WEBVTT - Pats from the Past, Episode 49: Rob Gronkowski 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:09.600 It's another edition of Patched from the Past, and we're 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:12.320 pleased to be joined by the best tight end in 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:15.360 franchise history. Paul, is it the best tight end in 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:16.080 NFL history? 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:17.520 We're going to get to that later. Now, I'm going 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:19.120 to get that out of here here, Paul Parolo. 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:21.840 Here, he's number eighty seven on your scorecard, but number 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:23.040 one in everybody's hearts. 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:27.000 Rob Gronkowski, what an introduction, guys. I appreciate that love, 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:28.240 Thank you. 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:29.960 I played the number. 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:32.560 One organization of all times as well, so it was 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:35.279 a great matchup to have the number one tight end 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:37.160 pointing for the number one organization. 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:39.159 Baby, that's what's up. I tell you what. 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:41.280 Nobody's seen much of you, Like are you in hiding 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.519 or anything like that. Nobody's seen you at all, Like 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.360 are you a monk or are you like a commercials? 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.000 Are you having fun to Actually? I am in hiding 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:50.440 this week. It's Thanksgiving week. 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:52.800 It's a holiday, so I have off, you know, for 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:55.160 about six days, and you guys actually got me out 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:58.400 of hibernation to come here. But that's okay because it 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:01.640 was about three minutes you know, from the house, you know, 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:05.039 so when it's that close and it's that easy. You know, 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.360 I can always come out of the ground and come 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.720 and say what's up. And you guys, you know, have 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.160 been great and the you know, my career started here 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:16.040 without without being drafted here, you know, to this organization 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:17.840 here in this building. You know, I wouldn't be on 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:20.039 these commercials that you guys see me on all the time. 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:21.800 So appreciate you guys having me here today. 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:23.479 Do you like chopping it up with the Fox guys? 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:24.720 Are you having fun doing that? 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:27.360 I'm having a lot of fun doing that. I'm having 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:28.960 a lot of fun doing everything that I'm. 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.119 Doing, especially the commercials. I know that's what you guys 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:31.720 are talking about. 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:35.160 Well, Devin Fox, I mean Sam Sheppard is your new bestie. 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:38.640 Yes, And that's just it's unbelievable over there, and these 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.560 guys are such pros. It's kind of like me entering 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:43.360 the room with like when I was a rookie, Like 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:45.920 how I entered the room, you know with Vince Wolfour, 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.920 Tom Brady, all those guys you know, as a rookie. 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.280 It's like when I enter the room at the Fox Room, 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:56.480 you know, and I got Michael Strahan, I got Jimmy Johnson, 0:01:56.600 --> 0:02:00.280 I got Terry Bradshaw, Kurt Menefee, Howie Long. Like, it's 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:04.000 kind of like a similar situation. I'm a rookie, but like, 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:06.440 these guys have been on TV now for twenty five 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:09.079 thirty years plus. Michael Strahan's the youngest one out of 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.040 the whole group, and he's been I think around fifteen 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.120 years on the show. And then there I am as 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:16.760 a first year, second year, third year guy now and 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:19.320 I was just looking up to him every single day, 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.040 Like they're so on point. They're incredible with their knowledge. 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:24.400 You know, they know when to spit out facts and 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:27.320 when to joke around. So just learning from them and 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.760 just going under their wing man, it was something special 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:32.600 and it still is special, and it's so much fun 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:34.480 just working with them every Sunday that I'm on. 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.320 Yeah, good place to start. You talked about being drafted here, 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.160 you talked about being a rookie in TV. What was 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:44.000 it like go back to Arizona and you're coming out. 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.640 Did you know the Patriots were heavily interested in What 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:48.480 was that process? 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:50.639 Like, all right, man, let's go back to this process. 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:53.160 I like that, And yes, I knew the Patriots were 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:57.480 definitely heavily interested that's for sure. But I had one 0:02:57.520 --> 0:02:59.760 of the worst draft visits of all time. And coach 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.079 Chuck talked about that before. I mean, Nancy is she's 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.640 still here as well. Yeah, she still talks about it 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:07.800 that I fell asleep right on her desk right before 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:09.760 I was gonna go meet all the coaches. But to 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.480 be fair, that was like my seventeenth trip in like 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.360 fifteen days, and I was super tired, and you know, 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:16.440 I had to get a nap. 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:16.720 In real quick. 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.680 So I was sharp and on point, which that's what happened, 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.240 but actually that's not what happened because I really wasn't 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.160 that sharp and on point, and then everything else is 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:26.480 just chaos that trip. So I actually walked out of 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:29.720 this building after that rookie you know that kind of 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:31.160 like a job interview. 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:33.119 It was before you get drafted. You go and see 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:34.239 all the teams and talk to them. 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:36.560 I kind of walked out of the building like this 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.600 team is either going to love me and they're gonna 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:41.360 take me, or they just think I'm a complete fool 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:43.320 and they already crossed me off their board. But I 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:44.440 was in the back of my mind, I was like, 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:47.600 I have a feeling that they loved me. But so 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.480 back to you know, going to Arizona and draft night 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.600 and all that. So I wanted to go to the 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:57.840 Arizona Cardinals. Actually they were the number twenty six pick 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:01.320 because the reason was I loved my time at the 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:04.240 University of Arizona. You know, I was in Tucson, I 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.920 was a Wildcat. They were the Arizona Carnos, were hour 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.680 half away in the Scottsdale Phoenix area, and just to 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:15.120 stay as a whole. Loved being there, loved that area 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.280 as well. So I wanted to go there just because 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:19.640 I knew how familiar I was with and how much 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:20.120 I loved. 