May 1, 2025 • 43 mins
In this episode of Pats from the Past, Matt Smith and Paul Perillo are joined by former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronk talks about his his welcome to the NFL moment, best Patriots team he played on and what made his relationship with Tom Brady so unique.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
It's another edition of Patched from the Past, and we're
pleased to be joined by the best tight end in
franchise history. Paul, is it the best tight end in
NFL history?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We're going to get to that later. Now, I'm going
to get that out of here here, Paul Parolo.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Here, he's number eighty seven on your scorecard, but number
one in everybody's hearts.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Rob Gronkowski, what an introduction, guys. I appreciate that love,
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
I played the number.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
One organization of all times as well, so it was
a great matchup to have the number one tight end
pointing for the number one organization.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Baby, that's what's up. I tell you what.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Nobody's seen much of you, Like are you in hiding
or anything like that. Nobody's seen you at all, Like
are you a monk or are you like a commercials?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Are you having fun to Actually? I am in hiding
this week. It's Thanksgiving week.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
It's a holiday, so I have off, you know, for
about six days, and you guys actually got me out
of hibernation to come here. But that's okay because it
was about three minutes you know, from the house, you know,
so when it's that close and it's that easy. You know,
I can always come out of the ground and come
and say what's up. And you guys, you know, have
been great and the you know, my career started here
(01:12):
without without being drafted here, you know, to this organization
here in this building. You know, I wouldn't be on
these commercials that you guys see me on all the time.
So appreciate you guys having me here today.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Do you like chopping it up with the Fox guys?
Are you having fun doing that?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
I'm having a lot of fun doing that. I'm having
a lot of fun doing everything that I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Doing, especially the commercials. I know that's what you guys
are talking about.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, Devin Fox, I mean Sam Sheppard is your new bestie.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yes, And that's just it's unbelievable over there, and these
guys are such pros. It's kind of like me entering
the room with like when I was a rookie, Like
how I entered the room, you know with Vince Wolfour,
Tom Brady, all those guys you know, as a rookie.
It's like when I enter the room at the Fox Room,
you know, and I got Michael Strahan, I got Jimmy Johnson,
(01:56):
I got Terry Bradshaw, Kurt Menefee, Howie Long. Like, it's
kind of like a similar situation. I'm a rookie, but like,
these guys have been on TV now for twenty five
thirty years plus. Michael Strahan's the youngest one out of
the whole group, and he's been I think around fifteen
years on the show. And then there I am as
a first year, second year, third year guy now and
(02:16):
I was just looking up to him every single day,
Like they're so on point. They're incredible with their knowledge.
You know, they know when to spit out facts and
when to joke around. So just learning from them and
just going under their wing man, it was something special
and it still is special, and it's so much fun
just working with them every Sunday that I'm on.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, good place to start. You talked about being drafted here,
you talked about being a rookie in TV. What was
it like go back to Arizona and you're coming out.
Did you know the Patriots were heavily interested in What
was that process?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Like, all right, man, let's go back to this process.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I like that, And yes, I knew the Patriots were
definitely heavily interested that's for sure. But I had one
of the worst draft visits of all time. And coach
Chuck talked about that before. I mean, Nancy is she's
still here as well. Yeah, she still talks about it
that I fell asleep right on her desk right before
I was gonna go meet all the coaches. But to
be fair, that was like my seventeenth trip in like
(03:12):
fifteen days, and I was super tired, and you know,
I had to get a nap.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
In real quick.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
So I was sharp and on point, which that's what happened,
but actually that's not what happened because I really wasn't
that sharp and on point, and then everything else is
just chaos that trip. So I actually walked out of
this building after that rookie you know that kind of
like a job interview.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
It was before you get drafted. You go and see
all the teams and talk to them.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I kind of walked out of the building like this
team is either going to love me and they're gonna
take me, or they just think I'm a complete fool
and they already crossed me off their board. But I
was in the back of my mind, I was like,
I have a feeling that they loved me. But so
back to you know, going to Arizona and draft night
and all that. So I wanted to go to the
(03:54):
Arizona Cardinals. Actually they were the number twenty six pick
because the reason was I loved my time at the
University of Arizona. You know, I was in Tucson, I
was a Wildcat. They were the Arizona Carnos, were hour
half away in the Scottsdale Phoenix area, and just to
stay as a whole. Loved being there, loved that area
(04:15):
as well. So I wanted to go there just because
I knew how familiar I was with and how much
I loved.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I loved being there. And then in the back of
my mind, I thought it would be kind.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Of cool if the Bills drafted me because it was
my hometown team. But at the same time, I kind
of didn't want to go to Buffalo too, just because
they weren't pressure. Yeah the pressure stunk, Yeah they stunk.
At the time, just saw that I felt like just
best for my career to just not go back home,
even though it would be a dream to go play there,
like when you were growing up, that was the dream.
(04:45):
And then the other team was the Baltimore Ravens. You know,
they showed high interest in me throughout the whole process.
I had plenty of interviews with them. You know, I
truly believed that they were going to take me, and
they were about to take me.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You do you know, like you were having fun in
New York And we'll get to that in a second.
You know, it was a scrambled drill of epic proportions
here for the Patriots to get your card in. Like
Bill's looking around, going what's going? John Robinson is running
around the room. Nick's running around the room. The clock's
ticking down. They were sweating that out. Do you know
that it was sort of chaotic by their standards here?
(05:24):
Do you did you know that that was going on?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Actually, that's something new that I've just learned. Man, I
didn't know how chaotic it was trying to get that in,
but I know that's that's that's pretty pretty wild to
hear that that side of it, because actually thinking about it,
because at the last second, because the Baltimore Ravens were
on the clock with the forty second pick, and that's like,
like I said, they were showing high interest. I thought
(05:48):
for sure I was going to the Baltimore Ravens, and
the clock is, you know, counting down, and there's like
thirty seconds left, and usually if a trade happens, it's usually.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
End by now absolutely, and then.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
All of a sudden, there's like ten seconds left on
the clock when I then boom, the New England Patriots
trade up, you know, with no to the forty second pick,
because the Baltimore Ravens had the forty third pick.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
That's how it was going down.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
They traded up with the I think the Oakland Raiders
at that time. So the Raiders traded down, the Patriots
got the forty second pick and took me. And I
thought the whole time, like, all right, I got Baltimore
coming up. I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going to go.
But now that makes sense. They were scrambling and that's
why I went down there last seconds because they were
trying to get it in, yeah, and get that you
(06:30):
know trade in, which they did. And I'm very very
thankful they got that trade in. So whoever whoever's you know,
duties that was, and whoever accomplished to get that in,
whoever hustle, who was it.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
It was all of them.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
It was Bill John Robinson Nick, I mean jimmy 's
in New York, I think at the time, so they're
yelling at Jimmy to get the car.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Did you know, Oh, I just want to thank you,
Jimmy D for getting that card in on time.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Man. The rest is history from there.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Did you think you were risk? Other people thought you
were a risk. Were you confident that that everything was
going to be all right? By all accounts, you never
should have lasted until the second round, but people were
worried about your back.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's one hundred percent true. I mean
my back was a little damage coming out of out
of college, that's for sure. I mean I had some
serious back problems. I mean they were serious, but they're
kind of minor at the same time. Actually, but all
back problems are serious when you got pain shooting down
your legs and you can't really move that much. But
it was just a minor procedure where they take the
hernie disc. They just chop it off a little bit
(07:26):
and get it off your spinal cord. And a good
thing was I'm young, so you heal quickly as well.
And no, there's there's more major back surgeries when you
fuse to when you fuse little buying together and all that.
So I've had three Marco disactomies and I've been good
since I had my last one. Actually, that was my
last surgery, which was here sixteen, right, yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Think No, I think it was two thousand and eight. Eight, No,
twenty sixteen, you're right.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Missed the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
That's why I missed the Super Bowl boys so Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
But I also absolutely got level going up to see
Earl Thomas, one of the hardest hitting safeties in the
and I was looking at the ball and Boomy hit
me going full speed and popped my disc out him.
I mean, it was a football injury. You can't do
nothing about it. I actually made a nice play after
that and caught the ball to the two yard line
on the fade, even though my back was blowing out
(08:15):
and I was spitting blood out because I also punctured
my lung on that hit as well.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
But hey, that's football, and you got to be a
tough SOB.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And that's what gets you, you know, the wins and
gets you fired if you can take the pain.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
And I sure was. But we were going back.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Was I a risk kind of but in my mind,
I wasn't because I knew my mindset. I knew I
was going to overcome the injury you know, that I
had in college. I knew I wanted to be a
professional football player as well, so I wasn't gonna let
anything get in my way. So when I was asked
that question in the job interviews and everything, I strongly,
with confidence told them, Hey, I'm not worried about my back.
(08:52):
I want to be a tight end in the National
Football League. I I want to be one of the
best tight ends as well in the National Football League,
and I'm going to do whatever it takes, you know,
for my back to be solidified to where I needed
to be throughout my whole career. Yeah, there's gonna be
ups and downs with the back, you know, but I
always knew that if I stayed on top of it
as well with the rehab, you know, doing the core exercises,
(09:13):
doing the right back exercises, that you know, my career
will you know, be a decently long career. So I
made sure, you know, to some of the teams that
I wanted to go to, hey I'm ready to play.
My back is not a problem. But the reason why
it was kind of a problem is they were saying
I had scoliosis, and I didn't even know what scoliosis
(09:35):
was because you get the MRI at the combine so
all the team doctors can check out your back.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
So whatever I have, I mean, I beat it. So
scoliosis screw you.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
So you tell the story about the draft visit when
you fell asleep, you also have a story about right
after you got drafted. Didn't take you long to sort
of get called into the principal's office.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Right, No, it didn't.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I mean I've always you know, it was a maniac,
especially when I was a young buck and I like
to have a good time.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
That's for sure. What a moment that.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I'm telling you. It was one of the best moments
my life, guys. And what's what's great about it is
I was I was pissed I didn't go in the
first round.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
My Mom's like, I never really seen you pissed before,
and like my brother made a comment like that I
didn't go in the first round. I was like, shut up,
you know, I was just pissed, like and and I
should have never even said shut up.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
I was just over exaggerating.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
You know when you're mad, that everything's gonna make you
like you're is gonna make you mad. You know you're
gonna be pissed off, and right rightfully so, because I
thought I was a first rounder, you know, I in
my mind I wanted to be around. Yeah, But in
the end, let me tell you it truly doesn't matter
where you're drafted. It matters what you do after you're drafted,
(10:50):
and once you get the shot, you know, it's all
about what you do with with the opportunity that you get.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
So the second day comes and once I get drafted
by the Newing Patriots, like, let me tell you, that
was the best moment and best feeling of my life
right there and then. And I absolutely gave no cares,
no shizzle that I didn't go in the first round.
