Devin McCourty’s great Gronk story perfectly sums up ex-Patriots TE originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There was never an NFL player quite like Rob Gronkowski.
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end, who retired (we think) last month, was one of the best to ever play his position, using a combination of brute strength and incredible athleticism to dominate his opponents.
But Gronk also liked to have fun and didn’t let football stop him from living life to the fullest.
In a recent conversation with NBC Sports Boston’s “The Camera Guys,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty recalled a moment during the 2015 preseason that encapsulated Gronk’s amazing talent — and his goofiness.
McCourty explains why he’s excited for Mac Jones‘ Year 2 with Patriots
“We go to Greenbrier, West Virginia to practice against the Saints,” McCourty said. “… Gronk gets off the bus, and we’re just talking about football, training camp. And he goes, ‘Bro — since I kind of calmed down, I’m not partying as much, not doing as much (off the field) … Yo, the game seems so much easier. I understand the playbook.’ Like his eyes and everything — he was dead serious.
“And we were sitting there like, ‘Hold on, you got drafted in 2010. So, you’re telling me, these first four or five years of your career, there’s another level that you haven’t unlocked yet? Like, you’ve just been out here winging it to a certain extent?'”
(You can watch McCourty tell the story in the video above.)
What’s remarkable about McCourty’s story is that Gronkowski played some of his best football during that five-year span. He earned three Pro Bowl nods in his first five seasons, was a First-Team All-Pro twice (2011 and 2014), won NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2014) and set career highs in receptions (90), receiving yards (1,327) and touchdowns (17) during the 2011 season.
And that was before Gronk had the revelation that the game was easier when he wasn’t out partying every night.
Gronkowski’s epiphany paid dividends in 2015, when he amassed 1,176 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns to earn First-Team All-Pro honors for the third time.
While injuries and the Patriots’ demanding system eventually led Gronkowski to retire for the first time after the 2018 season, McCourty noted that the fun-loving tight end always seemed to have a youthful exuberance.
“He had that joy and love of the game that we all had at five years old, and it never left him,” McCourty said.
McCourty also shared his thoughts on Mac Jones’ upside, whether he thinks Gronk would stay retired if Tom Brady came calling and much more. Watch the full interview below.