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:23.200 I loved being there. And then in the back of 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:24.520 my mind, I thought it would be kind. 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.159 Of cool if the Bills drafted me because it was 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:28.400 my hometown team. But at the same time, I kind 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:30.760 of didn't want to go to Buffalo too, just because 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:34.320 they weren't pressure. Yeah the pressure stunk, Yeah they stunk. 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:36.839 At the time, just saw that I felt like just 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:39.400 best for my career to just not go back home, 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:42.400 even though it would be a dream to go play there, 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.520 like when you were growing up, that was the dream. 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:49.640 And then the other team was the Baltimore Ravens. You know, 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:53.840 they showed high interest in me throughout the whole process. 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:57.400 I had plenty of interviews with them. You know, I 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:00.600 truly believed that they were going to take me, and 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:01.680 they were about to take me. 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.039 You do you know, like you were having fun in 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:05.600 New York And we'll get to that in a second. 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:08.560 You know, it was a scrambled drill of epic proportions 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.320 here for the Patriots to get your card in. Like 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:15.080 Bill's looking around, going what's going? John Robinson is running 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:17.640 around the room. Nick's running around the room. The clock's 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.120 ticking down. They were sweating that out. Do you know 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.440 that it was sort of chaotic by their standards here? 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:25.720 Do you did you know that that was going on? 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.200 Actually, that's something new that I've just learned. Man, I 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:30.359 didn't know how chaotic it was trying to get that in, 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:34.680 but I know that's that's that's pretty pretty wild to 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:38.920 hear that that side of it, because actually thinking about it, 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.640 because at the last second, because the Baltimore Ravens were 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:45.680 on the clock with the forty second pick, and that's like, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:47.960 like I said, they were showing high interest. I thought 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:50.200 for sure I was going to the Baltimore Ravens, and 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:52.680 the clock is, you know, counting down, and there's like 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.960 thirty seconds left, and usually if a trade happens, it's usually. 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:57.200 End by now absolutely, and then. 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:58.760 All of a sudden, there's like ten seconds left on 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:01.200 the clock when I then boom, the New England Patriots 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.880 trade up, you know, with no to the forty second pick, 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:06.920 because the Baltimore Ravens had the forty third pick. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:08.080 That's how it was going down. 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:11.840 They traded up with the I think the Oakland Raiders 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.760 at that time. So the Raiders traded down, the Patriots 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.320 got the forty second pick and took me. And I 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:19.880 thought the whole time, like, all right, I got Baltimore 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.040 coming up. I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going to go. 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:25.880 But now that makes sense. They were scrambling and that's 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:27.880 why I went down there last seconds because they were 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:30.080 trying to get it in, yeah, and get that you 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.760 know trade in, which they did. And I'm very very 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.080 thankful they got that trade in. So whoever whoever's you know, 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:38.680 duties that was, and whoever accomplished to get that in, 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.760 whoever hustle, who was it. 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:41.000 It was all of them. 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.800 It was Bill John Robinson Nick, I mean jimmy 's 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.360 in New York, I think at the time, so they're 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:47.520 yelling at Jimmy to get the car. 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:49.200 Did you know, Oh, I just want to thank you, 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:51.240 Jimmy D for getting that card in on time. 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.280 Man. The rest is history from there. 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:56.120 Did you think you were risk? Other people thought you 0:06:56.160 --> 0:06:59.159 were a risk. Were you confident that that everything was 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:01.560 going to be all right? By all accounts, you never 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:04.160 should have lasted until the second round, but people were 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:05.040 worried about your back. 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:07.760 Yeah, yeah, that's that's one hundred percent true. I mean 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.360 my back was a little damage coming out of out 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:12.880 of college, that's for sure. I mean I had some 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.800 serious back problems. I mean they were serious, but they're 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:18.320 kind of minor at the same time. Actually, but all 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:20.680 back problems are serious when you got pain shooting down 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.680 your legs and you can't really move that much. But 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:24.880 it was just a minor procedure where they take the 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:26.880 hernie disc. They just chop it off a little bit 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:30.720 and get it off your spinal cord. And a good 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:33.600 thing was I'm young, so you heal quickly as well. 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:37.000 And no, there's there's more major back surgeries when you 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:40.280 fuse to when you fuse little buying together and all that. 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:42.680 So I've had three Marco disactomies and I've been good 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:44.960 since I had my last one. Actually, that was my 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:47.720 last surgery, which was here sixteen, right, yeah, I. 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:50.000 Think No, I think it was two thousand and eight. Eight, No, 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:51.240 twenty sixteen, you're right. 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:52.000 Missed the Super Bowl. 