Rob Gronkowski Pushes Back On Rumors He Didn't Watch Film During Patriots Career

Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history, and arguably the top player ever at the position, earning four titles, four first-team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl bids during his NFL career.

And he didn't get there by ignoring film study, as he told former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III on RG3 and The Ones, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment (33:20 mark):

"I watched film. I watched film especially with the New England Patriots because every meeting we had—we had meetings for five hours before we went out to practice and out of those five hours, two and a half hours was watching film. So I've always watched film. I just never went home and put film on and you know put extra time in the film room. But I'm a learner where I learn in person, out on the field. So where I really paid attention… I really learned the playbook, I really learned what I was doing in walkthroughs. I really paid attention during walkthroughs. It made me understand the plays more, it made me understand the defense more. So I trusted in the scout team more than anything. So that's how I learn. I'm not really a visual guy, I'm about doing it out on the field."

Gronkowski, 34, said during a 2021 ManningCast episode that he didn't watch film and just asked Tom Brady what he needed to know, though he later clarified that he was only joking.

And it's hard to imagine a head coach like Bill Belichick or a quarterback like Brady would have allowed Gronkowski to completely ignore the film room.