Rob Gronkowski likes the “freedom of being yourself” in Tampa

NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Green Bay Packers
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Tom Brady isn’t the only former Patriot who is thriving in Tampa Bay. Rob Gronkowski is, too, and Gronk rubbed a little salt in the New England wound on Friday.

Via JoeBucsFan.com, Gronk said while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio that Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians have “totally different approaches to the media,” and to player behavior.

“Coming here, it’s is a complete 180, for sure, totally different,” Gronk said. “I mean, I feel like the biggest difference is just having the freedom of being yourself in this organization.”

To be fair, Gronk always seemed to have the freedom to be himself in New England — unlike most players. If anything, Gronk has seemed more restrained and less visible this year, possibly because he doesn’t have quite the same level of skills that he once possessed.

Regardless, it’s no surprise that things are different between New England and Tampa Bay. And, other than this year, New England’s approach has proven to be far more successful.

49 responses to “Rob Gronkowski likes the “freedom of being yourself” in Tampa

  1. Far more successful? By the looks of where Tampa is and NE finished I don’t know if that holds as much water as it would have before the season. I would tend to think at this point the rate of success hinges more on TB12 then on the coach with a losing record without him.

  2. I do not get it, Gronk’s persona as a loveable goofball and a HOF Tight End was born in New England, what is different in Tampa?

  3. It appears at this juncture, that “New England’s approach” had little to do with the success, unless you want to call telling Brady to go play QB, an “approach”.

  4. How did the Pats do this year now that no one wants to play for Bill and the Patriots Way?

  5. Guess he’s having fun like Lane Johnson. Never mind the millions they make. Fun is the important thing.

  6. He & Brady seem to have an axe to grind with their former team. It’s not a good look. You’ve been winning. You’re going to the Super Bowl. You can afford to be gracious.

  7. Okay,Gronk. We get it. How many shots are you going to take at New England and Belichick? You made your point, several times now.

  8. Gronk, who was hurt much of his college career but flourished in New England. Enough said.

    As for Brady, Belichick kept a 6th round pick as 4th QB and didn’t expose him to the practice squad. He normally only kept 2 QBs. He had him run scout team. Pushed his leadership skills. Brady leaped frogged to backup his second year.

    No other head coach would have replaced Bledsoe with Brady after he was ready to return from injury. Ron Borges, the media guy with the HOF vote, went nuts when he did. They especially would not have started Brady in the Super Bowl after Bledsoe beat the Steelers in the AFCCG, in Pittsburgh.

    Belichick met weekly with Brady to teach him defensive reads and keys in film study throughout his career.

    Tom’s the GOAT, he has incredible work ethic and football smarts but he’s fortunate the Patriots drafted him.

  9. How’s that New England culture now that Brady left? Belichick never won anything without Brady, and none of the assistant coaches that got other jobs, and took with the “The Patriot Way” were the least bit successful. They’ve all been fired. Tampa Bay hadn’t been to the playoffs in decades, and now they’re in the super bowl. But this didn’t start with Brady. Every great QB made everyone in their organization look a lot smarter. All the way back to Vince Lombardi.

  10. Seems like New England is the place to be, they let you take PED’s, shoot and kill people, happy endings and cheating is OK!

  11. I only came to read the comments from the many non Pats fans who still have the Pats living in their heads! “Wicked “ funny as we say in New England
    Go Buccaneers!!

  12. The haters still have some unresolved issues. They don’t seem to have a favored team. player, or even sport – as they never have positive comments towards any article. Must be a rough, solitary life.

  13. Everyone bagging on BB. Of course NE had a down year. Lost the GOAT and had 8 players opt out. Im not even a Pats fan and I know Bill has a plan. Don’t be surprised if they are a playoff team again soon

  14. Enjoy it for another week Gronk. Free agency and salary cap realities hit Tampa Bay the day after the Super Bowl. Godwin, Gronk, AB, Fournette, Barrett, David, Suh, Nunez-Roches, McLendon… 30 free agents and only 31 guys signed for next year, no other team has fewer than 40 players signed.