My dream was accomplished and that's all it mattered. And
(11:17):
I never thought about being bad ever again in my
life that I didn't go in the first round.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
But didn't get under your skin when Bears called and said, hey.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Cut it out.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Actually he didn't really get under my skin. We kind
of played it up and we were laughing at it
because I was always a trouble maker growing up, so
it was always funny when I got in trouble. It
eventually became like Rob's in trouble again, you know, because
it was always for something that was silly, right, Like
I never was getting in like serious trouble. Like I
was a guy that just took it to the edge
and then I would stop, like right before I would
(11:47):
fall over the cliff, I would catch myself and then
I would you know, wind back down and it would
drive people crazy. And it kind of like was that situation,
you know. I was up on stage putting the helmet
on on, going one on one versus my brother because
he was in the NFL at the time. He put
the Detroit Lions how helmet on. We were jumping up down,
(12:08):
which we love to do. I mean that's how we party.
We always were jumping up and down, acting like maniac.
So we brought the party to the stage and Bears
gave me that call like hey, get off the stage,
like this is what we're not about. And then I
literally put the phone down and I was like, I'm
already getting in trouble.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
This is great.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
So it just never stopped me because I knew I
was never doing anything wrong.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
So we used to joke all the time, Matt, you know,
we were in there all the time. We go in
and cover these guys, and we used to always talk
all the media guys, that kid has never had a
bad day in his life. And I think that obviously
you're exactly the same. Just how much fun and you
enjoyed it. You enjoyed everything about football, and it was
so obvious, like when did you sort of figure out
(12:53):
this is what you were going to do and that
you could dominate doing this?
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Well?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
When I was in high school, actually I actually just
went into the Buffalo Hall of Fame, like I saw
that thank you guys Rucci, Yeah, with Vick Kruch Vick,
which actually, all right, there you go, that's a full
socer moment right there with that question that you just asked.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
And then you just brought up Vic Carucci.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
So in eighth grade, Vic Crucci has a daughter that's
my age, and all of our friends hung out, and uh,
she invited us over one day and I walked in
the and I walked in the front door and there's
Vic Crucci was right there, staying right in front of me,
and I knew he was an NFL beat writer or
senior writer or whatever his title was. At that moment,
I looked him straight in the eye and I said, hey, Vic,
(13:33):
you're gonna be writing about me one day.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I guarantee it.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And I was in eighth grade and he's like, yeah,
right kid, you know, and then but away from my daughters,
like maybe yeah, he's like, you're crazy, and I was like,
now you're gonna be writing about me. I guarantee it.
So it kind of started all the way back then. Man,
I've been manifesting that I was going to go pro
in the NFL for basically my whole entire life, even
though I didn't even start playing football until I was
(13:58):
in seventh grade. Actually, I broke my an my like
very first play in seventh grade and didn't even really
start in eighth grade then. So I was telling him
before I even had a football career, I was gonna
make it to the NFL, and he'll be writing writing
about me, so then you know, we'll go back again
as well. Then then, like sophomore year in high school,
I really, you know, totally started understanding my size and
(14:21):
my abilities and where I was in life with my
athletic career. I love playing all the other sports, but
that's when I really knew that football was going to
be my sport. When I was on the varsity team
and I was absolutely dominating games. And I was just
a sophomore in high school. So then you know, you're
in English class, you're in other classes. It's like, hey,
write about what you want to do in the future,
(14:42):
and I just always wrote about, Hey, this is what
I'm gonna do.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
I'm gonna be playing the NFL. This is how I'm
gonna get there.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
No guarantee, I'm no guarantees that I'm gonna make it,
but I'm guaranteeing you that I'm gonna make it.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
That's basically what.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
I wrote every single paper about was me getting in there.
So I manifested the whole entire thing basically since you know,
since eighth grade, and you know, it's been just a
dream come true. So I really noticed that I had
the abilities when I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
We were talking earlier and I was Brian Hoyre comes
here and does some stuff with us, and I was
asking him. He told me he had you wanted a
guest the other day, and I said, Brian, let me
ask you a question. Go back to the Pittsburgh game
his rookie year was Zach wronkx coming out party. He goes,
that's a pretty good one. I mean it was Sunday
night football, right, three touchdowns bounds, and I mean I
think people saw that. Who covered the team or who
(15:34):
was around the team, watched the team, knew that there
was something. Did you feel like that night, like I'm
sort of putting the league on notice here.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
You're not saying that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm saying that, but watch out.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
You know, that's a good point.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
It definitely was my coming out party to everyone that
was a fan of the New Englan Patriots. But I
can tell you this the game before, which was my
worst game of my career with the New England Patriots,
that was my true coming out party. And I'll explain why.
That was the first game that I truly was in
the game plan every single play, and I was a
big part of the game plan, and I absolutely dominated
(16:09):
in the blocking scheme of that game.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
And I had a lot of great plays as well.
In the past game.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
I think I had about six catches for about eighty yards.
It's just a rookie I'm talking. This was a game
right before the Pittsburgh Steelers game. But here's the thing.
I had a fumble on our own two yard line.
I caught a little hook route five yards and then
I saw the end zone about four more yards ahead
of me. So I just tried, you know, barreling through
(16:38):
about four players, and let me tell you, it didn't
work out, and they hit the ball out of my
hand and I fumbled it. And then I also had
had a fumble I on.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
The kickoff return. I was a wingman. I went to
fair catch it.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Sammy Morris was in the back and then he thought
I was gonna fair catch it, so then he let
it go. I let it go and then it hit
the ground and the Cleveland Browns, you know, picked up
that fumble recovery right there on the kickoff return. So
therefore I was the reason for two turnovers. So when
you're the reason for two turnovers, nothing else that you
(17:14):
did in that game mattered, no matter how good you played.
But let me tell you, besides those two turnovers, having
that fumble on our on our going into the end
zone on the two yard line and that fumble on
the kickoff return, I had one of my best games
as a rookie, but it was so overshadow.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So that's why I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Was my breakout game. And also really I learned a
lot as well because of those situations and because of
those two plays, and therefore I had the confidence actually
going into the Pittsburgh game because I knew I played
so well. It's just that I had those two mistakes,
and I swear that's what led to the three touchdowns
because I knew I could go out there and ball
(17:55):
because of that Cleveland game, I just had to clean
it up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Matt Cleveland game, you know what that was us game
with name right? That was the Peyton Hillis game. Yeah,
oh right, that was the Peyton Hillis game.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I mean yeah, I think was a rookie quarterback and it
was like the first time Tom Astill a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
And along absolutely yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So it was one of our two losses that year. Actually,
I think we ended up fourteen and two. We lost
to the Browns.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yep, that is exaccurate. I wanted to like getting back
to that rookie year. You come in, Billy oh is
there and you know you and Aaron are both a
huge part right away of the offense. There's two tight
end stuff and eventually Billy Oh starts that that really
up temple. I think that was eleven, right, twenty eleven,
that up tempo, really high powered offense, fast fast temple.
(18:42):
What was it like to play in that that scheme?
It looked like you guys just couldn't be stopped.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, that scheme was called Nascar NASCAR, and it actually
makes sense NASCAR because you're going.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I knew there was a name for it, but I'm getting.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Older, I know, hey, hey, hey, that happens to me
all the time. And actually I was talking to Julian
Edelman and he brought up NASCAR. And that's why I
know that the turn name is NASCAR, because he just
brought it up to me a couple of days ago,
So now it's fresh in my mind, or I would
have been sitting here like, Ah, what's the what's the uh,
what's the what's the call? When you go really fast?
And it's not the turbo two minute drill? But it's
(19:13):
not the two minute drill because we're ten minutes into
the second quarter, But it's NASCAR.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
And that makes total sense.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Why it's called NASCAR, and you had all just one
word terms to know where you lined up, and you
hurry up to the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
And you go.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
But what made it, you know, what made it work
is because all the players were on the same page.
And when you have a guy like Tom Brady who's
so efficient and so on top of it, he can manage,
you know, you can manage everyone on the field to
where they need to be in such a short period
of time. So then it's a vantage on the offense
side of the ball because the defense is still trying
to get lined up and wonder where everyone is and
(19:46):
who has who, who's covering who. So it kind of,
you know, dismantled the defense in the way, and then
you take advantage of that and you just hit the
open guy really quick. But NASCAR could have definitely not
happened our rookie year, especially with the players that we
had myself, you know, Aaron as well, and a couple
other guys that were young. Because we're still learning.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
The ins and outs of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I was still struggling with the playbook, and that's actually
why I truly didn't really play all the plays. My
rookie year, Like the first eight games, I played like
twenty plays only because those are the only twenty plays
that they trusted in me that I knew, and all
the other ones I was, you know, I was kind
of messing up on. So if you don't have the
trust of your teammates and coaches, they're not going to
play you no matter how good you are. So the
(20:28):
playbook was, you know, a high difficulty skill. There's no
doubt about that, especially for myself. So going into our
second year is kind of when NASCAR got introduced, and
that's when you kind of understand the playbook a lot
better and then you can handle the you know, the
terms or just one word means the whole entire play,
because then you understand the whole entire play already. Now
(20:49):
you can handle just a one word and you know
what to do. So when we put that in and
implemented it, it was such an advantage and we absolutely
dominated teams because of it.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You talk about trust, how did you earn Tom's trust?
Speaker 4 (21:02):
Rob?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Is what eight nine year difference between you guys. He's
smart enough to go, Holy smokes, this kid catch radius.
