Rob Gronkowski: Tom Brady Has Looked 'The Same Every Day That I've Been Here'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Rob Gronkowski's lived a bit of a charmed life as a professional football player. Sure, his unique blend of size, speed, strength, skill and football IQ would have led to him having a successful career no matter where he ended up. But he's no doubt benefited from being drafted by the team that happened to employ arguably the best quarterback-coach combination of all time.
The All-Pro gave a nod toward acknowledging an appreciation for that situation when asked about Tom Brady after Monday's OTA practice session.
"He looks pretty good. No, he look's great. He looks the same every day that I've been here," Gronkowski said. "He's always coming out with a competitive edge, his arm always looks strong. His football knowledge, you don't gotta talk about it, it's second to none. He looks very sharp."
It's high praise, considering Gronkowski joined the Patriots in 2010, meaning his career with the Patriots has coincided with Brady's mid-to-late 30s. Yet (with a healthy assist to Gronkowski himself) in that time, Brady's posted three of the four highest single-season passing yard totals of his career, five of his six highest single-season touchdown totals, and five of his six lowest single-season interception totals. Brady also, of course, won his fourth Super Bowl, with Gronkowski catching a first-half touchdown.
As for his own game, Gronkowski said he values what can be gained on the practice field in mid-June.
"The biggest value is consistency, going out there and making sure you're still on the same page," Gronkowski said. "You don't want to lose it -- you want to keep on getting gains. You want to improve. You go out there and make sure you knock all the rust out, [make sure] we're always on the same page and just don't lose it. So keep going out, keep working hard and keep getting better.
"What's cool about it is that it brings the competitiveness out of you," he continued. "You just can't go out there in your backyard or out on the field just throwing with the quarterbacks. Going versus someone or having someone across from you gets you back in that right feeling like it's a game."
