Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady have been close friends for years, sharing success on the field with the Patriots and later the Buccaneers. The duo achieved three championships with the Patriots and a total of four together, forming one of the greatest pass-catching tandems in NFL history.
Their longtime team, the Patriots, has faced challenges after Tom Brady’s departure, struggling to find success despite Bill Belichick remaining as the head coach. Gronk believes it has happened because of Tom Brady.
Rob Gronkowski on Patriots post-Tom Brady struggles
The former TE Rob Gronkowski appeared on the Up & Adams show and talked about the struggles of the Patriots, attributing the team’s struggles to Tom Brady’s departure.
Host Kay Adams asked him, “Did you get a feeling when Brady left, that this will never be what it is, did you have that conscious feeling?” which Gronk claimed he was “100%” certain that the Patriots would never be the same after Tom Brady’s retirement.
“Yes, 100%. I’ve definitely had that conscious feeling throughout my time there, and it has proven itself as well.”
Gronkowski sees Brady as the central figure in the Patriots’ success, describing him as the “ring leader” who set the tone for the entire organization.
“He was the ring leader in that organization, no doubt about it. It just fit the mold for everyone else to fall in place, and with time, I saw that it was going to trickle down and not work anymore.”
The former TE believed that without Brady, the team’s success would decline over time, and he observed this prediction proving true.
“Tom Brady always fought his way out of it when the times were tough. Now you just watch them, it’s like things are getting tough, like they’re just accepting it. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s all right, we’re gonna lose. We don’t have that good of a team.’ It’s weird, Tom would have never accepted that. Now, people are throwing each other under the bus. They’re not clicking.”
He highlighted Tom Brady’s ability to fight through tough times, contrasting it with the current team’s apparent acceptance of challenges without the same resilience which according to him is the main reason behind their struggles.
Bill Belichick struggles with Patriots after Tom Brady retirement
Bill Belichick is visibly frustrated with the team’s performance after Brady’s departure, with questions arising about the end of his coaching era.
The team has been struggling in past seasons as well, missing the playoffs last season, but this season they have the worst record, 2-8.
The team’s owner, Robert Kraft, also said that he never had this bad record with the Patriots and the team needs to reset. While many people believe that the coach needs to be changed, Kraft emphasized that they are “not inclined” to make a midseason coaching change.
The Patriots’ current quarterback, Mac Jones, is a good player but he can’t be Tom Brady and is nowhere near to the potential the seven-time Super Bowl champion had.
With the worst record, many injuries, and other unexpected challenges there is no hope for the team this season.
But there’s speculation about the team selecting a new quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. A new talented quarterback could help the team get stable again without Tom Brady.