Look at what he can do. This guy's going to
be able to help me. But the way that you
earn the trust and your combination together, you're talking about
one of the best quarterback receiver combinations, whether you're tye
(21:23):
or whatever in the history of the league. That just
doesn't happen by chance. What went into that relationship where
you became such a valued like he knew we were
going to be all the time, you knew the communication, whatever.
It was something special that people haven't really seen a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
It was a really really special connection. Might possibly be
one of the best connections qual time, possibly one of
the best quarterback tight end connections of all time. And
not just that just just ball passer to ball receiver,
you know, just the aspect of the whole entire game,
not just one position quarterback to a wide receiver, but
(22:03):
just overall, just as a whole. It could have been
one of the best connections. It's up there. I believe
it's up there too. I mean, we've done some incredible things,
but we had actually you said eight to nine year
age difference, it's actually a twelve year age difference. I
was twenty one years old, he was thirty three years old.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
I was still both supposed to be a senior in college.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
He was just married kids. I mean, we had two
totally different lifestyles. The age gap, you know, was tremendous
as well, so you know, but the thing is is
that we both.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Wanted to be great.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Obviously, we all knew Tom wanted to be great already,
but as a rookie, I wanted to be great as well.
And what got us on the same page, what built
that chemistry was the work that we put out on
the practice field. And it wasn't just a practice field either,
you know, during the practice time, it was after practice
as well. And I was just reminiscing with Brian Hoyer
(22:54):
actually about on his podcast the other day, is that
Brian Hoyer and Tom would say after practice my rookie season,
it would just be myself and I would be running
an actra fifteen to twenty different routes every single practice
after practice, just so I can get on the same
page as Tom and the quarterbacks because they saw greatness
(23:14):
in me. And when you see greatness in a player,
Tom wanted to exploit that greatness and bring it out
and so that player could be as great as they
possibly could be. And as a rookie, you know sometimes
I didn't understand that. It's like I just want to
go home. I gotta go out, I gotta I gotta
go to this restaurant, meet meet this girl, meet this friend,
meet my brother, meet my family or whatever.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
So he's gotta be not busting your balls. But like, dude,
I know you're twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, you've
got greatness in you. You better get your ass in
here tomorrow and get your head straight because I'm counting
on you and we're counting on you. Those words must
have like that.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
That's serious, Yes, definitely serious, And that's basically is what happened.
You know, I was setting those terms, not exactly like that,
but definitely in those terms. And you know, we built
that it through throughout time. It wasn't like hey, just
one night, you know all you know, Brady the Gronk,
they're on fire. That connection is unstoppable. It was built
over a year. You know, that trust was built over
(24:14):
a year of practice and hard work, and it really
built going into my second year. Yeah, we had some
great times my my rookie year, those at three touchdown game,
you know, in the playoffs, I had a couple of
catches as well. The game that we lost actually versus
the Jets, which stunk, you know, which stunk. That was
a bad exit my rookie year out of the.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Playoffs, But uh, it happens.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
But uh there's a couple other times ID my rookie
season two where you know, he just didn't trust me
yet either.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I was.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
I was on fire the week before, but as a rookie,
then the next week would show up and I would
be just totally dismantled and not doing what he wanted
me to do. And then I didn't see Yeah, the consistency,
You're right, it was not there. And then going in
to my second year, everything.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Was clicking a lot better.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
You know, you get a little break from from the
game of football because you have the offseason, you come
back and just everything was firing. I totally understood what
he wanted out of me. I totally understood what the
coaches wanted out of me, and I totally understood where
I wanted to go to and I knew what I
had to do to get to that level I wanted
to be at and boom from there on out. Going
(25:15):
into my second season, all that hard work though that
we did my rookie year finally paid off and it
all started clicking. It made so much sense why we
were running all those extra routes, why he wanted me
where he wanted me out on the field, because that's
where he wanted the place to ball, away from the defender.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
All that little detail and all that good stuff. So go.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
It took a good solid year to have that chemistry.
And then from year on out, you just you just
you know, just get smart. You just build upon it
and build upon it. But that chemistry will would always
be there from there on.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
So a pretty magical season though, that that twenty eleven year.
You guys, you know you obviously make the run. You
get all the way to the super Bowl. You talked
about the Earl Thomas hit. You know that that hurt
your back. You get a Bernard Pollard hit in that
Ape Championship game. How much did that? I mean, we
all know you weren't yourself in the super Bowl. How
much did that impact you?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (26:07):
That that actually was rough. That kind of sucked, to
tell you the truth. It actually gave a bad taste
in my mouth for what a super Bowl experience should be.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Like.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Everyone talks about all what was it like going to
a Super Bowl. Well, it kind of blew because I
was dealing with basically a broken ankle, a very high
sprained ankle.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Which is.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Basically it basically is worse than a break. A break
you can't possibly play on. I don't think you would
have to get the surgery or fix it right there
in their sprain actually takes longer to heal, but you
can actually keep playing on it because you really can't
damage it more. But you're gonna have to get a fix,
like right when you're done playing on it. But it
was just such a tough situation. It was the first
(26:50):
time I was hurt. I was young, you know, just
the stress of wanting to be out there and not
being able to be out there. Just the preparation as
well going into the game. I couldn't practice at all.
I mean I had like one little workout and then
I played in the game as well, and knowing I
wasn't going to play that many games, and just distress
(27:10):
as well on the outside as when I was twenty
two years old, and just all the questions that were
coming in about my ankle. I didn't really know how
to handle it, you know, with my friends with my family,
tickets for the super Bowl and everything.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So it was not that great experience.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Because of that ankle injury going into my first super Bowl,
and it made it tougher. But I can tell you this,
I learned a lot from it, and I grew from
it as a player, and I believe it helped me
out going into the other Super Bowls. So because I
knew how to handle a Super.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Bowl situationily friends, Yes, give me this party, give me
the hear.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Or there, yes, and yes exactly, and I blew all
that off. You know, you take care of the people
that you need to truly take care of that were
there for your whole entire life.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
When you were growing up.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
And then also, like I said, that stress with the
ankle injury as well, questions coming from your family, your friends,
are you going to play? Coming from just fans stepping
out of the house and going somewhere. It was and
you just didn't know, you know, and you didn't want
to give an answer either because if you gave him
an answer, they could go run to the press with
it and you'd.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Be like, oh, what the heck?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
And then you know, we everything was tight left here
in the new England Patriots organization at that time, especially,
so that was putting a lot of stresses on you
as just a twenty two year old kid. So just
going into the other Super Bowls, knew how to handle
the demands not being injured, So not dealing with that
just made those experiences just that much better than.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Was that the best team that you played on? Rob
here with that that fourteen team that beats Seattle in
my career here here here in New England? Was that
the best?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
I think he might think it was.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
That's why I qualified that that was a very special
team game at what heck of a game. It was
one of the best super Bowls Haymake all times, no
doubt about that. People are like, what was your favorite
super Bowl? Not I always say the first one, But
it wasn't because it was just the first one, because
the first one is always the sweetest, but it was
(29:10):
also because it was one of the best games in
Super Bowl history. Seattle was up, we came back, they
went back up, We took the lead, and you go
they go back down with you know, final final minute
on the clock, and then Malcolm Butler has that game
ceiling interception and then we're kneeling the ball and I'm
throwing Haymakers out there versus Michael Bennett. You know, while
just kneeling the ball, there's a huge brawl in the
(29:31):
end zone. So there was just so much too, and
it's just such a great, you know, perspective to fans too,
for a game to watch of what it's all about
to play, you know, you know, to play the game
of football. Just that game brought everything to the table.
And what was great it was such a team win.
Julian had a touchdown, Brandon LaFell had a touchdown, a
Mondola had a touchdown, I had a touchdown, and Shane
(29:53):
Ververen went for about eleven catches right around there for
like I don't know, one hundred something yards I think.
But he had a big impact even though he didn't
score a touchdown too. So just an incredible game overall.
I was, by fiar, you know, my favorite super Bowl.
But was that the best team? No, you want to
believe what the best team was? I truly believe was
the best one was the year after fifteen. Yeah, twenty fifteen,
(30:16):
we went undefeated, We went ten to zero, and then
we lost a couple of games.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Yeah, I mean, this is a year that really frustrates
me a little bit as a as a fanboy, because
there were so many games. I thought that there was
some questionable things down the stretch. I'm not gonna put
you on me on that spot. You know the way
you treated the Miami game at the end, with all
the runs with Steven Jackson, you know, kicking off in
overtime against the Jets. All they needed was one win.
(30:43):
In that AFC Championship game against Denver, was here instead
of in Denver.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
I do remember that, and going into that Miami game,
we said we're going to run the ball every single play,
I think until we get like five first downs in
a row or like a touchdown or something.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
And we just kept.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Running the ball and running the ball, and we were
going nowhere with it.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
It was like third and ten.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Run the ball, one more yard, punting on fourth and nine.
But I do remember that game, and we lost like
three in a row. We started off unbelievably hot, I
mean ten and no. Everyone was on fire. I got
hurt actually with a knee in that Denver game.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Gain the ear of that game.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
You went down bad, I.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Did, man, But that was just a bone bruise. But
let me tell you, the bone bruise hurt more than
actually blowing out your ACL and mcl I was like,
I was on the field screaming.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
I was like, my career is done.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Done with again. But good thing was just a bone bruise.
But also that game, I was in the locker room.
Right after we won that game, they called a holding penalty.
I'm Patrick Chung in the end zone. Brock Oswiler was
their quarterback and he threw a pass to the end zone.
Let me tell you, I was watching it from the
locker room. It was not a holding penalty. And that
(31:57):
call right there, I think it was fourth and ten
or so, and it gave him the first down, and
it gave him the first down right on their own
one yard line to go and score on the next play.
But the game was over if that holing penalty was
never called. And I'm telling you to this team, go
bring up that play. Patrick Chong did not hold. And
I remember that.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Play clear as day.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So we would have been eleven and zero, still hot,
and then we lost to Philadelphiause you know, once you
lose one game, you trick it trickles down.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
You lose another and we lost to Philly that year,
who was terrible as well. I was out that game.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Then we lost a couple otters at the end fold advantage.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Yeah, four of the last six.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, and so I want to get to so Yeah,
that fifteen AFC Championship game, to me is one of
the most ridiculous performances by you and Tom, you know,
just because of how good that defense was, and especially
that day. You know, von Miller was the best defensive
player on the planet that day. He dominated up front.
