GronkNation

07.26.18

Gronk Is Unstoppable on First Day of Pats Training Camp: 'It's Good to Get the Wheels Turning'

Posted by: Gronkowski

Aside from the opening game of the season on Sept. 9, Thursday was officially the best day of the year (yes – over Christmas, Thanksgiving and even 4th of July) as it marked the first day of Patriots training camp.

And what a day it was! After a rollercoaster of an offseason, everyone was happy to be back on the field at Foxboro but none more so than Gronk – who dominated on every play and had a blast in the process.

According to eyes on the ground courtesy from Patriots.com, No. 87 caught every ball thrown his direction including plays in the end zone beating double coverage.

The few months off and an impromptu shark dive for the Discovery channel seem to have invigorated Gronk and he was ready to get back to the grind 169 percent, armed with unbridled enthusiasm and steadfast focus.

Both Gronk and Tom Brady got standing ovations from the mass of fans gathered at Gillette Stadium to get their first taste of the 2018 squad. Neither let the adoration go to their head, however, and instead let their feet and hands do the talking. 

Our top TE looked sharp and slick running drills with Julian Edelman, who is back on form after he was sidelined by an ACL tear all last season.

Rather than any wild celebrations or epic dance moves like we’ve seen in the past, Gronk just did his job on Thursday – very, very, very well.

“It felt good. It’s good to get out there in the first practice, get the wheels turning, get everything going, get the competition amped up,” he told reporters after practice, according to Patriots.com. “It was fun out there. It’s a grind. Training camp is a grind. You never know what you’re going to get out there and you’ve got to just keep fighting through it.

“You’ve got to enjoy what you do. You’ve got to enjoy the work, and it’s fun. We’ve got good coaches out there. I like working with my coaches, the guys around me, we’re always together, working hard, joking around when it’s time to joke around and just getting work done which is the main goal.”

“I’m just focused on getting better ... There’s one thing I can do, there’s one thing I can worry about and there’s one thing that I can control and that’s myself, that’s my play, that’s me going out there doing what I’ve got to do to help the team,” he stressed. 

Of course, there’s been the inevitable white noise and media circus surrounding Gronk and the rest of the Patriots ever since they took their jerseys off after Super Bowl LII, but Gronk assured reporters that there was never a chance that he wasn’t going to report on time for training camp.

"No, it hasn't even came close to considering that. Not even one bit," he said, ESPN.com reported. "What I can do, though, is keep preparing, keep showing up every day, keep doing what I've got to do to get better."

 As for a certain GOAT who turns 41 next week on Aug. 3: “Every single year it’s just amazing what he’s doing,” Gronkowski said. “It’s just like he was out here when I first got here,” his favorite target said. “He’s full go, always ready to roll and it’s just an inspiration basically, just how fast he’s always playing and he’s ready to roll.”

---

Before you go...

Check out our official Gronk Nation apparel! Or, read more Daily Gronk articles.