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.680 That's why I missed the Super Bowl boys so Atlanta Falcons. 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.400 But I also absolutely got level going up to see 0:07:57.840 --> 0:07:59.880 Earl Thomas, one of the hardest hitting safeties in the 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.360 and I was looking at the ball and Boomy hit 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:04.520 me going full speed and popped my disc out him. 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:07.200 I mean, it was a football injury. You can't do 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.000 nothing about it. I actually made a nice play after 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.040 that and caught the ball to the two yard line 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:14.960 on the fade, even though my back was blowing out 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.600 and I was spitting blood out because I also punctured 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.240 my lung on that hit as well. 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:20.880 But hey, that's football, and you got to be a 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:22.000 tough SOB. 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:24.320 And that's what gets you, you know, the wins and 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:26.520 gets you fired if you can take the pain. 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.160 And I sure was. But we were going back. 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:32.360 Was I a risk kind of but in my mind, 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.680 I wasn't because I knew my mindset. I knew I 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:36.840 was going to overcome the injury you know, that I 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.360 had in college. I knew I wanted to be a 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:42.040 professional football player as well, so I wasn't gonna let 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:44.679 anything get in my way. So when I was asked 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:47.960 that question in the job interviews and everything, I strongly, 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:52.240 with confidence told them, Hey, I'm not worried about my back. 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:54.760 I want to be a tight end in the National 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:56.480 Football League. I I want to be one of the 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:59.400 best tight ends as well in the National Football League, 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.400 and I'm going to do whatever it takes, you know, 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:04.800 for my back to be solidified to where I needed 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.160 to be throughout my whole career. Yeah, there's gonna be 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:09.000 ups and downs with the back, you know, but I 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:10.800 always knew that if I stayed on top of it 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.920 as well with the rehab, you know, doing the core exercises, 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.640 doing the right back exercises, that you know, my career 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:20.480 will you know, be a decently long career. So I 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.520 made sure, you know, to some of the teams that 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.840 I wanted to go to, hey I'm ready to play. 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.240 My back is not a problem. But the reason why 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:31.080 it was kind of a problem is they were saying 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:35.079 I had scoliosis, and I didn't even know what scoliosis 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:37.880 was because you get the MRI at the combine so 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:39.880 all the team doctors can check out your back. 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:43.160 So whatever I have, I mean, I beat it. So 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:45.559 scoliosis screw you. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.880 So you tell the story about the draft visit when 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.800 you fell asleep, you also have a story about right 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.240 after you got drafted. Didn't take you long to sort 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:57.040 of get called into the principal's office. 0:09:56.880 --> 0:09:58.400 Right, No, it didn't. 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.840 I mean I've always you know, it was a maniac, 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.120 especially when I was a young buck and I like 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:05.160 to have a good time. 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:07.679 That's for sure. What a moment that. 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.559 I'm telling you. It was one of the best moments 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:15.840 my life, guys. And what's what's great about it is 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:17.920 I was I was pissed I didn't go in the 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:18.480 first round. 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:18.680 You know. 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:21.000 My Mom's like, I never really seen you pissed before, 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:23.360 and like my brother made a comment like that I 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:25.040 didn't go in the first round. I was like, shut up, 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.040 you know, I was just pissed, like and and I 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:28.480 should have never even said shut up. 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:30.360 I was just over exaggerating. 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:32.719 You know when you're mad, that everything's gonna make you 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.199 like you're is gonna make you mad. You know you're 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:39.040 gonna be pissed off, and right rightfully so, because I 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:41.160 thought I was a first rounder, you know, I in 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:44.920 my mind I wanted to be around. Yeah, But in 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:47.360 the end, let me tell you it truly doesn't matter 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:50.680 where you're drafted. It matters what you do after you're drafted, 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:52.880 and once you get the shot, you know, it's all 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.720 about what you do with with the opportunity that you get. 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:56.839 There's no doubt about it. 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.400 So the second day comes and once I get drafted 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:01.720 by the Newing Patriots, like, let me tell you, that 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.000 was the best moment and best feeling of my life 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:09.600 right there and then. And I absolutely gave no cares, 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.720 no shizzle that I didn't go in the first round. 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.000 My dream was accomplished and that's all it mattered. And 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.240 I never thought about being bad ever again in my 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.119 life that I didn't go in the first round. 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:24.480 But didn't get under your skin when Bears called and said, hey. 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:25.160 Cut it out. 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:27.600 Actually he didn't really get under my skin. We kind 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:29.200 of played it up and we were laughing at it 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:31.520 because I was always a trouble maker growing up, so 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:33.480 it was always funny when I got in trouble. It 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.800 eventually became like Rob's in trouble again, you know, because 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:39.480 it was always for something that was silly, right, Like 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.400 I never was getting in like serious trouble. Like I 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.880 was a guy that just took it to the edge 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:47.720 and then I would stop, like right before I would 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:50.520 fall over the cliff, I would catch myself and then 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.400 I would you know, wind back down and it would 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:57.119 drive people crazy. And it kind of like was that situation, 0:11:57.640 --> 0:11:59.800 you know. I was up on stage putting the helmet 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:02.120 on on, going one on one versus my brother because 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:03.520 he was in the NFL at the time. He put 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.320 the Detroit Lions how helmet on. We were jumping up down, 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:10.640 which we love to do. I mean that's how we party. 