(32:55):
But you guys just keep hanging around and hanging around.
It's fourth and ten and you guys, you know connect.
Tom just says, go down the scene and make a play.
Do you remember this catch that I'm talking about? Because
for me, I know you made some circus catches that
were incredible, But to me, I think it was TJ
Ward hanging on you, who you had a little history
with as well. Just take me through that play. That
(33:17):
catch was amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
I remember that was awesome, wasn't It was amazing? It
was fourth and ten and our season was on the line.
After remember that play to the exact t and from
what I recall, actually.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
What was called in the huddle was.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
A screen pass to the left, and Brady switched to
play right away, and he called all goes and I
was like, yeah, that's right, all goes. I'm ready to go, baby,
I'm on fire right now. I'm not ending the season
like this. We're gonna get this first down and I'm
just gonna take off. And when I'm taking off, Brady
can read that. You know, this guy's got a mind
(33:54):
of his own, Like he can tell if a player
is rolling down the field or now he knows when
a player going full speed, and that's who he always
goes to. Like he can read the decisiveness of a
wide receiver or a tight end or a running back
to the te and that's how he always knew what
guy to go to. And he always knew who was
on fire at the moment and who wasn't. And he
could tell my eyes. Right when we broke that Hud,
(34:16):
I was like, oh, you better just toss his ball up.
I was like, I don't care who's in front of me,
And right when that thing was hike boom, I just
took off and they had that safety.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
He was all pro. Actually I was double coverage.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
I had a linebacker right to my actually safety to
my left and the other safety right to my right,
and I just split him and went right through him,
right down the middle, right up to see him, and
Brady just launched that ball up.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I was like, yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Right, I'm gonna go grab this thing and We're going
to continue this drive and our season is not ending
right now. And I just went up there. Brady put
the ball right on the money. I just put my
hands out, brought it in, got hit right both ways
on my right, in my left right at the same time,
and brought it in.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Man. And let me tell you, I was out of breath.
I was like, whoa. I knew our season wasn't gonna
and but.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
I was like, oh, help me up because I can't
breathe right now. And then uh, I kind of took
off like the next three plays, like like I kind
of just.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
Chipped the touchdown. Well I was, I was in on
the plays, but I kind of took off.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
I just kind of lats of days ago through it,
you know, just because I was so winded from that
play and being up you know, at the mile high,
and also I was sick for that game. I swear
I had food poisoning man.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
I was.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
I was basically throwing up on the sideline. It was brutal,
but hey, I always come through in the clutch, and
when the seasons on the line, you always throw that
ball up to Robbie g Baby. And then I had
that two point conversion as well. That that I was
double coverage, double covered on and I kind of jumped
over the guys and had, you know, control my body
to go and make the catch, and Tom just threw
it up there again. It was fourth and two, and
(35:44):
actually no, it was a two point conversion. No, it
was a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
It was a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
It was a touchdown, it was fourth down, it was
fourth and goal.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Yeah, I wasn't going to bring out two point conversion
because they didn't throw it.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
We're not talking about the two point conversion. I was
open though.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
A couple other games, rob uh fourteen, the Jonas Gray game.
Oh you, I mean you had an unbelievable touchdown where
it seems like you literally ran through every member of
the Colts. But we're talking about the play where you
threw Sergio. You threw Sergio out of the club. That's
what everybody remembers about that game.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
Yes, they do. I mean that's a real tight end. Like, yeah,
that's a real time.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I don't disrespect to some of these other guys with
pass catchers, but you're a blocking guy too.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
I am a dark and you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Block your ass off, yes, And you blocked your ass
off on that play, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I had a lot of a pride in my blocking. Man.
I love blocking. I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
You know, it helped me, you know, in the passing
game as well. It helped me get open in the
play action. And it just you know, I truly I
just always felt and believed in as a tight end,
just when I when I started playing the position that
you had to do both. Man, that's what it's all about,
you know, doing the dirty work and then also going
out there and making plays as well in the passing game.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
But on that play, I.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Mean, Sergio Brown came in with me here with the
new the papers. He was a free agent that year
out of Notre Dame, and he was a great player.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
He was a safety here. Uh he was. He was
a great special teamer.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
And then he went over to the Colts and uh,
you know, he did great things for us while he
was here with the pages. But that game, man, he
just went and stopped talking. Man, he just went to stop,
you know, you know, trying to get under my skin.
And let me tell you, he eventually got under my skin.
When you get under my skin talking garbage, you know,
it's not gonna be good for you on that defensive
side of the ball. And that's what happened. And finally
(37:30):
I just ticked it. I was like a ticking time
bomb the whole game. He just kept going off and off,
talking garbage, and then finally he just he hit it.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
He hit that switch, and then I saw.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I noticed that play like, all right, one on one
right here, I'm just gonna drive. I'm gonna drive your
butt all the way until I can't drive you anymore,
until you get planted, you know, into the ground.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
And that's basically what happened. Man.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
That's why after the game, I was sitting there with
Chris Collinsworth. I was like, hey, Chris conwer, he was
just yapping too much. I had to throw him out
of the club.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Great line, so a lot of great catches.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
There was another one in a Denver game at home.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Is there a catch?
Speaker 2 (38:06):
One particular catch that stands out among the rest of them.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Four It was in fourteen as well. Here against Denver,
Tom throws that up and he goes, how did you
eten catch that ball?
Speaker 4 (38:16):
You know, I kind of made Tom's career if you
really think about it. Same with Julian, same with Moss.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
I mean Tom should be, you know, thanking us by
selling us a gift every every single year, like a
four wheeler for Christmas, would be much appreciated for all
all those you know.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
You're get things.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
I know I'm just messing around, but uh, you know
I want to be here without Tom and uh but yeah,
I would say one of my favorite catches was versus
the Buffalo Bills and and to tell your truth, to
catch happened because Tom put the ball. He plays the
ball where only I could go and make the play
because I was kind of covered.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
I was.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
I was going versus their all pro safety man names. Man,
we're out of the league for a little bit. You
got to look back and you can't get the name
gas right in the spy. I mean, that's not good.
But there's so many memories and so many players that's hard.
But I was going all Pro safety. I was spread
out wide one on one. It was right here in
Jellette Stadium, this corner right there, the opposite corner, left
(39:13):
side of the lighthouse, yep. And he threw it up
there and I was on the two yard line. I
just reached back like that. It was a one hander yep,
versus my hometown Buffalo Bills, and vaguely just brought it in,
didn't even use my second hand, brought it in toe
tapped into the end zone and then fell.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
So it was a one handed grab. Baby. It was
a beauty. It was one of my favorite catches.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
We're gonna wrap this up here in a second, but
I got to ask you this one. You talked about
Super Bowl fourteen, how much it mentioned everything like that?
The Kansas City game. It wasn't a super Bowl. It
got you to the super Bowl. That was your last year.
How great was that? Kind of like the last call,
but for Rob Gronkowski's part. You know, in that Kansas
(40:00):
City game in the cold, you know that that team's
on the come, here they come and everything like that.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
That was a game. I don't want to put words
in your mouth. How great was that game?
Speaker 3 (40:10):
That was one of the greatest AFC championship games you
could ever imagine or ever be out. It was probably
the greatest AFC Championship game, which was wild. I was
actually hanging out with I was hanging out with my
nephews about four weeks ago, and they're starting to get
to the age where they understand things now. They understand,
you know that I played in the NFL, that I'm
on YouTube and everything. And I was just sitting there
(40:31):
in my little nephew. He goes and puts YouTube body
and he types in my name and he puts the
last five minutes on of the AFC Championship game in
twenty eighteen. It was correct Yep VERSU the Kansas City Chiefs,
and we watched the last four minutes of the game.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
And that was the first time I've actually seen the game.
And let me tell you, I.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Was getting goosebumps again. Man, I was getting excited. I
couldn't believe what was going on in that game. How
many touchdowns were scored in the final four minutes. We
went down, we went down, we scored, they came back,
they scored. We went back down and scored a touchdown
to take the lead, and then with thirty seconds left,
Patrick Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes sing. He threw a big
deep pass got him in field goal position, and they
(41:14):
kicked the field goal with the final seconds left and
regulation to put us into overtime. It was one of
the most exciting four minutes I've ever watched. And I
played in the game and I knew what was going
to happen, and it was still that exciting. And what
made it so great was that we had so many
third and tens and fourth and tens. We weren't moving
the ball on those final drives on the first down
(41:36):
or second down, but we completed the third down every
single time.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
And Julian Edelman balled out.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
It was Julian Edelman over the middle third and ten,
Julian Eddo over the middle third and ten that I'm
spreading out wide fourth and ten slant for a first
down and then the fade for a first down, and
then rex Burg had runs in for the overtime touchdown
as well. So it was just one of the best
four minutes of football.
Speaker 4 (42:02):
That you could ever watch. Was that ASC championship game.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Man, what what an incredible, you know moment, And to
win on the road for the first time, to get
to the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (42:12):
Just made the Patriots dynasty that much greater.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Man, appreciate you coming in. Thank you so much. Happy
Thanksgiving to you and your family. You'll be here at
some point time, sooner rather than later to get a
red jacket. You're gonna get a gold jacket and canton
whenever your time comes from there. It was a pleasure
to watch your career and see how great you were
and how you made this team great.
Speaker 4 (42:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Tremendous.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Yes, I appreciate that, guys. Thank you guys for having me.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
This is this is really cool, man, to be here
and just to be back in the building and see
some of the guys. Man, it's bringing back so many
great memories, man, and it's juicing me back up.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
And I like it. Man, this is really cool.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
So thank you guys for inviting me in and go
check out the at the Patriots Hall of Fame. If
you can Grink, spike harder than Gronk can spike, because
the velosity was tested.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
And there's a mission.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
It gives you the you know, the wavelength of how
hard you can spike, and if you can compare it,
you know, you can compare.
Speaker 4 (43:07):
It to my velocity and how hard I can spike.
So go check it out and just great to feedback. Man,
this is a pleasure, so if you guys are the best,
good plucks.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Thanks Robin, It's no problem.
