about his injury history. They were worried about whether he would take being a professional athlete seriously.
And then during a pre-draft visit to the New England Patriots, Gronk made a standout first impression by falling asleep on the floor. Bellich couldn't believe it. Neither could offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who later tested Grank's football IQ by drawing a play on the whiteboard, erasing it, and asking what the receivers did.
And Grank responded in the most Grank way possible. He's like, "All right, can you name the what the wide receivers did? like renamed their route and what their responsibility was.
I was like, "Bro, I have no clue. " I couldn't even think. And then he's like, he's like, "What do you do?
" I was like, "You just throw me the ball, Billy. I I'll make some guys miss. I'll run over some people.
" He's like, he's like, "But you don't know the play. " I was like, "I don't need to know the play. You throw me the ball.
" Bellich had seen plenty of prospects over the years, but this was something entirely different. For most teams, that meeting would have been a dealbreaker. A lazy tight end with a serious injury and a love for partying.
Yeah, no thanks. And due to the concerns, he did slide all the way to the second round in the draft. But at pick number 42, the New England Patriots took the gamble.
The same team known for having structure and discipline and a nononsense coach. The New England Patriots select Rob Gronowski, tight end, Arizona. Just drafted the biggest party animal in NFL history.
Right out of the gate, Grank dominated training camp. Then came his NFL debut against the Bengals and he caught a one-yd touchdown and a catch by the rookie. Just like that, the Brady Grank connection was born.
But through his first eight games, Grank only played around 15 to 20 plays per game. And it wasn't because he didn't have the talent to play at an NFL level. He just couldn't remember the playbook.
But then magic happened. In his first game playing the majority of the snaps, Grank went for three touchdowns, becoming the youngest rookie in NFL history to ever do so. From then on, the Patriots went on a tear, winning seven straight games to finish the season, and Grank played a big part in it.
He finished the year with 42 catches, 546 yards, and a Patriots franchise rookie record, 10 touchdowns. But don't get it twisted. Off the field, he was still the same old Grunk.
Between games, while everyone else is grinding, Grank became a fan favorite, hitting up Boston's nightclubs and partying the night away with the same people who would watch him dominate on Sundays. In fact, Grank revealed that he never watched film and that I have people who watch it for me at Tom Brady. So, basically, Grank would just be out partying or something and then Brady would just tell him everything he needed to know for their upcoming game.
It was an unconventional system, but as long as Grank showed up, played hard, and delivered on the field, he could do whatever he wanted. The question was, could he continue his level of production in his second year? And from the first snap of the year, it was clear that he was a man on a mission.
In the first three games of the season, Grank caught five touchdowns and his signature celebration became legendary, the Grank spike, which was basically just him chucking the football as hard as he possibly could at the ground. In just weeks, he went from a promising young tight end to one of the most dominant offensive weapons in the NFL. He wasn't just catching passes.
He was running through defenders, making crazy blocks, and spiking football so hard they practically left dents in the field. In a week 14 game against Washington, Grank put up a six catch, 160, two touchdown performance, officially breaking the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in a single season, and he still had three games left. By the time the season was over, his numbers were ridiculous.
90 catches for 1,327 yards, most ever by a tight end at the time, and an NFL tight end record, 17 receiving touchdowns. He was mustwatch TV. And off the field, he was still the same guy, partying like a rockstar, showing up to press conferences, shirtless, and living by his favorite rule.
I see. Uh, yo, yo, sorry, Fiesta. But behind all the fun and wild celebrations, Gronk was a relentless competitor who knew how to win.
With his historic season, the Patriots went 13 and three, bulldozing their way to Super Bowl 46. And he'd done everything possible to put the Patriots in a position to win it all. But as the Super Bowl approached, disaster struck in the AFC Championship game.
He suffered a high ankle sprain. For most players, this would have been a season ending injury. But this was the Super Bowl, and Grank wasn't missing it.