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:12.800 We always were jumping up and down, acting like maniac. 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.319 So we brought the party to the stage and Bears 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.720 gave me that call like hey, get off the stage, 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:20.360 like this is what we're not about. And then I 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:22.160 literally put the phone down and I was like, I'm 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:23.280 already getting in trouble. 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:24.120 This is great. 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:28.560 So it just never stopped me because I knew I 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:29.800 was never doing anything wrong. 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:32.480 So we used to joke all the time, Matt, you know, 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:34.280 we were in there all the time. We go in 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.840 and cover these guys, and we used to always talk 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:39.800 all the media guys, that kid has never had a 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:42.880 bad day in his life. And I think that obviously 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:45.960 you're exactly the same. Just how much fun and you 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:49.360 enjoyed it. You enjoyed everything about football, and it was 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:53.199 so obvious, like when did you sort of figure out 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:54.920 this is what you were going to do and that 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:56.679 you could dominate doing this? 0:12:57.360 --> 0:12:57.560 Well? 0:12:57.559 --> 0:12:59.960 When I was in high school, actually I actually just 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.520 went into the Buffalo Hall of Fame, like I saw 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:06.439 that thank you guys Rucci, Yeah, with Vick Kruch Vick, 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:09.400 which actually, all right, there you go, that's a full 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:12.040 socer moment right there with that question that you just asked. 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:13.600 And then you just brought up Vic Carucci. 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.439 So in eighth grade, Vic Crucci has a daughter that's 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.000 my age, and all of our friends hung out, and uh, 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:21.240 she invited us over one day and I walked in 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:22.880 the and I walked in the front door and there's 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.360 Vic Crucci was right there, staying right in front of me, 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:27.800 and I knew he was an NFL beat writer or 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.000 senior writer or whatever his title was. At that moment, 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:33.480 I looked him straight in the eye and I said, hey, Vic, 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:35.920 you're gonna be writing about me one day. 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:36.840 I guarantee it. 0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:38.560 And I was in eighth grade and he's like, yeah, 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:41.960 right kid, you know, and then but away from my daughters, 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.600 like maybe yeah, he's like, you're crazy, and I was like, 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.959 now you're gonna be writing about me. I guarantee it. 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.240 So it kind of started all the way back then. Man, 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.240 I've been manifesting that I was going to go pro 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.640 in the NFL for basically my whole entire life, even 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:58.160 though I didn't even start playing football until I was 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:00.640 in seventh grade. Actually, I broke my an my like 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:02.960 very first play in seventh grade and didn't even really 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:05.640 start in eighth grade then. So I was telling him 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:07.840 before I even had a football career, I was gonna 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:10.080 make it to the NFL, and he'll be writing writing 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.640 about me, so then you know, we'll go back again 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.120 as well. Then then, like sophomore year in high school, 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:21.480 I really, you know, totally started understanding my size and 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:25.000 my abilities and where I was in life with my 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.600 athletic career. I love playing all the other sports, but 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:29.760 that's when I really knew that football was going to 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.080 be my sport. When I was on the varsity team 0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.800 and I was absolutely dominating games. And I was just 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.640 a sophomore in high school. So then you know, you're 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.440 in English class, you're in other classes. It's like, hey, 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.160 write about what you want to do in the future, 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.160 and I just always wrote about, Hey, this is what 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:45.680 I'm gonna do. 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.680 I'm gonna be playing the NFL. This is how I'm 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:48.360 gonna get there. 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:54.120 No guarantee, I'm no guarantees that I'm gonna make it, 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.400 but I'm guaranteeing you that I'm gonna make it. 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:57.120 That's basically what. 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.280 I wrote every single paper about was me getting in there. 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:04.240 So I manifested the whole entire thing basically since you know, 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:07.400 since eighth grade, and you know, it's been just a 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.480 dream come true. So I really noticed that I had 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.560 the abilities when I was in high school. 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:15.280 We were talking earlier and I was Brian Hoyre comes 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:16.760 here and does some stuff with us, and I was 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:18.640 asking him. He told me he had you wanted a 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:20.640 guest the other day, and I said, Brian, let me 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:22.680 ask you a question. Go back to the Pittsburgh game 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.440 his rookie year was Zach wronkx coming out party. He goes, 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:27.960 that's a pretty good one. I mean it was Sunday 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:32.240 night football, right, three touchdowns bounds, and I mean I 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:34.640 think people saw that. Who covered the team or who 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:37.160 was around the team, watched the team, knew that there 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.360 was something. Did you feel like that night, like I'm 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:41.920 sort of putting the league on notice here. 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:42.680 You're not saying that. 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:44.720 I'm saying that, but watch out. 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:46.400 You know, that's a good point. 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:49.520 It definitely was my coming out party to everyone that 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:51.720 was a fan of the New Englan Patriots. But I 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:54.720 can tell you this the game before, which was my 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.800 worst game of my career with the New England Patriots, 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:01.040 that was my true coming out party. And I'll explain why. 