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Rob Gronkowski is one of, if not the greatest tight end(s) in NFL history, which is even more impressive considering he apparently doesn't study game film.
During an appearance on ESPN2's alternate telecast of Monday Night Football with Eli and Peyton Manning, the four-time Super Bowl champion said, "I just run by guys," when discussing his preparation for games.
“My teammate Cam Brate just asked me the other day,” Gronkowski said via MassLive.com. “He goes, ‘Rob, I have a serious question.’ He goes, ‘Do you ever watch film?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t. I just run by guys. If I’m feeling good, I’m feeling good.’ So, I don’t know how to answer that, Eli. I don’t watch film. But I do watch film when the team is showing it, and every once in a while, I watch games like right now and study them.”
Of course, Gronkowski does have another solution, relying on longtime New England Patriots and now Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate Tom Brady, who is notoriously methodical in his preparation.
“I actually do go up to Tom, because I know Tom watches, like, 40 hours of film a week,” Gronkowski said. “I go, ‘Tom, who’s covering me this week? What type of coverages are they doing?’ That’s why I love playing with him.”
It's hard to argue against Gronkowski's approach as he continues to excel during his post-retirement comeback with the Buccaneers, which included scoring two touchdowns in Super Bowl LV last February.
On Sunday, Brady and Gronkowski connected for two more touchdowns during the Buccaneers' 48-25 victory against the Atlanta Falcons, giving them a total of 102 as a duo, which trails Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison's NFL record for most by a quarterback and receiver by only 12.
The 32-year-old currently ranks third among NFL tight ends with 90 career touchdown receptions, as well as sixth in receiving yards (8,613) and 11th in receptions (578).