Speaker 4 (43:18):
Thank you for downloading this podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
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Speaker 2 (43:23):
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Speaker 3 (43:26):
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Speaker 2 (43:31):
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It's another edition of Patched from the Past, and we're
pleased to be joined by the best tight end in
franchise history. Paul, is it the best tight end in
NFL history?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We're going to get to that later. Now, I'm going
to get that out of here here, Paul Parolo.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Here, he's number eighty seven on your scorecard, but number
one in everybody's hearts.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Rob Gronkowski, what an introduction, guys. I appreciate that love,
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
I played the number.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
One organization of all times as well, so it was
a great matchup to have the number one tight end
pointing for the number one organization.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Baby, that's what's up. I tell you what.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Nobody's seen much of you, Like are you in hiding
or anything like that. Nobody's seen you at all, Like
are you a monk or are you like a commercials?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Are you having fun to Actually? I am in hiding
this week. It's Thanksgiving week.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
It's a holiday, so I have off, you know, for
about six days, and you guys actually got me out
of hibernation to come here. But that's okay because it
was about three minutes you know, from the house, you know,
so when it's that close and it's that easy. You know,
I can always come out of the ground and come
and say what's up. And you guys, you know, have
been great and the you know, my career started here
(01:12):
without without being drafted here, you know, to this organization
here in this building. You know, I wouldn't be on
these commercials that you guys see me on all the time.
So appreciate you guys having me here today.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Do you like chopping it up with the Fox guys?
Are you having fun doing that?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
I'm having a lot of fun doing that. I'm having
a lot of fun doing everything that I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Doing, especially the commercials. I know that's what you guys
are talking about.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, Devin Fox, I mean Sam Sheppard is your new bestie.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yes, And that's just it's unbelievable over there, and these
guys are such pros. It's kind of like me entering
the room with like when I was a rookie, Like
how I entered the room, you know with Vince Wolfour,
Tom Brady, all those guys you know, as a rookie.
It's like when I enter the room at the Fox Room,
you know, and I got Michael Strahan, I got Jimmy Johnson,
(01:56):
I got Terry Bradshaw, Kurt Menefee, Howie Long. Like, it's
kind of like a similar situation. I'm a rookie, but like,
these guys have been on TV now for twenty five
thirty years plus. Michael Strahan's the youngest one out of
the whole group, and he's been I think around fifteen
years on the show. And then there I am as
a first year, second year, third year guy now and
(02:16):
I was just looking up to him every single day,
Like they're so on point. They're incredible with their knowledge.
You know, they know when to spit out facts and
when to joke around. So just learning from them and
just going under their wing man, it was something special
and it still is special, and it's so much fun
just working with them every Sunday that I'm on.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, good place to start. You talked about being drafted here,
you talked about being a rookie in TV. What was
it like go back to Arizona and you're coming out.
Did you know the Patriots were heavily interested in What
was that process?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Like, all right, man, let's go back to this process.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I like that, And yes, I knew the Patriots were
definitely heavily interested that's for sure. But I had one
of the worst draft visits of all time. And coach
Chuck talked about that before. I mean, Nancy is she's
still here as well. Yeah, she still talks about it
that I fell asleep right on her desk right before
I was gonna go meet all the coaches. But to
be fair, that was like my seventeenth trip in like
(03:12):
fifteen days, and I was super tired, and you know,
I had to get a nap.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
In real quick.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
So I was sharp and on point, which that's what happened,
but actually that's not what happened because I really wasn't
that sharp and on point, and then everything else is
just chaos that trip. So I actually walked out of
this building after that rookie you know that kind of
like a job interview.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
It was before you get drafted. You go and see
all the teams and talk to them.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I kind of walked out of the building like this
team is either going to love me and they're gonna
take me, or they just think I'm a complete fool
and they already crossed me off their board. But I
was in the back of my mind, I was like,
I have a feeling that they loved me. But so
back to you know, going to Arizona and draft night
and all that. So I wanted to go to the
(03:54):
Arizona Cardinals. Actually they were the number twenty six pick
because the reason was I loved my time at the
University of Arizona. You know, I was in Tucson, I
was a Wildcat. They were the Arizona Carnos, were hour
half away in the Scottsdale Phoenix area, and just to
stay as a whole. Loved being there, loved that area
(04:15):
as well. So I wanted to go there just because
I knew how familiar I was with and how much
I loved.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I loved being there. And then in the back of
my mind, I thought it would be kind.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Of cool if the Bills drafted me because it was
my hometown team. But at the same time, I kind
of didn't want to go to Buffalo too, just because
they weren't pressure. Yeah the pressure stunk, Yeah they stunk.
At the time, just saw that I felt like just
best for my career to just not go back home,
even though it would be a dream to go play there,
like when you were growing up, that was the dream.
(04:45):
And then the other team was the Baltimore Ravens. You know,
they showed high interest in me throughout the whole process.
I had plenty of interviews with them. You know, I
truly believed that they were going to take me, and
they were about to take me.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You do you know, like you were having fun in
New York And we'll get to that in a second.
You know, it was a scrambled drill of epic proportions
here for the Patriots to get your card in. Like
Bill's looking around, going what's going? John Robinson is running
around the room. Nick's running around the room. The clock's
ticking down. They were sweating that out. Do you know
that it was sort of chaotic by their standards here?
(05:24):
Do you did you know that that was going on?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Actually, that's something new that I've just learned. Man, I
didn't know how chaotic it was trying to get that in,
but I know that's that's that's pretty pretty wild to
hear that that side of it, because actually thinking about it,
because at the last second, because the Baltimore Ravens were
on the clock with the forty second pick, and that's like,
like I said, they were showing high interest. I thought
(05:48):
for sure I was going to the Baltimore Ravens, and
the clock is, you know, counting down, and there's like
thirty seconds left, and usually if a trade happens, it's usually.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
End by now absolutely, and then.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
All of a sudden, there's like ten seconds left on
the clock when I then boom, the New England Patriots
trade up, you know, with no to the forty second pick,
because the Baltimore Ravens had the forty third pick.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
That's how it was going down.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
They traded up with the I think the Oakland Raiders
at that time. So the Raiders traded down, the Patriots
got the forty second pick and took me. And I
thought the whole time, like, all right, I got Baltimore
coming up. I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going to go.
But now that makes sense. They were scrambling and that's
why I went down there last seconds because they were
trying to get it in, yeah, and get that you
(06:30):
know trade in, which they did. And I'm very very
thankful they got that trade in. So whoever whoever's you know,
duties that was, and whoever accomplished to get that in,
whoever hustle, who was it.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
It was all of them.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
It was Bill John Robinson Nick, I mean jimmy 's
in New York, I think at the time, so they're
yelling at Jimmy to get the car.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Did you know, Oh, I just want to thank you,
Jimmy D for getting that card in on time.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Man. The rest is history from there.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Did you think you were risk? Other people thought you
were a risk. Were you confident that that everything was
going to be all right? By all accounts, you never
should have lasted until the second round, but people were
worried about your back.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's one hundred percent true. I mean
my back was a little damage coming out of out
of college, that's for sure. I mean I had some
serious back problems. I mean they were serious, but they're
kind of minor at the same time. Actually, but all
back problems are serious when you got pain shooting down
your legs and you can't really move that much. But
it was just a minor procedure where they take the
hernie disc. They just chop it off a little bit
(07:26):
and get it off your spinal cord. And a good
thing was I'm young, so you heal quickly as well.
And no, there's there's more major back surgeries when you
fuse to when you fuse little buying together and all that.
So I've had three Marco disactomies and I've been good
since I had my last one. Actually, that was my
last surgery, which was here sixteen, right, yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Think No, I think it was two thousand and eight. Eight, No,
twenty sixteen, you're right.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Missed the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
That's why I missed the Super Bowl boys so Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
But I also absolutely got level going up to see
Earl Thomas, one of the hardest hitting safeties in the
and I was looking at the ball and Boomy hit
me going full speed and popped my disc out him.
I mean, it was a football injury. You can't do
nothing about it. I actually made a nice play after
that and caught the ball to the two yard line
on the fade, even though my back was blowing out
(08:15):
and I was spitting blood out because I also punctured
my lung on that hit as well.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
But hey, that's football, and you got to be a
tough SOB.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And that's what gets you, you know, the wins and
gets you fired if you can take the pain.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
And I sure was. But we were going back.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Was I a risk kind of but in my mind,
I wasn't because I knew my mindset. I knew I
was going to overcome the injury you know, that I
had in college. I knew I wanted to be a
professional football player as well, so I wasn't gonna let
anything get in my way. So when I was asked
that question in the job interviews and everything, I strongly,
with confidence told them, Hey, I'm not worried about my back.
(08:52):
I want to be a tight end in the National
Football League. I I want to be one of the
best tight ends as well in the National Football League,
and I'm going to do whatever it takes, you know,
for my back to be solidified to where I needed
to be throughout my whole career. Yeah, there's gonna be
ups and downs with the back, you know, but I
always knew that if I stayed on top of it
as well with the rehab, you know, doing the core exercises,
(09:13):
doing the right back exercises, that you know, my career
will you know, be a decently long career. So I
made sure, you know, to some of the teams that
I wanted to go to, hey I'm ready to play.
My back is not a problem. But the reason why
it was kind of a problem is they were saying
I had scoliosis, and I didn't even know what scoliosis
(09:35):
was because you get the MRI at the combine so
all the team doctors can check out your back.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
So whatever I have, I mean, I beat it. So
scoliosis screw you.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
So you tell the story about the draft visit when
you fell asleep, you also have a story about right
after you got drafted. Didn't take you long to sort
of get called into the principal's office.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Right, No, it didn't.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I mean I've always you know, it was a maniac,
especially when I was a young buck and I like
to have a good time.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
That's for sure. What a moment that.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I'm telling you. It was one of the best moments
my life, guys. And what's what's great about it is
I was I was pissed I didn't go in the
first round.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
My Mom's like, I never really seen you pissed before,
and like my brother made a comment like that I
didn't go in the first round. I was like, shut up,
you know, I was just pissed, like and and I
should have never even said shut up.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
I was just over exaggerating.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
You know when you're mad, that everything's gonna make you
like you're is gonna make you mad. You know you're
gonna be pissed off, and right rightfully so, because I
thought I was a first rounder, you know, I in
my mind I wanted to be around. Yeah, But in
the end, let me tell you it truly doesn't matter
where you're drafted. It matters what you do after you're drafted,
(10:50):
and once you get the shot, you know, it's all
about what you do with with the opportunity that you get.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
So the second day comes and once I get drafted
by the Newing Patriots, like, let me tell you, that
was the best moment and best feeling of my life
right there and then. And I absolutely gave no cares,
no shizzle that I didn't go in the first round.