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.280 That was the first game that I truly was in 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.280 the game plan every single play, and I was a 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.800 big part of the game plan, and I absolutely dominated 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:12.280 in the blocking scheme of that game. 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:14.960 And I had a lot of great plays as well. 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:15.640 In the past game. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.120 I think I had about six catches for about eighty yards. 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:21.360 It's just a rookie I'm talking. This was a game 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.680 right before the Pittsburgh Steelers game. But here's the thing. 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:29.280 I had a fumble on our own two yard line. 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.320 I caught a little hook route five yards and then 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.440 I saw the end zone about four more yards ahead 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.080 of me. So I just tried, you know, barreling through 0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:40.720 about four players, and let me tell you, it didn't 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:42.440 work out, and they hit the ball out of my 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:45.560 hand and I fumbled it. And then I also had 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:47.920 had a fumble I on. 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:50.600 The kickoff return. I was a wingman. I went to 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:51.320 fair catch it. 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.520 Sammy Morris was in the back and then he thought 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:57.920 I was gonna fair catch it, so then he let 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:00.800 it go. I let it go and then it hit 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.960 the ground and the Cleveland Browns, you know, picked up 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.919 that fumble recovery right there on the kickoff return. So 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:10.320 therefore I was the reason for two turnovers. So when 0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:14.679 you're the reason for two turnovers, nothing else that you 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.119 did in that game mattered, no matter how good you played. 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.320 But let me tell you, besides those two turnovers, having 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.720 that fumble on our on our going into the end 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:25.760 zone on the two yard line and that fumble on 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:29.080 the kickoff return, I had one of my best games 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:31.280 as a rookie, but it was so overshadow. 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.000 So that's why I truly believe that. 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.960 Was my breakout game. And also really I learned a 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:40.320 lot as well because of those situations and because of 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:44.120 those two plays, and therefore I had the confidence actually 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:47.080 going into the Pittsburgh game because I knew I played 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.199 so well. It's just that I had those two mistakes, 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.600 and I swear that's what led to the three touchdowns 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:55.359 because I knew I could go out there and ball 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:57.600 because of that Cleveland game, I just had to clean 0:17:57.600 --> 0:17:58.360 it up a little bit. 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:01.080 Matt Cleveland game, you know what that was us game 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.359 with name right? That was the Peyton Hillis game. Yeah, 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.040 oh right, that was the Peyton Hillis game. 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.440 I mean yeah, I think was a rookie quarterback and it 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:13.280 was like the first time Tom Astill a rookie quarterback. 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:14.640 And along absolutely yeah. 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:17.520 So it was one of our two losses that year. Actually, 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.560 I think we ended up fourteen and two. We lost 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:20.200 to the Browns. 0:18:20.760 --> 0:18:23.600 Yep, that is exaccurate. I wanted to like getting back 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:25.480 to that rookie year. You come in, Billy oh is 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.439 there and you know you and Aaron are both a 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:31.320 huge part right away of the offense. There's two tight 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:34.520 end stuff and eventually Billy Oh starts that that really 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:37.320 up temple. I think that was eleven, right, twenty eleven, 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:42.320 that up tempo, really high powered offense, fast fast temple. 0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:44.760 What was it like to play in that that scheme? 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:46.479 It looked like you guys just couldn't be stopped. 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:49.399 Yeah, that scheme was called Nascar NASCAR, and it actually 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:51.000 makes sense NASCAR because you're going. 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:52.800 I knew there was a name for it, but I'm getting. 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:54.760 Older, I know, hey, hey, hey, that happens to me 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:56.840 all the time. And actually I was talking to Julian 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:59.239 Edelman and he brought up NASCAR. And that's why I 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.520 know that the turn name is NASCAR, because he just 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:04.040 brought it up to me a couple of days ago, 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:06.080 So now it's fresh in my mind, or I would 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:08.640 have been sitting here like, Ah, what's the what's the uh, 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:10.840 what's the what's the call? When you go really fast? 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:13.880 And it's not the turbo two minute drill? But it's 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:15.800 not the two minute drill because we're ten minutes into 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:18.160 the second quarter, But it's NASCAR. 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:18.800 And that makes total sense. 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:20.720 Why it's called NASCAR, and you had all just one 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:22.840 word terms to know where you lined up, and you 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:24.840 hurry up to the line of scrimmage. 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:24.840 And you go. 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:27.480 But what made it, you know, what made it work 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:29.359 is because all the players were on the same page. 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:31.120 And when you have a guy like Tom Brady who's 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:33.960 so efficient and so on top of it, he can manage, 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:37.240 you know, you can manage everyone on the field to 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:39.159 where they need to be in such a short period 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:41.399 of time. So then it's a vantage on the offense 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:43.840 side of the ball because the defense is still trying 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.280 to get lined up and wonder where everyone is and 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:48.560 who has who, who's covering who. So it kind of, 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:50.760 you know, dismantled the defense in the way, and then 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:52.320 you take advantage of that and you just hit the 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:55.439 open guy really quick. But NASCAR could have definitely not 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:58.639 happened our rookie year, especially with the players that we 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:01.200 had myself, you know, Aaron as well, and a couple 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:05.000 other guys that were young. Because we're still learning. 