PATRIOTS TIGHT END ROB GRONKOWSKI
PRESS CONFERENCE
August 19, 2018
Q: You haven’t played in the first two preseason games. Are you missing being out there or …
RG: No, I mean, it’s always a coach’s decision on whether or not I’m playing in these games or not. I’m ready at all times. I mean, whatever it is this week, I don’t know the situation, but I’m ready to play. If I have to play, I’m ready to do whatever I get asked. So, I’ll prepare all week like I’m going to play, like I do every other week.
Q: Did you find it be beneficial last year when you played in those two preseason games?
RG: I mean, it’s always beneficial whenever you go out there in the preseason. You want to go out there, get the timing down, get some live reps. So, just going to prepare like a normal game this week like I’m playing, and then it’s up to the coaches.
Q: Where do you feel you’re at as far as your timing with Tom Brady? Since you’ve played together for so long, do you even need that many practice reps with him?
RG: You always want practice reps, and no matter how good you think you are or how great the chemistry you think it is, you can always get better, no matter what. There’s always so much detail in football that, no matter what, you can get better. Even if you think you have it down, you can keep working to get better.
Q: Do you think you have it down at this point?
RG: I mean, I would say we’ve got some good chemistry over the years, but we’re always working on it. We’re always looking to improve and we’re always looking to get better.
Q: Are you able to tell some of the newer players who don’t have the same chemistry with Tom what he wants and what he expects from his receivers?
RG: Yes, I mean, with Tom as the quarterback going into his, what – 19th, 18th year, whatever it is – yeah, I mean, clearly he has a resume of how he wants it done and you’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to perform like that. And, definitely telling younger guys, newer guys that come in that, ‘You want to listen to Tom, you want to listen to the coaches,’ how the routes should be run and you want to go out there and you want to execute them. And, if you’re not on the same page, stay after practice, do extra reps in between practice, all that type of stuff to get the chemistry down with him.
Q: Do you ever watch old practice film?
RG: I mean, sometimes we do. I mean, if we need to watch a play or something that we ran previous. But, no, not like that. Nope.
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Q: So, not often?
RG: Not often.
Q: Is there anything that practice film is particularly beneficial for? For example, could there be something fundamental that would be more difficult to review at game speed?
RG: I mean, we watch practice basically every day – our practice out on the field – and we want to make sure what we did wrong, we correct them, and what we’re doing right, make sure we keep doing it right and see watching the film how we can make corrections. But, I mean, other than that, we’ve got to keep moving forward every day and study our opponents.
Q: So, you can mostly do that in real time, just from being out there on the practice field?
RG: Yep.
Q: Did you spend any time with Jacob Hollister before training camp started? What are your impressions of him coming into his second year?
RG: I mean, he’s doing well. He’s a good dude, likes playing, loves playing football out there, loves going hard and loves to learn the game of football, too. So, he’s great to have around in the tight end room and it’s great to have him out on the field. He’s just getting better every single day. Every single week, he’s getting better and he’s looking to get better, too, every week.
Q: How do you think his skill set would complement you in a two-tight end set?
RG: I mean, as a unit, we’re just trying to go out there, as a tight end unit, and be the best that we can be. I mean, really the coaches put us in those situations. They see our skill sets and they develop plays, which our coaches are very, very great at developing plays like that where we can use our skill set no matter who is out on the field. So, however we can help each other out, Jake and I and any other tight ends in the room, that’s what we’re going to try to do.
Q: A few sharks have recently been seen in the Massachusetts area. Since you have become a shark aficionado…
RG: Yeah, I know, I saw them. I’m a shark expert.
Q: Have you thought about going out to the water and checking them out?
RG: No, I mean, I heard there’s some great whites out there. I haven’t seen any great whites yet. They don’t know me yet. I only swam with tigers. So, maybe I’ll go say hi to my friends.
Transcripts are provided by the Patriots media relations department