My dream was accomplished and that's all it mattered. And
(11:17):
I never thought about being bad ever again in my
life that I didn't go in the first round.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
But didn't get under your skin when Bears called and said, hey.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Cut it out.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Actually he didn't really get under my skin. We kind
of played it up and we were laughing at it
because I was always a trouble maker growing up, so
it was always funny when I got in trouble. It
eventually became like Rob's in trouble again, you know, because
it was always for something that was silly, right, Like
I never was getting in like serious trouble. Like I
was a guy that just took it to the edge
and then I would stop, like right before I would
(11:47):
fall over the cliff, I would catch myself and then
I would you know, wind back down and it would
drive people crazy. And it kind of like was that situation,
you know. I was up on stage putting the helmet
on on, going one on one versus my brother because
he was in the NFL at the time. He put
the Detroit Lions how helmet on. We were jumping up down,
(12:08):
which we love to do. I mean that's how we party.
We always were jumping up and down, acting like maniac.
So we brought the party to the stage and Bears
gave me that call like hey, get off the stage,
like this is what we're not about. And then I
literally put the phone down and I was like, I'm
already getting in trouble.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
This is great.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
So it just never stopped me because I knew I
was never doing anything wrong.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
So we used to joke all the time, Matt, you know,
we were in there all the time. We go in
and cover these guys, and we used to always talk
all the media guys, that kid has never had a
bad day in his life. And I think that obviously
you're exactly the same. Just how much fun and you
enjoyed it. You enjoyed everything about football, and it was
so obvious, like when did you sort of figure out
(12:53):
this is what you were going to do and that
you could dominate doing this?
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Well?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
When I was in high school, actually I actually just
went into the Buffalo Hall of Fame, like I saw
that thank you guys Rucci, Yeah, with Vick Kruch Vick,
which actually, all right, there you go, that's a full
socer moment right there with that question that you just asked.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
And then you just brought up Vic Carucci.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
So in eighth grade, Vic Crucci has a daughter that's
my age, and all of our friends hung out, and uh,
she invited us over one day and I walked in
the and I walked in the front door and there's
Vic Crucci was right there, staying right in front of me,
and I knew he was an NFL beat writer or
senior writer or whatever his title was. At that moment,
I looked him straight in the eye and I said, hey, Vic,
(13:33):
you're gonna be writing about me one day.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I guarantee it.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And I was in eighth grade and he's like, yeah,
right kid, you know, and then but away from my daughters,
like maybe yeah, he's like, you're crazy, and I was like,
now you're gonna be writing about me. I guarantee it.
So it kind of started all the way back then. Man,
I've been manifesting that I was going to go pro
in the NFL for basically my whole entire life, even
though I didn't even start playing football until I was
(13:58):
in seventh grade. Actually, I broke my an my like
very first play in seventh grade and didn't even really
start in eighth grade then. So I was telling him
before I even had a football career, I was gonna
make it to the NFL, and he'll be writing writing
about me, so then you know, we'll go back again
as well. Then then, like sophomore year in high school,
I really, you know, totally started understanding my size and
(14:21):
my abilities and where I was in life with my
athletic career. I love playing all the other sports, but
that's when I really knew that football was going to
be my sport. When I was on the varsity team
and I was absolutely dominating games. And I was just
a sophomore in high school. So then you know, you're
in English class, you're in other classes. It's like, hey,
write about what you want to do in the future,
(14:42):
and I just always wrote about, Hey, this is what
I'm gonna do.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
I'm gonna be playing the NFL. This is how I'm
gonna get there.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
No guarantee, I'm no guarantees that I'm gonna make it,
but I'm guaranteeing you that I'm gonna make it.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
That's basically what.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
I wrote every single paper about was me getting in there.
So I manifested the whole entire thing basically since you know,
since eighth grade, and you know, it's been just a
dream come true. So I really noticed that I had
the abilities when I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
We were talking earlier and I was Brian Hoyre comes
here and does some stuff with us, and I was
asking him. He told me he had you wanted a
guest the other day, and I said, Brian, let me
ask you a question. Go back to the Pittsburgh game
his rookie year was Zach wronkx coming out party. He goes,
that's a pretty good one. I mean it was Sunday
night football, right, three touchdowns bounds, and I mean I
think people saw that. Who covered the team or who
(15:34):
was around the team, watched the team, knew that there
was something. Did you feel like that night, like I'm
sort of putting the league on notice here.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
You're not saying that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm saying that, but watch out.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
You know, that's a good point.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
It definitely was my coming out party to everyone that
was a fan of the New Englan Patriots. But I
can tell you this the game before, which was my
worst game of my career with the New England Patriots,
that was my true coming out party. And I'll explain why.
That was the first game that I truly was in
the game plan every single play, and I was a
big part of the game plan, and I absolutely dominated
(16:09):
in the blocking scheme of that game.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
And I had a lot of great plays as well.
In the past game.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
I think I had about six catches for about eighty yards.
It's just a rookie I'm talking. This was a game
right before the Pittsburgh Steelers game. But here's the thing.
I had a fumble on our own two yard line.
I caught a little hook route five yards and then
I saw the end zone about four more yards ahead
of me. So I just tried, you know, barreling through
(16:38):
about four players, and let me tell you, it didn't
work out, and they hit the ball out of my
hand and I fumbled it. And then I also had
had a fumble I on.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
The kickoff return. I was a wingman. I went to
fair catch it.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Sammy Morris was in the back and then he thought
I was gonna fair catch it, so then he let
it go. I let it go and then it hit
the ground and the Cleveland Browns, you know, picked up
that fumble recovery right there on the kickoff return. So
therefore I was the reason for two turnovers. So when
you're the reason for two turnovers, nothing else that you
(17:14):
did in that game mattered, no matter how good you played.
But let me tell you, besides those two turnovers, having
that fumble on our on our going into the end
zone on the two yard line and that fumble on
the kickoff return, I had one of my best games
as a rookie, but it was so overshadow.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So that's why I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Was my breakout game. And also really I learned a
lot as well because of those situations and because of
those two plays, and therefore I had the confidence actually
going into the Pittsburgh game because I knew I played
so well. It's just that I had those two mistakes,
and I swear that's what led to the three touchdowns
because I knew I could go out there and ball
(17:55):
because of that Cleveland game, I just had to clean
it up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Matt Cleveland game, you know what that was us game
with name right? That was the Peyton Hillis game. Yeah,
oh right, that was the Peyton Hillis game.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I mean yeah, I think was a rookie quarterback and it
was like the first time Tom Astill a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
And along absolutely yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So it was one of our two losses that year. Actually,
I think we ended up fourteen and two. We lost
to the Browns.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yep, that is exaccurate. I wanted to like getting back
to that rookie year. You come in, Billy oh is
there and you know you and Aaron are both a
huge part right away of the offense. There's two tight
end stuff and eventually Billy Oh starts that that really
up temple. I think that was eleven, right, twenty eleven,
that up tempo, really high powered offense, fast fast temple.
(18:42):
What was it like to play in that that scheme?
It looked like you guys just couldn't be stopped.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, that scheme was called Nascar NASCAR, and it actually
makes sense NASCAR because you're going.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I knew there was a name for it, but I'm getting.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Older, I know, hey, hey, hey, that happens to me
all the time. And actually I was talking to Julian
Edelman and he brought up NASCAR. And that's why I
know that the turn name is NASCAR, because he just
brought it up to me a couple of days ago,
So now it's fresh in my mind, or I would
have been sitting here like, Ah, what's the what's the uh,
what's the what's the call? When you go really fast?
And it's not the turbo two minute drill? But it's
(19:13):
not the two minute drill because we're ten minutes into
the second quarter, But it's NASCAR.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
And that makes total sense.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Why it's called NASCAR, and you had all just one
word terms to know where you lined up, and you
hurry up to the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
And you go.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
But what made it, you know, what made it work
is because all the players were on the same page.
And when you have a guy like Tom Brady who's
so efficient and so on top of it, he can manage,
you know, you can manage everyone on the field to
where they need to be in such a short period
of time. So then it's a vantage on the offense
side of the ball because the defense is still trying
to get lined up and wonder where everyone is and
(19:46):
who has who, who's covering who. So it kind of,
you know, dismantled the defense in the way, and then
you take advantage of that and you just hit the
open guy really quick. But NASCAR could have definitely not
happened our rookie year, especially with the players that we
had myself, you know, Aaron as well, and a couple
other guys that were young. Because we're still learning.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
The ins and outs of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I was still struggling with the playbook, and that's actually
why I truly didn't really play all the plays. My
rookie year, Like the first eight games, I played like
twenty plays only because those are the only twenty plays
that they trusted in me that I knew, and all
the other ones I was, you know, I was kind
of messing up on. So if you don't have the
trust of your teammates and coaches, they're not going to
play you no matter how good you are. So the
(20:28):
playbook was, you know, a high difficulty skill. There's no
doubt about that, especially for myself. So going into our
second year is kind of when NASCAR got introduced, and
that's when you kind of understand the playbook a lot
better and then you can handle the you know, the
terms or just one word means the whole entire play,
because then you understand the whole entire play already. Now
(20:49):
you can handle just a one word and you know
what to do. So when we put that in and
implemented it, it was such an advantage and we absolutely
dominated teams because of it.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You talk about trust, how did you earn Tom's trust?
Speaker 4 (21:02):
Rob?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Is what eight nine year difference between you guys. He's
smart enough to go, Holy smokes, this kid catch radius.
Look at what he can do. This guy's going to
be able to help me. But the way that you
earn the trust and your combination together, you're talking about
one of the best quarterback receiver combinations, whether you're tye
(21:23):
or whatever in the history of the league. That just
doesn't happen by chance. What went into that relationship where
you became such a valued like he knew we were
going to be all the time, you knew the communication, whatever.