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:06.600 The ins and outs of the NFL. 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:09.560 I was still struggling with the playbook, and that's actually 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:12.760 why I truly didn't really play all the plays. My 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:15.159 rookie year, Like the first eight games, I played like 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:18.000 twenty plays only because those are the only twenty plays 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:20.399 that they trusted in me that I knew, and all 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.280 the other ones I was, you know, I was kind 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:23.879 of messing up on. So if you don't have the 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.080 trust of your teammates and coaches, they're not going to 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:28.320 play you no matter how good you are. So the 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:33.479 playbook was, you know, a high difficulty skill. There's no 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:37.120 doubt about that, especially for myself. So going into our 0:20:37.160 --> 0:20:40.359 second year is kind of when NASCAR got introduced, and 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:42.880 that's when you kind of understand the playbook a lot 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:44.639 better and then you can handle the you know, the 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:47.080 terms or just one word means the whole entire play, 0:20:47.119 --> 0:20:49.760 because then you understand the whole entire play already. Now 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:51.560 you can handle just a one word and you know 0:20:51.600 --> 0:20:53.720 what to do. So when we put that in and 0:20:53.760 --> 0:20:56.720 implemented it, it was such an advantage and we absolutely 0:20:56.760 --> 0:20:58.280 dominated teams because of it. 0:20:59.080 --> 0:21:02.600 You talk about trust, how did you earn Tom's trust? 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:03.080 Rob? 0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:07.200 Is what eight nine year difference between you guys. He's 0:21:07.240 --> 0:21:10.800 smart enough to go, Holy smokes, this kid catch radius. 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:13.000 Look at what he can do. This guy's going to 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.320 be able to help me. But the way that you 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:19.920 earn the trust and your combination together, you're talking about 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.720 one of the best quarterback receiver combinations, whether you're tye 0:21:23.800 --> 0:21:26.640 or whatever in the history of the league. That just 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:33.000 doesn't happen by chance. What went into that relationship where 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:35.719 you became such a valued like he knew we were 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:39.119 going to be all the time, you knew the communication, whatever. 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:42.240 It was something special that people haven't really seen a 0:21:42.280 --> 0:21:42.560 lot of. 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:46.439 It was a really really special connection. Might possibly be 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:48.920 one of the best connections qual time, possibly one of 0:21:48.960 --> 0:21:51.320 the best quarterback tight end connections of all time. And 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:55.040 not just that just just ball passer to ball receiver, 0:21:55.680 --> 0:21:58.639 you know, just the aspect of the whole entire game, 0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:02.280 not just one position quarterback to a wide receiver, but 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:05.679 just overall, just as a whole. It could have been 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:07.639 one of the best connections. It's up there. I believe 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:10.359 it's up there too. I mean, we've done some incredible things, 0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:13.160 but we had actually you said eight to nine year 0:22:13.240 --> 0:22:16.280 age difference, it's actually a twelve year age difference. I 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:18.520 was twenty one years old, he was thirty three years old. 0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:21.760 I was still both supposed to be a senior in college. 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:24.880 He was just married kids. I mean, we had two 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:29.320 totally different lifestyles. The age gap, you know, was tremendous 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:32.840 as well, so you know, but the thing is is 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:33.640 that we both. 0:22:33.440 --> 0:22:34.240 Wanted to be great. 0:22:34.320 --> 0:22:36.920 Obviously, we all knew Tom wanted to be great already, 0:22:36.920 --> 0:22:39.320 but as a rookie, I wanted to be great as well. 0:22:39.920 --> 0:22:42.800 And what got us on the same page, what built 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:45.520 that chemistry was the work that we put out on 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:48.400 the practice field. And it wasn't just a practice field either, 0:22:48.760 --> 0:22:51.720 you know, during the practice time, it was after practice 0:22:51.760 --> 0:22:54.480 as well. And I was just reminiscing with Brian Hoyer 0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:57.160 actually about on his podcast the other day, is that 0:22:57.320 --> 0:23:00.840 Brian Hoyer and Tom would say after practice my rookie season, 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:03.359 it would just be myself and I would be running 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:08.080 an actra fifteen to twenty different routes every single practice 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:11.200 after practice, just so I can get on the same 0:23:11.240 --> 0:23:14.760 page as Tom and the quarterbacks because they saw greatness 0:23:14.760 --> 0:23:18.359 in me. And when you see greatness in a player, 0:23:18.480 --> 0:23:21.879 Tom wanted to exploit that greatness and bring it out 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:24.119 and so that player could be as great as they 0:23:24.160 --> 0:23:26.960 possibly could be. And as a rookie, you know sometimes 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:28.679 I didn't understand that. It's like I just want to 0:23:28.680 --> 0:23:30.920 go home. I gotta go out, I gotta I gotta 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:33.960 go to this restaurant, meet meet this girl, meet this friend, 0:23:34.080 --> 0:23:35.919 meet my brother, meet my family or whatever. 0:23:36.040 --> 0:23:38.600 So he's gotta be not busting your balls. But like, dude, 0:23:39.040 --> 0:23:42.120 I know you're twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, you've 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:44.639 got greatness in you. You better get your ass in 0:23:44.720 --> 0:23:47.240 here tomorrow and get your head straight because I'm counting 0:23:47.240 --> 0:23:49.960 on you and we're counting on you. Those words must 0:23:50.000 --> 0:23:51.520 have like that. 0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:55.880 That's serious, Yes, definitely serious, And that's basically is what happened. 0:23:55.920 --> 0:23:58.240 You know, I was setting those terms, not exactly like that, 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:01.480 but definitely in those terms. And you know, we built 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:04.280 that it through throughout time. It wasn't like hey, just 0:24:04.320 --> 0:24:07.400 one night, you know all you know, Brady the Gronk, 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:11.000 they're on fire. That connection is unstoppable. It was built 0:24:11.040 --> 0:24:14.160 over a year. You know, that trust was built over 0:24:14.240 --> 0:24:16.639 a year of practice and hard work, and it really 0:24:16.680 --> 0:24:19.040 built going into my second year. Yeah, we had some 0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:22.720 great times my my rookie year, those at three touchdown game, 0:24:23.359 --> 0:24:25.440 you know, in the playoffs, I had a couple of 0:24:25.480 --> 0:24:28.200 catches as well. The game that we lost actually versus 0:24:28.200 --> 0:24:30.840 the Jets, which stunk, you know, which stunk. That was 0:24:30.880 --> 0:24:33.040 a bad exit my rookie year out of the. 0:24:33.000 --> 0:24:35.000 Playoffs, But uh, it happens. 0:24:35.240 --> 0:24:37.680 But uh there's a couple other times ID my rookie 0:24:37.720 --> 0:24:40.119 season two where you know, he just didn't trust me 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:40.720 yet either. 