So he fought through the pain, suited up and played. But it was clear from the start that he wasn't himself. The explosive cuts gone, the power limited, and the Giants took full advantage.
Intercepted by the Giants. 87 is a decoy. He is a decoy.
He's a bonafide decoy. Keeping him in check with just two catches for 26 yds. Despite that, the Patriots still put up a fight.
Down 2117 in the final seconds, Tom Brady launches a Hail Mary into the end zone. The ball bounces off hands and Gronk, limping on one good leg, was inches away from making the game-winning catch, but it hit the turn. Game over.
And after the game, Grank received some hate. Not because of his poor play or even the miscatch, but because he was seen partying just hours later. On stage, but you couldn't run full speed in the actual game.
Doesn't seem like the loss is affecting him that much. Yeah, it's pretty upsetting, though. If anyone thought the loss and the hate would slow him down, yeah, they didn't know Grank.
He was always carefree and confidently himself, which is something everyone aspires to be. And that's why this episode of Blitz is brought to you by BetterHel. While it may be the offseason for football, when it comes to bettering yourself and building relationships, there should never be an offseason.
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com/blitz. Screw it. I'm going to hang out with my brothers now.
You never get to see everyone. It started flowing and you saw what happened from there on out. Before the 2012 season, the Patriots gave him a 6-year, $54 million contract extension, the largest in history at the time for a tight end.
And you know, he had to celebrate. Just another day in the summer of Bronx. He appeared on a dating show, was on the cover of ESPN's Body Issue, and hardied like a madman.
But when the NFL season rolled around, he was back to dominating. Through the first 10 games, he was a nightmare for defenses, racking up 748 yards and 10 touchdowns. No linebacker could keep up with him.
No safety could outmuscle him. He was a cheat code. But then the injury concerns he had coming out of college came back to haunt him.
In week 11, he broke his forearm. That injury sidelined him for 5 weeks. But in true Grunk fashion, he wasn't done yet cuz he made it back for week 17 and helped the Patriots crush the Texans in the divisional round.
But in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, he landed awkwardly on his arm, reinjuring the fracture. And without him, the Patriots offense lost one of their biggest weapons, and they fell to the Ravens, bringing their season to an end. Then once his arm finally healed, he had back surgery for a lingering issue.
But finally, in week seven of the 2013 season, when Gronk returned, it was like he never left. In his first game back, he put up 114 yards on eight catches against the Jets. Two weeks later, he torched the Steelers for 143 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots were rolling and with Grank back, they looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders again until week 14 when Grank took a brutal blow to the knee and the bad injury luck struck again. Shaken up. Torn ACL, torn MCL, season over.
After 2 years of injuries and setbacks, would Grank ever be the same again? You wouldn't think so. But somehow in 2014, he got even better.
In week eight, he torched the Bears for 149 yards and three touchdowns, including a brutal stiff arm and a ridiculous one-handed grabs that reminded everybody why he was the most dominant tight end in football. By season's end, Gronk had racked up 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, winning comeback player of the year and being selected to the first AllPro team. But this time, the real magic happened in the playoffs.
In Super Bowl 49, Grank came up clutch, falling in a touchdown just before halftime. And New England went on to win one of the craziest Super Bowls ever thanks to Malcolm Butler's iconic goal line interception. Intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler.
But make no mistake, without Grank, the Patriots don't even get there. After two years of injuries, doubts, and setbacks, Grank was finally a champion. And for the first time in a long time, he'd be entering the offseason off the injury report.
I just worked my my tail off all year long uh to be where where we are now. And it just feels awesome to go through a whole season healthy, come out healthy after the Super Bowl win. So to open the 2015 season, he was more dominant than ever.
He started the year with another three touchdown game. And there's Gronowski again. Touchdown.
Defenses tried everything. Double teams, jamming him at the line, even flat out tackling him early, but nothing worked. Grank was too big, too fast, and too strong.
