Gronk party. Gronk play football. Gronk get introspective.
Well, sort of.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski admitted this week he might have to be more judicious with the amount of contact he takes, and wants to sit down with Chargers veteran Antonio Gates to talk about it.
Via Tom Curran of CSNNE.com, the 34-year-old Gates talked about how he can see Gronkowski taking better care of himself this year, which he needs to.
“I’m a firm believer in being physical,” Gates said. “But then there are unnecessary hits you don’t have to take. Some people think you can’t be physical and not have aggression. We talk about having aggression, but still staying fundamentally sound. What that means is you go out, play hard, and be physical, but still play smart at the same time.
“I think that’s what maybe [Gronkowski] has added to his repertoire this year. Or that’s something that maybe the majority of young guys need to understand. It’s a very physical game. It’s not like college. These guys are getting paid millions of dollars to come out and play and you have to take care of yourself. You have to take care of yourself.”
Gronkowski said he’d like to talk to Gates about that, expressing his admiration for the Chargers tight end’s longevity.
“Whenever you see a tight end at that caliber playing every single week going out there and making a huge impact and making huge plays and looking like he’s in his early 20s still it’s unbelievable,” Gronkowski said.” Obviously, he knows what he’s doing and he’s a player to look up to no doubt about that. It would be cool to talk to him and learn what he’s done to keep playing at that high level. I definitely look up to him.”
While it’s unusual to think about Gronkowski, well, thinking deeply about his future, Gates is worth looking up to. If Gronkowski can become more durable, his chance of having a career like Gates will only grow.
And then Gronk party.