0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:41.560 I was. 0:24:41.880 --> 0:24:44.080 I was on fire the week before, but as a rookie, 0:24:44.119 --> 0:24:45.600 then the next week would show up and I would 0:24:45.680 --> 0:24:48.200 be just totally dismantled and not doing what he wanted 0:24:48.200 --> 0:24:50.960 me to do. And then I didn't see Yeah, the consistency, 0:24:51.040 --> 0:24:52.800 You're right, it was not there. And then going in 0:24:52.840 --> 0:24:54.960 to my second year, everything. 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:55.600 Was clicking a lot better. 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:57.399 You know, you get a little break from from the 0:24:57.440 --> 0:24:59.680 game of football because you have the offseason, you come 0:24:59.720 --> 0:25:03.480 back and just everything was firing. I totally understood what 0:25:03.560 --> 0:25:06.000 he wanted out of me. I totally understood what the 0:25:06.000 --> 0:25:08.480 coaches wanted out of me, and I totally understood where 0:25:08.520 --> 0:25:10.760 I wanted to go to and I knew what I 0:25:10.840 --> 0:25:12.800 had to do to get to that level I wanted 0:25:12.800 --> 0:25:15.640 to be at and boom from there on out. Going 0:25:15.680 --> 0:25:18.800 into my second season, all that hard work though that 0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:22.560 we did my rookie year finally paid off and it 0:25:22.600 --> 0:25:25.040 all started clicking. It made so much sense why we 0:25:25.040 --> 0:25:27.240 were running all those extra routes, why he wanted me 0:25:27.480 --> 0:25:29.600 where he wanted me out on the field, because that's 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:31.800 where he wanted the place to ball, away from the defender. 0:25:31.880 --> 0:25:34.640 All that little detail and all that good stuff. So go. 0:25:34.720 --> 0:25:38.400 It took a good solid year to have that chemistry. 0:25:38.520 --> 0:25:41.040 And then from year on out, you just you just 0:25:41.200 --> 0:25:43.199 you know, just get smart. You just build upon it 0:25:43.480 --> 0:25:46.080 and build upon it. But that chemistry will would always 0:25:46.119 --> 0:25:46.879 be there from there on. 0:25:47.119 --> 0:25:50.320 So a pretty magical season though, that that twenty eleven year. 0:25:50.440 --> 0:25:52.960 You guys, you know you obviously make the run. You 0:25:53.040 --> 0:25:54.600 get all the way to the super Bowl. You talked 0:25:54.600 --> 0:25:57.240 about the Earl Thomas hit. You know that that hurt 0:25:57.240 --> 0:25:59.639 your back. You get a Bernard Pollard hit in that 0:25:59.720 --> 0:26:02.879 Ape Championship game. How much did that? I mean, we 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:05.119 all know you weren't yourself in the super Bowl. How 0:26:05.200 --> 0:26:06.919 much did that impact you? 0:26:07.320 --> 0:26:07.560 Yeah? 0:26:07.600 --> 0:26:11.359 That that actually was rough. That kind of sucked, to 0:26:11.400 --> 0:26:14.000 tell you the truth. It actually gave a bad taste 0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:17.560 in my mouth for what a super Bowl experience should be. 0:26:17.720 --> 0:26:17.840 Like. 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:20.399 Everyone talks about all what was it like going to 0:26:20.400 --> 0:26:22.679 a Super Bowl. Well, it kind of blew because I 0:26:22.720 --> 0:26:25.840 was dealing with basically a broken ankle, a very high 0:26:25.920 --> 0:26:27.280 sprained ankle. 0:26:27.000 --> 0:26:27.679 Which is. 0:26:29.400 --> 0:26:31.840 Basically it basically is worse than a break. A break 0:26:31.880 --> 0:26:35.000 you can't possibly play on. I don't think you would 0:26:35.040 --> 0:26:36.919 have to get the surgery or fix it right there 0:26:36.960 --> 0:26:40.800 in their sprain actually takes longer to heal, but you 0:26:40.840 --> 0:26:43.120 can actually keep playing on it because you really can't 0:26:43.200 --> 0:26:45.560 damage it more. But you're gonna have to get a fix, 0:26:45.680 --> 0:26:47.919 like right when you're done playing on it. But it 0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:50.160 was just such a tough situation. It was the first 0:26:50.240 --> 0:26:53.240 time I was hurt. I was young, you know, just 0:26:53.280 --> 0:26:56.119 the stress of wanting to be out there and not 0:26:56.160 --> 0:26:59.880 being able to be out there. Just the preparation as 0:27:00.080 --> 0:27:03.160 well going into the game. I couldn't practice at all. 0:27:03.280 --> 0:27:05.640 I mean I had like one little workout and then 0:27:05.640 --> 0:27:07.520 I played in the game as well, and knowing I 0:27:07.560 --> 0:27:10.879 wasn't going to play that many games, and just distress 0:27:10.920 --> 0:27:13.400 as well on the outside as when I was twenty 0:27:13.440 --> 0:27:15.400 two years old, and just all the questions that were 0:27:15.400 --> 0:27:17.320 coming in about my ankle. I didn't really know how 0:27:17.320 --> 0:27:20.000 to handle it, you know, with my friends with my family, 0:27:20.080 --> 0:27:21.880 tickets for the super Bowl and everything. 0:27:21.960 --> 0:27:25.080 So it was not that great experience. 0:27:24.920 --> 0:27:28.680 Because of that ankle injury going into my first super Bowl, 0:27:29.200 --> 0:27:31.840 and it made it tougher. But I can tell you this, 0:27:31.960 --> 0:27:34.480 I learned a lot from it, and I grew from 0:27:34.480 --> 0:27:36.600 it as a player, and I believe it helped me 0:27:36.640 --> 0:27:40.320 out going into the other Super Bowls. So because I 0:27:40.400 --> 0:27:41.880 knew how to handle a Super. 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:45.960 Bowl situationily friends, Yes, give me this party, give me 0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:46.359 the hear. 0:27:46.320 --> 0:27:49.720 Or there, yes, and yes exactly, and I blew all 0:27:49.720 --> 0:27:51.760 that off. You know, you take care of the people 0:27:51.800 --> 0:27:53.520 that you need to truly take care of that were 0:27:53.560 --> 0:27:55.520 there for your whole entire life. 0:27:55.359 --> 0:27:56.720 When you were growing up. 0:27:57.040 --> 0:27:59.280 And then also, like I said, that stress with the 0:27:59.320 --> 0:28:02.480 ankle injury as well, questions coming from your family, your friends, 0:28:02.520 --> 0:28:05.199 are you going to play? Coming from just fans stepping 0:28:05.200 --> 0:28:07.480 out of the house and going somewhere. It was and 0:28:07.320 --> 0:28:09.320 you just didn't know, you know, and you didn't want 0:28:09.359 --> 0:28:10.879 to give an answer either because if you gave him 0:28:10.880 --> 0:28:12.520 an answer, they could go run to the press with 0:28:12.640 --> 0:28:13.920 it and you'd. 0:28:13.680 --> 0:28:14.760 Be like, oh, what the heck? 0:28:14.840 --> 0:28:17.320 And then you know, we everything was tight left here 0:28:17.880 --> 0:28:21.040 in the new England Patriots organization at that time, especially, 0:28:21.119 --> 0:28:23.440 so that was putting a lot of stresses on you 0:28:23.760 --> 0:28:26.480 as just a twenty two year old kid. So just 0:28:26.520 --> 0:28:28.639 going into the other Super Bowls, knew how to handle 0:28:28.720 --> 0:28:31.239 the demands not being injured, So not dealing with that 0:28:31.480 --> 0:28:34.600 just made those experiences just that much better than. 0:28:35.200 --> 0:28:36.800 Was that the best team that you played on? Rob 0:28:36.880 --> 0:28:40.800 here with that that fourteen team that beats Seattle in 0:28:40.880 --> 0:28:44.760 my career here here here in New England? Was that 0:28:44.760 --> 0:28:45.680 the best? 0:28:45.880 --> 0:28:47.040 I think he might think it was. 0:28:49.040 --> 0:28:52.880 That's why I qualified that that was a very special 0:28:52.920 --> 0:28:56.280 team game at what heck of a game. It was 0:28:56.280 --> 0:28:59.640 one of the best super Bowls Haymake all times, no 0:28:59.680 --> 0:29:01.600 doubt about that. People are like, what was your favorite 0:29:01.640 --> 0:29:04.200 super Bowl? Not I always say the first one, But 0:29:04.600 --> 0:29:07.440 it wasn't because it was just the first one, because 0:29:07.480 --> 0:29:09.960 the first one is always the sweetest, but it was 0:29:10.040 --> 0:29:12.280 also because it was one of the best games in 0:29:12.400 --> 0:29:15.880 Super Bowl history. Seattle was up, we came back, they 0:29:15.920 --> 0:29:17.680 went back up, We took the lead, and you go 0:29:17.760 --> 0:29:20.760 they go back down with you know, final final minute 0:29:20.760 --> 0:29:22.720 on the clock, and then Malcolm Butler has that game 0:29:22.760 --> 0:29:25.400 ceiling interception and then we're kneeling the ball and I'm 0:29:25.440 --> 0:29:29.480 throwing Haymakers out there versus Michael Bennett. You know, while 0:29:29.560 --> 0:29:31.360 just kneeling the ball, there's a huge brawl in the 0:29:31.480 --> 0:29:33.760 end zone. So there was just so much too, and 0:29:33.800 --> 0:29:36.760 it's just such a great, you know, perspective to fans too, 0:29:36.800 --> 0:29:39.240 for a game to watch of what it's all about 0:29:39.280 --> 0:29:41.800 to play, you know, you know, to play the game 0:29:41.840 --> 0:29:44.760 of football. Just that game brought everything to the table. 0:29:44.800 --> 0:29:46.320 And what was great it was such a team win. 0:29:46.760 --> 0:29:49.760 Julian had a touchdown, Brandon LaFell had a touchdown, a 0:29:49.920 --> 0:29:53.040 Mondola had a touchdown, I had a touchdown, and Shane 0:29:53.120 --> 0:29:56.200 Ververen went for about eleven catches right around there for 0:29:56.280 --> 0:29:58.440 like I don't know, one hundred something yards I think. 0:29:58.480 --> 0:30:00.360 But he had a big impact even though he didn't 0:30:00.360 --> 0:30:03.520 score a touchdown too. So just an incredible game overall. 0:30:03.560 --> 0:30:06.840 I was, by fiar, you know, my favorite super Bowl. 0:30:06.840 --> 0:30:09.560 But was that the best team? No, you want to 0:30:09.560 --> 0:30:12.520 believe what the best team was? I truly believe was 0:30:12.560 --> 0:30:16.520 the best one was the year after fifteen. Yeah, twenty fifteen, 0:30:16.800 --> 0:30:19.680 we went undefeated, We went ten to zero, and then 0:30:20.400 --> 0:30:21.800 we lost a couple of games. 