By the end of the year, he had put up 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns, making first team allpro for the second straight year. In the divisional round against the Chiefs, he hauled in two touchdowns, helping the Patriots advance. Then in the AFC Championship, he went off for 144 yds, including a clutch fourth down grab that nearly saved the game.
Goes down the field to Gronowski and he has the football. But it wasn't enough. The Patriots fell to the Broncos, ending their season.
Still, Gronk had done everything possible to carry the offense. And in 2016, he was ready to help bring another championship to New England, but injuries halted his ambitions before they could come to fruition. Cuz in week 10 against the Seahawks, he took a brutal hit to the chest from Earl Thomas, leaving him with a punctured lung.
He missed the next game, but fought his way back onto the field in week 12 against the Jets. But while running a route downfield, Grank felt something in his back give out. Just after the Patriots last offensive drive, we saw tight end Rob Gronkowski head to the locker room with a back injury.
The injury was severe and he needed season ending back surgery, which was the third major back operation of his career. Rob Gronowski, the Patriots star tight end, is reportedly set to have back surgery, which could cost him 8 weeks. The Patriots went on to win Super Bowl 51 in legendary fashion, pulling off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history against the Falcons.
But Grunk, he had to watch it all from the sidelines. You better believe that he still participated in the party afterward though. But he wasn't out there when it mattered most.
And after yet another major injury, people wondered, was this the beginning of the end? Time to trade him. And you could get a hall for him.
I'm approaching 30. Uh multiple surgeries, but a lot of them on his forearm. Who cares about a forearm?
I haven't used mine in days. Yeah, exactly. Um I wouldn't trade him though because Well, Grank silenced all those doubts in 2017.
In week two, he torched the Saints for 116 yards and a touchdown. A few weeks later, he went off for 83 yards and two scores against the Jets. And as the season went on, he was the same powerhouse we'd all grown to love.
By the end of the year, Grank had racked up 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns, leading all tight ends and yards despite missing two games, and he was back on the first team allpro list once again. Then came the playoffs. In the AFC Championship against the Jags, Grank took a nasty helmet-to-heel hit from Barry Church.
knocking him out of the game with a concussion. The Patriots still pulled off the win, but his status for the Super Bowl was suddenly in question. But this was Gronk we're talking about, so of course he played.
The Patriots faced off against the Eagles in a record-breaking turnout. Tom Brady threw for over 500 yards, and Grank was his go-to target when it mattered most. He caught two touchdowns, including a clutch fourth quarter score that put the Patriots in position to win.
Gronowski reaching for touchdown. Only this time, it wasn't enough. Despite Grunk's monster performance of nine catches for 116 yards and two TDs, the Patriots lost 4133.
Then following the season, the Patriots decided that they were ready to move on from Grank. Bill Bich was known for letting go of players even after they had a great season to cash in on their value before it was too late. And between Grank's age and injury history, the Pats came to the conclusion that it was time.
So before the 2018 season, they agreed on a deal to trade him to the Detroit Lions. And then the unexpected happened. When they called Grank to inform him about the trade, he said, "Oh no, I'm retired.
How can you train me? " And I stayed on the Patriots. Boom.
So 2 days later, the trade was called off. But then when training camp rolled around, there was Grunk. Not retired, just not interested in playing for the Lions, who had been the laughingtock of the NFL for decades.
However, something was different. After years of brutal injuries and relentless hits, Grank's body was breaking down. And for the first time in his career, he looked human.
Rob Gronowski leave his hands on the party bus this summer. What's going on with the drops out there? Yeah, it's strange.
Grank especially, he seems to be dropping a pass almost every practice out there. He missed three games and finished the regular season with only 682 yards and three touchdowns, his lowest numbers since his rookie year. Still, when the playoffs arrived, Grank did what he always did, made plays and was the security blanket that helped lead New England back to the big game.
The Super Bowl against the Rams was an ugly lowscoring affair. Points were at a premium. But with the score tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter, Brady needed a playmaker.
