Grinding out a career in the NFL isn’t easy, and New England Patriots icons Bill Belichick and Rob Gronkowski know that better than most people. It takes years of honing one’s craft before one can make it among the best of the best. Belichick saw many players succeed, and even more who failed, and he recently opened up on it.
Bill Belichick Weighs In on Rob Gronkowski’s “Too Many Mistakes”
Perspective plays a massive role in one’s confidence, and that especially carries true in the NFL. Belichick watched countless youngsters enter his teams over the decades with ill-informed perceptions of the league. Having grown up watching many of the stars they suddenly have to measure up to, those youngsters often face challenges when it comes to breaking mental barriers.
Belichick appeared on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, where he discussed a variety of topics, including the tough conversation he had with Gronkowski at the start of the legendary tight end’s career.
“People don’t understand the process, and they think Rob Gronkowski was always great. Far from it.” Belichick said. “It was to the point where Brady and I sat him down and said, ‘We can’t put you into the game, you are too undependable, you run the wrong route, you fumble the ball, you make too many mistakes, we can’t play you.'”
Belichick then said that Gronk asked what he could do to improve. “Then he [Gronkowski] became great, never fumbled, always did the right thing, was a great teammate, was a good blocker, understood blocking… It was such a process, and those guys all bought into it.”
All the greats were once uncertain rookies. Brady sat behind names like Michael Bishop and John Friesz as the fourth-string quarterback of the Patriots to start his career. Gronkowski was Brady’s fourth-favorite receiver to throw to in his rookie season, but ended his career as arguably Brady’s favorite of all time.
Gronkowski never looked back after that moment and arguably became the greatest tight end in NFL history. He finished his career with 621 receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns in 143 regular-season games. In the postseason, he recorded 98 receptions for 1,389 yards and 15 touchdowns in 22 games and won four Super Bowls.
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According to PFSN’s TE Impact Metric, Gronkowski posted an impact score of 86.1 in his final season, 2021, ranking fifth in the league.
Had it not been for the tough conversation he had with Brady and Belichick, Gronkowski might never have improved his flaws or had the legendary career he did.