  15. Here we go again, Bill’s boys are out in full force. Let me remind them that players win games, not coaches. You win games by having great players executing, that’s why quarterbacks are so important. Jordan would’ve won without Jackson, Tiger didn’t need Harmon, most people don’t even know who coached Gretzky and just because Belichick stumbled upon Brady, it doesn’t make him a genius.. He proved his coaching aptitude in Cleveland. Below .500 there and now, without Brady, below .500 here. Next year , more sub par results

  16. Well lets see what you have to say after KC takes you to the woodshed…then you can be yourself all you want.

  17. mookie34 says:
    January 29, 2021 at 6:52 pm
    Phil Jackson or Michael Jordan. Who has the better legacy
    _______________

    Vince Lombardi or Bart Starr

  18. I’m not a hater, just an observer. We’ll see what BB’s legacy will be a few years down the road. If he brings the Pats back to yearly super bowl contenders, then I would see him as the greatest coach the NFL has ever seen. If he struggles to get to .500 every year it would becomes obvious to everyone that it was Brady all along.

  19. People won’t admit that it was mostly Brady all along until Belichick has another losing season. While both were valuable to those Patriots dynasties, a great head coach will still not win a super bowl without a great quarterback or top 3 defense. It’s that difficult.

  20. I can say this: Gronk would have been great anywhere. He spent most of his too-short career steamrolling people or wearing a few of them while he got tons of YAC. No one better in the Red Zone when needed. Really good hands, and the best blocking TE in the league.

  21. Patriot fans all crying hahahaha you bums will be basement material for decades. Former players trashing your team will only persuade other players to avoid that wasteland. Hahahahahaha

  22. So thermanerman- what do YOU have? Oh yeah you have participation banners! We in New England STILL have SIX Super Bowl Banners, and we can still root for TB12 the GOAT!!

  23. Listen folks, TB effectively purchased a SB appearance this year with all the signings. This is a one year make it or break it deal. This is very similar to the Yankees when they have done it.
    Most of the talent will be gone in FA or roster cuts for the cap.
    KC by 4

  24. And those of you crushing BB, go look at the talent they missed this season with opt outs and injuries. Anyone that thinks the Patriots were all Brady you are just drinking those kool aid.
    If Brady was on the Jets, Bengals or even 10 other teams he would be home for the playoffs. TB purchased a roster this season to make one run at it and it has worked out.
    The Patriots will be right back in contention next season.
    And this is coming from a fan of neither the Pats or the Bucs

  25. BB has 8 players opt out, gets a QB late summer with little to no offseason prep, goes 7-9. Fire that bum

  26. You people make me sick.

    This “Brady carried the Patriots” is contradicted by a lot of evidence.

    Super Bowl 36. Rams – Patriots I
    Brady 145 yards, 1 TD
    Ty Law’s pick 6 and the other turnovers forced by the D account for as many points as the offense in the 20-17 win.
    Bill has a knack of neutralizing or containing HOF offenses like Warner’s Greatest Show on Turf

    Super Bowl 53. Rams – Patriots II
    Brady 262 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
    The offense produced only 13 points in the 13-3 win.
    But the D held Goff to 229 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, and 50% completion

    Super Bowl 42. Giants – Patriots I
    Brady 266 yards, 1 TD
    The offense produced only 14 points in the 17-14 loss.
    The D kept the Patriots in the game, holding Eli Manning to only 10 points until the final minute of play.

    Super Bowl 49. Seahawks – Patriots.
    This was a true synergy of Brady’s O and Belichick’s D.  Belichick coached Malcolm Butler and the D to expect the quick inside slant at the goalline. They practiced it all week.  It turned out to be the winning play, producing the most shocking end to a Super Bowl ever.

    2018 AFCCG Patriots 37, Chiefs 31 OT
    This game might have had a different outcome if Belichick’s D had not held Patrick Mahomes scoreless in the 1st half (Patriots 14, Chiefs 0)
    The Patriots won their regular season game over the Chiefs in similar fashion, with the D helping stake the Patriots to a 24-6 halftime lead on route to a 43-40 win.