And who did he turn to? On the biggest play of the game, Gronk ran a seam route that hauled in a diving 29yd catch, setting up the game's only touchdown. It was Vintage Grank.
In the biggest moment, he made the biggest play. The Patriots won 13-3, earning Gronk his third Super Bowl ring. But his celebration may have gotten a little out of hand this time cuz he used the Lombardi Trophy as a baseball bat.
A move that left a noticeable dent in it. Then Grunk shocked the NFL by actually announcing his retirement, walking away from the game at just 29 years old. But I want to be clear to my fans, I needed to recover.
I was not in a good place. football was bringing me down and I didn't like it and I was losing that joy in life like the joy. I'm sorry right now but Oh, dang.
Let me Oh. After nine seasons, countless records, and an unmatched mix of dominance and personality, the biggest party animal in NFL history was calling it quits. At least for now.
For a year, Grank was living his best life in retirement, partying, filming commercials, and even trying his hand at WWE. But if there was one thing or one person that could bring him back to football, it was Tom Brady. When Brady shocked the world by signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady, barring anything unforeseen, is expected to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Rumors of Grank returning immediately resurfaced. And after a month of keeping us all waiting, Grank made his decision. one last ride.
Rob Gronowski, the fact that it does appear his rights will be traded to Tampa Bay and that he will be reunited with Tom Brady. The thing is when Gronk unretired, he actually had to be traded to the Bucks because the Patriots still had him under contract. But Bill Bich and the Patriots did right by him, making the trade happen.
And during the 2020 season, Franc was primarily used as a blocker. After all, he had spent the last decade embarrassing some of the league's best edge rushers and often blocking better than an actual lineman. Even then, he still put up 623 yards and seven touchdowns.
But the real reason he came back was to chase another Super Bowl. The Buccaneers stormed through the playoffs, setting up a Super Bowl showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs. It was Brady versus Mahomes.
But on the biggest stage, Grank stole the show. First quarter, touchdown Grunk. Next quarter, another touchdown Grunk.
Gronowski again. By halftime, he had already torched the Chiefs for 67 yards and two scores, helping Tampa Bay build a massive lead. The Bucks dominated winning 31 to9 and for the fourth time in his career, Grank was a Super Bowl champion.
Two tighties. Two tighties. Saving Super Bowl.
You did it all. But the party wasn't over yet. Grank had so much fun, he decided to run it back for another year.
And despite missing four games from a punctured lung, his numbers were actually better than the year before. He finished the 2021 season with 802 yards and six touchdowns in just 12 games. Unfortunately, the Bucks run would end in the divisional round at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion LA Rams.
And after the season, Brady retired, then unretired. Just 41 days after hanging up his cleats. He's coming back for a 23rd season.
But Grunk, he was done for good this time. There were rumors of him unretiring and going to play for the Broncos, but they were nothing more than rumors. I'm happily retired.
I actually picked up pickle ball. I'm still competing. I'm still winning.
So, I don't even need to go back to football. years of injuries and his wrecking ball playing style had finally caught up with him. And his off-field hobbies probably didn't help his longevity either.
But Grank was never meant to stick around the NFL for a long time. He was just there for a good time. And what a good time he had.
When the lights shine the brightest, he always delivered. At the time of his retirement, he held the record for the most postseason receiving touchdowns by a tight end with 15. Brady and Grank's 90 touchdowns are the most ever by a quarterback tight end duo.
And there's no doubt that Rob Gronowski is the most dominant tight end to ever play. Over 11 legendary seasons, Gronk racked up 621 receptions, 9,286 receiving yards, 92 touchdowns, and four Super Bowl rings. Whether it was running through defenders, spiking the football, or celebrating wins like only he could, Grunk never stopped having fun.
And that's really the duality of Rob Gronowski. Fearless on the field, but the most fun-loving and free guy off it. We'll never see another player like Grank.
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