It was something special that people haven't really seen a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
It was a really really special connection. Might possibly be
one of the best connections qual time, possibly one of
the best quarterback tight end connections of all time. And
not just that just just ball passer to ball receiver,
you know, just the aspect of the whole entire game,
not just one position quarterback to a wide receiver, but
(22:03):
just overall, just as a whole. It could have been
one of the best connections. It's up there. I believe
it's up there too. I mean, we've done some incredible things,
but we had actually you said eight to nine year
age difference, it's actually a twelve year age difference. I
was twenty one years old, he was thirty three years old.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
I was still both supposed to be a senior in college.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
He was just married kids. I mean, we had two
totally different lifestyles. The age gap, you know, was tremendous
as well, so you know, but the thing is is
that we both.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Wanted to be great.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Obviously, we all knew Tom wanted to be great already,
but as a rookie, I wanted to be great as well.
And what got us on the same page, what built
that chemistry was the work that we put out on
the practice field. And it wasn't just a practice field either,
you know, during the practice time, it was after practice
as well. And I was just reminiscing with Brian Hoyer
(22:54):
actually about on his podcast the other day, is that
Brian Hoyer and Tom would say after practice my rookie season,
it would just be myself and I would be running
an actra fifteen to twenty different routes every single practice
after practice, just so I can get on the same
page as Tom and the quarterbacks because they saw greatness
(23:14):
in me. And when you see greatness in a player,
Tom wanted to exploit that greatness and bring it out
and so that player could be as great as they
possibly could be. And as a rookie, you know sometimes
I didn't understand that. It's like I just want to
go home. I gotta go out, I gotta I gotta
go to this restaurant, meet meet this girl, meet this friend,
meet my brother, meet my family or whatever.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
So he's gotta be not busting your balls. But like, dude,
I know you're twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, you've
got greatness in you. You better get your ass in
here tomorrow and get your head straight because I'm counting
on you and we're counting on you. Those words must
have like that.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
That's serious, Yes, definitely serious, And that's basically is what happened.
You know, I was setting those terms, not exactly like that,
but definitely in those terms. And you know, we built
that it through throughout time. It wasn't like hey, just
one night, you know all you know, Brady the Gronk,
they're on fire. That connection is unstoppable. It was built
over a year. You know, that trust was built over
(24:14):
a year of practice and hard work, and it really
built going into my second year. Yeah, we had some
great times my my rookie year, those at three touchdown game,
you know, in the playoffs, I had a couple of
catches as well. The game that we lost actually versus
the Jets, which stunk, you know, which stunk. That was
a bad exit my rookie year out of the.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Playoffs, But uh, it happens.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
But uh there's a couple other times ID my rookie
season two where you know, he just didn't trust me
yet either.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I was.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
I was on fire the week before, but as a rookie,
then the next week would show up and I would
be just totally dismantled and not doing what he wanted
me to do. And then I didn't see Yeah, the consistency,
You're right, it was not there. And then going in
to my second year, everything.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Was clicking a lot better.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
You know, you get a little break from from the
game of football because you have the offseason, you come
back and just everything was firing. I totally understood what
he wanted out of me. I totally understood what the
coaches wanted out of me, and I totally understood where
I wanted to go to and I knew what I
had to do to get to that level I wanted
to be at and boom from there on out. Going
(25:15):
into my second season, all that hard work though that
we did my rookie year finally paid off and it
all started clicking. It made so much sense why we
were running all those extra routes, why he wanted me
where he wanted me out on the field, because that's
where he wanted the place to ball, away from the defender.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
All that little detail and all that good stuff. So go.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
It took a good solid year to have that chemistry.
And then from year on out, you just you just
you know, just get smart. You just build upon it
and build upon it. But that chemistry will would always
be there from there on.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
So a pretty magical season though, that that twenty eleven year.
You guys, you know you obviously make the run. You
get all the way to the super Bowl. You talked
about the Earl Thomas hit. You know that that hurt
your back. You get a Bernard Pollard hit in that
Ape Championship game. How much did that? I mean, we
all know you weren't yourself in the super Bowl. How
much did that impact you?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (26:07):
That that actually was rough. That kind of sucked, to
tell you the truth. It actually gave a bad taste
in my mouth for what a super Bowl experience should be.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Like.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Everyone talks about all what was it like going to
a Super Bowl. Well, it kind of blew because I
was dealing with basically a broken ankle, a very high
sprained ankle.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Which is.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Basically it basically is worse than a break. A break
you can't possibly play on. I don't think you would
have to get the surgery or fix it right there
in their sprain actually takes longer to heal, but you
can actually keep playing on it because you really can't
damage it more. But you're gonna have to get a fix,
like right when you're done playing on it. But it
was just such a tough situation. It was the first
(26:50):
time I was hurt. I was young, you know, just
the stress of wanting to be out there and not
being able to be out there. Just the preparation as
well going into the game. I couldn't practice at all.
I mean I had like one little workout and then
I played in the game as well, and knowing I
wasn't going to play that many games, and just distress
(27:10):
as well on the outside as when I was twenty
two years old, and just all the questions that were
coming in about my ankle. I didn't really know how
to handle it, you know, with my friends with my family,
tickets for the super Bowl and everything.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So it was not that great experience.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Because of that ankle injury going into my first super Bowl,
and it made it tougher. But I can tell you this,
I learned a lot from it, and I grew from
it as a player, and I believe it helped me
out going into the other Super Bowls. So because I
knew how to handle a Super.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Bowl situationily friends, Yes, give me this party, give me
the hear.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Or there, yes, and yes exactly, and I blew all
that off. You know, you take care of the people
that you need to truly take care of that were
there for your whole entire life.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
When you were growing up.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
And then also, like I said, that stress with the
ankle injury as well, questions coming from your family, your friends,
are you going to play? Coming from just fans stepping
out of the house and going somewhere. It was and
you just didn't know, you know, and you didn't want
to give an answer either because if you gave him
an answer, they could go run to the press with
it and you'd.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Be like, oh, what the heck?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
And then you know, we everything was tight left here
in the new England Patriots organization at that time, especially,
so that was putting a lot of stresses on you
as just a twenty two year old kid. So just
going into the other Super Bowls, knew how to handle
the demands not being injured, So not dealing with that
just made those experiences just that much better than.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Was that the best team that you played on? Rob
here with that that fourteen team that beats Seattle in
my career here here here in New England? Was that
the best?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
I think he might think it was.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
That's why I qualified that that was a very special
team game at what heck of a game. It was
one of the best super Bowls Haymake all times, no
doubt about that. People are like, what was your favorite
super Bowl? Not I always say the first one, But
it wasn't because it was just the first one, because
the first one is always the sweetest, but it was
(29:10):
also because it was one of the best games in
Super Bowl history. Seattle was up, we came back, they
went back up, We took the lead, and you go
they go back down with you know, final final minute
on the clock, and then Malcolm Butler has that game
ceiling interception and then we're kneeling the ball and I'm
throwing Haymakers out there versus Michael Bennett. You know, while
just kneeling the ball, there's a huge brawl in the
(29:31):
end zone. So there was just so much too, and
it's just such a great, you know, perspective to fans too,
for a game to watch of what it's all about
to play, you know, you know, to play the game
of football. Just that game brought everything to the table.
And what was great it was such a team win.
Julian had a touchdown, Brandon LaFell had a touchdown, a
Mondola had a touchdown, I had a touchdown, and Shane
(29:53):
Ververen went for about eleven catches right around there for
like I don't know, one hundred something yards I think.
But he had a big impact even though he didn't
score a touchdown too. So just an incredible game overall.
I was, by fiar, you know, my favorite super Bowl.
But was that the best team? No, you want to
believe what the best team was? I truly believe was
the best one was the year after fifteen. Yeah, twenty fifteen,
(30:16):
we went undefeated, We went ten to zero, and then
we lost a couple of games.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Yeah, I mean, this is a year that really frustrates
me a little bit as a as a fanboy, because
there were so many games. I thought that there was
some questionable things down the stretch. I'm not gonna put
you on me on that spot. You know the way
you treated the Miami game at the end, with all
the runs with Steven Jackson, you know, kicking off in
overtime against the Jets. All they needed was one win.
(30:43):
In that AFC Championship game against Denver, was here instead
of in Denver.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
I do remember that, and going into that Miami game,
we said we're going to run the ball every single play,
I think until we get like five first downs in
a row or like a touchdown or something.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
And we just kept.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Running the ball and running the ball, and we were
going nowhere with it.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
It was like third and ten.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Run the ball, one more yard, punting on fourth and nine.
But I do remember that game, and we lost like
three in a row. We started off unbelievably hot, I
mean ten and no. Everyone was on fire. I got
hurt actually with a knee in that Denver game.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Gain the ear of that game.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
You went down bad, I.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Did, man, But that was just a bone bruise. But
let me tell you, the bone bruise hurt more than
actually blowing out your ACL and mcl I was like,
I was on the field screaming.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
I was like, my career is done.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Done with again. But good thing was just a bone bruise.
But also that game, I was in the locker room.
Right after we won that game, they called a holding penalty.
I'm Patrick Chung in the end zone. Brock Oswiler was
their quarterback and he threw a pass to the end zone.
Let me tell you, I was watching it from the
locker room. It was not a holding penalty. And that
(31:57):
call right there, I think it was fourth and ten
or so, and it gave him the first down, and
it gave him the first down right on their own
one yard line to go and score on the next play.
But the game was over if that holing penalty was
never called. And I'm telling you to this team, go
bring up that play. Patrick Chong did not hold. And
I remember that.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Play clear as day.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So we would have been eleven and zero, still hot,
and then we lost to Philadelphiause you know, once you
lose one game, you trick it trickles down.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
You lose another and we lost to Philly that year,
who was terrible as well. I was out that game.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Then we lost a couple otters at the end fold advantage.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Yeah, four of the last six.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, and so I want to get to so Yeah,
that fifteen AFC Championship game, to me is one of
the most ridiculous performances by you and Tom, you know,
just because of how good that defense was, and especially
that day. You know, von Miller was the best defensive
player on the planet that day. He dominated up front.
(32:55):
But you guys just keep hanging around and hanging around.
