While most reasonable observers roll their eyes when the Patriots play their “nobody respects us” card, Rob Gronkowski is not a reasonable observer.
But instead of playing it as motivation, the Patriots tight end is just playing it for laughs.
Via Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston, Gronkowski said he loved messing with 41-year-old Tom Brady about being old.
“We know that there’s a lot been said about us this year, and we’ve been embracing it I would say a little bit more than usual,” Gronkowski said. “But we’re not letting it distract us. We’re just embracing it to take it in and bring it out in good energy.”
“It actually is a fun part about it. You know, you get to laugh at the other player that gets made fun of, and then you get to say the comments to him too, like ‘Tom has a noodle arm.’ We’ve heard that one before, and then all practice we’re telling Tom he has a noodle arm. But we’re just doing it all for laughs and fun, because we know he doesn’t have a noodle arm, and we know he’s legit and his arm is as strong as ever.”
Even if that’s not the case, it’s life-affirming to know that at least one Patriots knows that none of this is real, and that Brady, like it or not, is respected.