    2003 AFCCG Patriots 24, Colts 14
    The D held Peyton Manning scoreless in the first half. Ty Law recorded 4 INTs.

    As defensive coordinator for the Giants, Belichick is credited for having designed schemes that thwarted Joe Montana, Jim Kelley, and John Elway at the peak of their momentum.

    1986 NFC Divisional Round
    Giants 49, 49ers 3
    Montana was 8 of 15 for 89 yards, 0 TD, 2 INTs before a hit by Jim Burt knocked him out of the game

    1990 NFC Divisional Round
    Giants 15, 49ers 13
    Montana was 18 of 26 for 190 yards and only 1 TD.
    The Giants ended the 49ers run of 2 straight championships

    Super Bowl 25
    Giants 20, Bills 19
    Jim Kelly’s Bills had one of the most prolific offenses, having hung 51 points on the Raiders in the AFCCG
    The Giants D knew they needed something special since they were starting the inexperienced backup Hostetler.
    The Bills were held to 1 of 8 on 3rd down and 19 minutes of possession time.
    Belichick’s game plan is enshrined in the HOF

  27. I just can’t watch this Super bowl and you’re crazy if you think the Brady vs Mahomes Super bowl isn’t fixed. Goodell decided this match up before the season started and the only way it could happen is if Brady somehow ended up in the nfc. And whataya know, he ends up in the city that’s hosting the Super bowl, and HE ends up the first Quarterback to host a Super bowl. It’s just too coincidental that soon as Brady get to the Bucs, they go straight to the Super bowl for the narrative of the GOAT vs the next. This was scripted before the season as either Brady’s riding off in the sunset, or passing the torch to Mahomes. Fights can be fixed, any sport can be fixed …. And this has fixed all over it !!!!

  28. For those ripping on Belichick,saying that it was all Brady…BB is not only the head coach.He is also the G.M. Who do you think put those championship teams together,finding all those diamonds in the rough? It wasn’t Brady. BB put the pieces around him. Yes,Brady is the GOAT,but Belichick built the teams around him. BB and Brady needed each other.

  29. Tired of hearing about these two. If you didn’t like being there fine. You got out. Now shut up about it and play football. Same as platers and “I wan disrespected” waah waah to me.

  30. As others have noted, NE this year had the most opt-outs in the NFL. The year prior, they had a solid, deep D.
    They could credibly reach the playoffs with a game manager at QB, that’s how strong they were.

    This year? 8-10 opt-outs and a QB that seemed to prefer to run than throw.

    Next year? They bring back the D and get a serviceable QB to run schemes, play action, short outs, passes to RBs… and they would be a wild card at minimum.

  31. BB seems to have run the Patriots like pretty much tight fisted. But hat is why you have six SB titles out of nine there. Brady and Gronk seem to be like besties there. But heard Bruce Arians is a player’s coach.

  32. Gronk doesn’t just mean about what you see on TV and interviews, etc. Yes Gronk was a bigger personality during his prime while in NE, but what I think he means is just the freedom behind the scenes. In meetings, practice, walkthroughs, etc. We saw him on TV and press conferences and the fun parts, but we don’t know what the Pats grind and meeting room was like. Probably no jokes at all lol, I’m sure Tampa meetings are probably cool.

  33. Anyone writing off BB or Brady is just plain stupid. Much as I don’t care for either, they’ve burned folks too many times after being written off. It will be interesting to see how NE does from here on out but after 2 decades of success, what did you expect ? It had to end sometime….

  34. In 50 years of watching the Pats, this year was the worst QB play I’ve ever seen. If they had Andy Dalton or Alex Smith, they would have won the division. This was a reset year. Lost three defensive starters to FA, and two to opt outs, and a HOF QB. Next year, with lots of cap space, and a functional QB, I expect them to be the division winners again.

  35. Arians is good when the team wins remember he was throwing Brady under the bus early in the season when they struggled. Brady went to Tampa because he knew it was best chance at winning. If the Patriots had Mike Evans, Goodwin, Brate, Brady would have stayed.

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