It's fourth and ten and you guys, you know connect.
Tom just says, go down the scene and make a play.
Do you remember this catch that I'm talking about? Because
for me, I know you made some circus catches that
were incredible, But to me, I think it was TJ
Ward hanging on you, who you had a little history
with as well. Just take me through that play. That
(33:17):
catch was amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
I remember that was awesome, wasn't It was amazing? It
was fourth and ten and our season was on the line.
After remember that play to the exact t and from
what I recall, actually.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
What was called in the huddle was.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
A screen pass to the left, and Brady switched to
play right away, and he called all goes and I
was like, yeah, that's right, all goes. I'm ready to go, baby,
I'm on fire right now. I'm not ending the season
like this. We're gonna get this first down and I'm
just gonna take off. And when I'm taking off, Brady
can read that. You know, this guy's got a mind
(33:54):
of his own, Like he can tell if a player
is rolling down the field or now he knows when
a player going full speed, and that's who he always
goes to. Like he can read the decisiveness of a
wide receiver or a tight end or a running back
to the te and that's how he always knew what
guy to go to. And he always knew who was
on fire at the moment and who wasn't. And he
could tell my eyes. Right when we broke that Hud,
(34:16):
I was like, oh, you better just toss his ball up.
I was like, I don't care who's in front of me,
And right when that thing was hike boom, I just
took off and they had that safety.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
He was all pro. Actually I was double coverage.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
I had a linebacker right to my actually safety to
my left and the other safety right to my right,
and I just split him and went right through him,
right down the middle, right up to see him, and
Brady just launched that ball up.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I was like, yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Right, I'm gonna go grab this thing and We're going
to continue this drive and our season is not ending
right now. And I just went up there. Brady put
the ball right on the money. I just put my
hands out, brought it in, got hit right both ways
on my right, in my left right at the same time,
and brought it in.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Man. And let me tell you, I was out of breath.
I was like, whoa. I knew our season wasn't gonna
and but.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
I was like, oh, help me up because I can't
breathe right now. And then uh, I kind of took
off like the next three plays, like like I kind
of just.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
Chipped the touchdown. Well I was, I was in on
the plays, but I kind of took off.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
I just kind of lats of days ago through it,
you know, just because I was so winded from that
play and being up you know, at the mile high,
and also I was sick for that game. I swear
I had food poisoning man.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
I was.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
I was basically throwing up on the sideline. It was brutal,
but hey, I always come through in the clutch, and
when the seasons on the line, you always throw that
ball up to Robbie g Baby. And then I had
that two point conversion as well. That that I was
double coverage, double covered on and I kind of jumped
over the guys and had, you know, control my body
to go and make the catch, and Tom just threw
it up there again. It was fourth and two, and
(35:44):
actually no, it was a two point conversion. No, it
was a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
It was a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
It was a touchdown, it was fourth down, it was
fourth and goal.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Yeah, I wasn't going to bring out two point conversion
because they didn't throw it.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
We're not talking about the two point conversion. I was
open though.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
A couple other games, rob uh fourteen, the Jonas Gray game.
Oh you, I mean you had an unbelievable touchdown where
it seems like you literally ran through every member of
the Colts. But we're talking about the play where you
threw Sergio. You threw Sergio out of the club. That's
what everybody remembers about that game.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
Yes, they do. I mean that's a real tight end. Like, yeah,
that's a real time.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I don't disrespect to some of these other guys with
pass catchers, but you're a blocking guy too.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
I am a dark and you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Block your ass off, yes, And you blocked your ass
off on that play, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I had a lot of a pride in my blocking. Man.
I love blocking. I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
You know, it helped me, you know, in the passing
game as well. It helped me get open in the
play action. And it just you know, I truly I
just always felt and believed in as a tight end,
just when I when I started playing the position that
you had to do both. Man, that's what it's all about,
you know, doing the dirty work and then also going
out there and making plays as well in the passing game.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
But on that play, I.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Mean, Sergio Brown came in with me here with the
new the papers. He was a free agent that year
out of Notre Dame, and he was a great player.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
He was a safety here. Uh he was. He was
a great special teamer.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
And then he went over to the Colts and uh,
you know, he did great things for us while he
was here with the pages. But that game, man, he
just went and stopped talking. Man, he just went to stop,
you know, you know, trying to get under my skin.
And let me tell you, he eventually got under my skin.
When you get under my skin talking garbage, you know,
it's not gonna be good for you on that defensive
side of the ball. And that's what happened. And finally
(37:30):
I just ticked it. I was like a ticking time
bomb the whole game. He just kept going off and off,
talking garbage, and then finally he just he hit it.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
He hit that switch, and then I saw.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I noticed that play like, all right, one on one
right here, I'm just gonna drive. I'm gonna drive your
butt all the way until I can't drive you anymore,
until you get planted, you know, into the ground.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
And that's basically what happened. Man.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
That's why after the game, I was sitting there with
Chris Collinsworth. I was like, hey, Chris conwer, he was
just yapping too much. I had to throw him out
of the club.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Great line, so a lot of great catches.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
There was another one in a Denver game at home.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Is there a catch?
Speaker 2 (38:06):
One particular catch that stands out among the rest of them.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Four It was in fourteen as well. Here against Denver,
Tom throws that up and he goes, how did you
eten catch that ball?
Speaker 4 (38:16):
You know, I kind of made Tom's career if you
really think about it. Same with Julian, same with Moss.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
I mean Tom should be, you know, thanking us by
selling us a gift every every single year, like a
four wheeler for Christmas, would be much appreciated for all
all those you know.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
You're get things.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
I know I'm just messing around, but uh, you know
I want to be here without Tom and uh but yeah,
I would say one of my favorite catches was versus
the Buffalo Bills and and to tell your truth, to
catch happened because Tom put the ball. He plays the
ball where only I could go and make the play
because I was kind of covered.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
I was.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
I was going versus their all pro safety man names. Man,
we're out of the league for a little bit. You
got to look back and you can't get the name
gas right in the spy. I mean, that's not good.
But there's so many memories and so many players that's hard.
But I was going all Pro safety. I was spread
out wide one on one. It was right here in
Jellette Stadium, this corner right there, the opposite corner, left
(39:13):
side of the lighthouse, yep. And he threw it up
there and I was on the two yard line. I
just reached back like that. It was a one hander yep,
versus my hometown Buffalo Bills, and vaguely just brought it in,
didn't even use my second hand, brought it in toe
tapped into the end zone and then fell.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
So it was a one handed grab. Baby. It was
a beauty. It was one of my favorite catches.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
We're gonna wrap this up here in a second, but
I got to ask you this one. You talked about
Super Bowl fourteen, how much it mentioned everything like that?
The Kansas City game. It wasn't a super Bowl. It
got you to the super Bowl. That was your last year.
How great was that? Kind of like the last call,
but for Rob Gronkowski's part. You know, in that Kansas
(40:00):
City game in the cold, you know that that team's
on the come, here they come and everything like that.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
That was a game. I don't want to put words
in your mouth. How great was that game?
Speaker 3 (40:10):
That was one of the greatest AFC championship games you
could ever imagine or ever be out. It was probably
the greatest AFC Championship game, which was wild. I was
actually hanging out with I was hanging out with my
nephews about four weeks ago, and they're starting to get
to the age where they understand things now. They understand,
you know that I played in the NFL, that I'm
on YouTube and everything. And I was just sitting there
(40:31):
in my little nephew. He goes and puts YouTube body
and he types in my name and he puts the
last five minutes on of the AFC Championship game in
twenty eighteen. It was correct Yep VERSU the Kansas City Chiefs,
and we watched the last four minutes of the game.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
And that was the first time I've actually seen the game.
And let me tell you, I.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Was getting goosebumps again. Man, I was getting excited. I
couldn't believe what was going on in that game. How
many touchdowns were scored in the final four minutes. We
went down, we went down, we scored, they came back,
they scored. We went back down and scored a touchdown
to take the lead, and then with thirty seconds left,
Patrick Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes sing. He threw a big
deep pass got him in field goal position, and they
(41:14):
kicked the field goal with the final seconds left and
regulation to put us into overtime. It was one of
the most exciting four minutes I've ever watched. And I
played in the game and I knew what was going
to happen, and it was still that exciting. And what
made it so great was that we had so many
third and tens and fourth and tens. We weren't moving
the ball on those final drives on the first down
(41:36):
or second down, but we completed the third down every
single time.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
And Julian Edelman balled out.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
It was Julian Edelman over the middle third and ten,
Julian Eddo over the middle third and ten that I'm
spreading out wide fourth and ten slant for a first
down and then the fade for a first down, and
then rex Burg had runs in for the overtime touchdown
as well. So it was just one of the best
four minutes of football.
Speaker 4 (42:02):
That you could ever watch. Was that ASC championship game.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Man, what what an incredible, you know moment, And to
win on the road for the first time, to get
to the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (42:12):
Just made the Patriots dynasty that much greater.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Man, appreciate you coming in. Thank you so much. Happy
Thanksgiving to you and your family. You'll be here at
some point time, sooner rather than later to get a
red jacket. You're gonna get a gold jacket and canton
whenever your time comes from there. It was a pleasure
to watch your career and see how great you were
and how you made this team great.
Speaker 4 (42:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Tremendous.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Yes, I appreciate that, guys. Thank you guys for having me.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
This is this is really cool, man, to be here
and just to be back in the building and see
some of the guys. Man, it's bringing back so many
great memories, man, and it's juicing me back up.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
And I like it. Man, this is really cool.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
So thank you guys for inviting me in and go
check out the at the Patriots Hall of Fame. If
you can Grink, spike harder than Gronk can spike, because
the velosity was tested.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
And there's a mission.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
It gives you the you know, the wavelength of how
hard you can spike, and if you can compare it,
you know, you can compare.
Speaker 4 (43:07):
It to my velocity and how hard I can spike.
So go check it out and just great to feedback. Man,
this is a pleasure, so if you guys are the best,
good plucks.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Thanks Robin, It's no problem.
Speaker 4 (43:18):
Thank you for downloading this podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Subscribe on Apple, Google Play, and everywhere else you listen.
Speaker 2 (43:23):
Like the show, please rate and review us.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
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Speaker 2 (43:31):
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.