0:30:22.040 --> 0:30:25.240 Yeah, I mean, this is a year that really frustrates 0:30:25.240 --> 0:30:28.120 me a little bit as a as a fanboy, because 0:30:28.440 --> 0:30:30.360 there were so many games. I thought that there was 0:30:30.400 --> 0:30:32.680 some questionable things down the stretch. I'm not gonna put 0:30:32.720 --> 0:30:34.760 you on me on that spot. You know the way 0:30:34.760 --> 0:30:36.560 you treated the Miami game at the end, with all 0:30:36.560 --> 0:30:40.240 the runs with Steven Jackson, you know, kicking off in 0:30:40.280 --> 0:30:43.640 overtime against the Jets. All they needed was one win. 0:30:43.800 --> 0:30:47.200 In that AFC Championship game against Denver, was here instead 0:30:47.200 --> 0:30:47.800 of in Denver. 0:30:48.000 --> 0:30:51.080 I do remember that, and going into that Miami game, 0:30:51.120 --> 0:30:53.960 we said we're going to run the ball every single play, 0:30:54.560 --> 0:30:57.000 I think until we get like five first downs in 0:30:57.040 --> 0:30:59.000 a row or like a touchdown or something. 0:30:59.320 --> 0:31:00.080 And we just kept. 0:31:00.200 --> 0:31:02.120 Running the ball and running the ball, and we were 0:31:02.120 --> 0:31:03.480 going nowhere with it. 0:31:03.480 --> 0:31:04.680 It was like third and ten. 0:31:04.920 --> 0:31:08.720 Run the ball, one more yard, punting on fourth and nine. 0:31:08.760 --> 0:31:10.920 But I do remember that game, and we lost like 0:31:10.960 --> 0:31:13.960 three in a row. We started off unbelievably hot, I 0:31:14.040 --> 0:31:16.880 mean ten and no. Everyone was on fire. I got 0:31:16.960 --> 0:31:19.200 hurt actually with a knee in that Denver game. 0:31:19.440 --> 0:31:21.480 Gain the ear of that game. 0:31:21.520 --> 0:31:22.840 You went down bad, I. 0:31:22.840 --> 0:31:24.880 Did, man, But that was just a bone bruise. But 0:31:25.040 --> 0:31:27.080 let me tell you, the bone bruise hurt more than 0:31:27.120 --> 0:31:29.959 actually blowing out your ACL and mcl I was like, 0:31:30.160 --> 0:31:31.320 I was on the field screaming. 0:31:31.360 --> 0:31:33.160 I was like, my career is done. 0:31:32.840 --> 0:31:35.520 Done with again. But good thing was just a bone bruise. 0:31:36.680 --> 0:31:39.400 But also that game, I was in the locker room. 0:31:39.440 --> 0:31:43.800 Right after we won that game, they called a holding penalty. 0:31:44.080 --> 0:31:47.720 I'm Patrick Chung in the end zone. Brock Oswiler was 0:31:47.760 --> 0:31:50.480 their quarterback and he threw a pass to the end zone. 0:31:50.600 --> 0:31:52.440 Let me tell you, I was watching it from the 0:31:52.520 --> 0:31:57.320 locker room. It was not a holding penalty. And that 0:31:57.440 --> 0:31:59.680 call right there, I think it was fourth and ten 0:31:59.760 --> 0:32:02.640 or so, and it gave him the first down, and 0:32:02.680 --> 0:32:04.440 it gave him the first down right on their own 0:32:04.480 --> 0:32:07.280 one yard line to go and score on the next play. 0:32:07.400 --> 0:32:10.360 But the game was over if that holing penalty was 0:32:10.400 --> 0:32:12.640 never called. And I'm telling you to this team, go 0:32:12.800 --> 0:32:16.680 bring up that play. Patrick Chong did not hold. And 0:32:16.720 --> 0:32:17.560 I remember that. 0:32:17.480 --> 0:32:18.520 Play clear as day. 0:32:18.600 --> 0:32:21.200 So we would have been eleven and zero, still hot, 0:32:21.320 --> 0:32:23.240 and then we lost to Philadelphiause you know, once you 0:32:23.280 --> 0:32:25.320 lose one game, you trick it trickles down. 0:32:25.400 --> 0:32:27.240 You lose another and we lost to Philly that year, 0:32:27.240 --> 0:32:29.480 who was terrible as well. I was out that game. 0:32:29.560 --> 0:32:33.160 Then we lost a couple otters at the end fold advantage. 0:32:33.320 --> 0:32:34.480 Yeah, four of the last six. 0:32:34.960 --> 0:32:38.040 Yeah, and so I want to get to so Yeah, 0:32:38.120 --> 0:32:40.640 that fifteen AFC Championship game, to me is one of 0:32:40.680 --> 0:32:44.440 the most ridiculous performances by you and Tom, you know, 0:32:44.560 --> 0:32:47.840 just because of how good that defense was, and especially 0:32:47.960 --> 0:32:50.880 that day. You know, von Miller was the best defensive 0:32:50.880 --> 0:32:54.920 player on the planet that day. He dominated up front. 0:32:55.120 --> 0:32:57.480 But you guys just keep hanging around and hanging around. 0:32:57.480 --> 0:33:00.800 It's fourth and ten and you guys, you know connect. 0:33:01.080 --> 0:33:04.160 Tom just says, go down the scene and make a play. 0:33:04.240 --> 0:33:06.160 Do you remember this catch that I'm talking about? Because 0:33:06.400 --> 0:33:08.480 for me, I know you made some circus catches that 0:33:08.520 --> 0:33:12.240 were incredible, But to me, I think it was TJ 0:33:12.400 --> 0:33:14.920 Ward hanging on you, who you had a little history 0:33:14.960 --> 0:33:17.520 with as well. Just take me through that play. That 0:33:17.600 --> 0:33:18.360 catch was amazing. 0:33:18.600 --> 0:33:22.400 I remember that was awesome, wasn't It was amazing? It 0:33:22.440 --> 0:33:24.360 was fourth and ten and our season was on the line. 0:33:24.440 --> 0:33:28.720 After remember that play to the exact t and from 0:33:28.720 --> 0:33:30.440 what I recall, actually. 0:33:32.280 --> 0:33:33.680 What was called in the huddle was. 0:33:33.680 --> 0:33:36.760 A screen pass to the left, and Brady switched to 0:33:36.800 --> 0:33:40.520 play right away, and he called all goes and I 0:33:40.560 --> 0:33:43.960 was like, yeah, that's right, all goes. I'm ready to go, baby, 0:33:44.200 --> 0:33:46.720 I'm on fire right now. I'm not ending the season 0:33:46.800 --> 0:33:49.320 like this. We're gonna get this first down and I'm 0:33:49.360 --> 0:33:52.720 just gonna take off. And when I'm taking off, Brady 0:33:52.720 --> 0:33:54.720 can read that. You know, this guy's got a mind 0:33:54.760 --> 0:33:56.719 of his own, Like he can tell if a player 0:33:57.240 --> 0:33:59.600 is rolling down the field or now he knows when 0:33:59.640 --> 0:34:02.200 a player going full speed, and that's who he always 0:34:02.240 --> 0:34:06.040 goes to. Like he can read the decisiveness of a 0:34:06.120 --> 0:34:08.160 wide receiver or a tight end or a running back 0:34:08.200 --> 0:34:10.440 to the te and that's how he always knew what 0:34:10.480 --> 0:34:12.480 guy to go to. And he always knew who was 0:34:12.520 --> 0:34:14.400 on fire at the moment and who wasn't. And he 0:34:14.440 --> 0:34:16.359 could tell my eyes. Right when we broke that Hud, 0:34:16.440 --> 0:34:18.239 I was like, oh, you better just toss his ball up. 0:34:18.400 --> 0:34:19.800 I was like, I don't care who's in front of me, 0:34:19.840 --> 0:34:22.000 And right when that thing was hike boom, I just 0:34:22.040 --> 0:34:24.080 took off and they had that safety. 0:34:24.080 --> 0:34:26.280 He was all pro. Actually I was double coverage. 0:34:26.280 --> 0:34:28.520 I had a linebacker right to my actually safety to 0:34:28.560 --> 0:34:30.959 my left and the other safety right to my right, 0:34:31.280 --> 0:34:33.520 and I just split him and went right through him, 0:34:33.560 --> 0:34:35.759 right down the middle, right up to see him, and 0:34:35.800 --> 0:34:37.279 Brady just launched that ball up. 0:34:37.320 --> 0:34:38.280 I was like, yeah, that's. 0:34:38.160 --> 0:34:39.759 Right, I'm gonna go grab this thing and We're going 0:34:39.800 --> 0:34:42.720 to continue this drive and our season is not ending 0:34:43.040 --> 0:34:46.799 right now. And I just went up there. Brady put 0:34:46.840 --> 0:34:49.040 the ball right on the money. I just put my 0:34:49.120 --> 0:34:51.800 hands out, brought it in, got hit right both ways 0:34:52.040 --> 0:34:54.040 on my right, in my left right at the same time, 0:34:54.080 --> 0:34:54.680 and brought it in. 0:34:54.760 --> 0:34:56.920 Man. And let me tell you, I was out of breath. 0:34:57.320 --> 0:34:59.960 I was like, whoa. I knew our season wasn't gonna 0:35:00.120 --> 0:35:00.520 and but. 0:35:00.520 --> 0:35:02.799 I was like, oh, help me up because I can't 0:35:02.840 --> 0:35:05.239 breathe right now. And then uh, I kind of took 0:35:05.280 --> 0:35:07.759 off like the next three plays, like like I kind 0:35:07.760 --> 0:35:07.960 of just. 0:35:08.000 --> 0:35:11.160 Chipped the touchdown. Well I was, I was in on 0:35:11.200 --> 0:35:12.439 the plays, but I kind of took off. 0:35:12.480 --> 0:35:14.879 I just kind of lats of days ago through it, 0:35:15.239 --> 0:35:17.279 you know, just because I was so winded from that 0:35:17.360 --> 0:35:20.000 play and being up you know, at the mile high, 0:35:20.600 --> 0:35:22.520 and also I was sick for that game. I swear 0:35:22.560 --> 0:35:23.799 I had food poisoning man. 0:35:24.080 --> 0:35:24.400 I was. 0:35:24.440 --> 0:35:26.960 I was basically throwing up on the sideline. It was brutal, 0:35:27.040 --> 0:35:29.239 but hey, I always come through in the clutch, and 0:35:29.239 --> 0:35:31.200 when the seasons on the line, you always throw that 0:35:31.239 --> 0:35:33.279 ball up to Robbie g Baby. And then I had 0:35:33.280 --> 0:35:36.040 that two point conversion as well. That that I was 0:35:36.080 --> 0:35:39.120 double coverage, double covered on and I kind of jumped 0:35:39.120 --> 0:35:41.240 over the guys and had, you know, control my body 0:35:41.239 --> 0:35:42.759 to go and make the catch, and Tom just threw 0:35:42.760 --> 0:35:44.680 it up there again. It was fourth and two, and 0:35:44.960 --> 0:35:46.719 actually no, it was a two point conversion. No, it 0:35:46.760 --> 0:35:47.320 was a touchdown. 0:35:47.480 --> 0:35:48.080 It was a touchdown. 0:35:48.080 --> 0:35:49.880 It was a touchdown, it was fourth down, it was 0:35:49.960 --> 0:35:50.560 fourth and goal. 0:35:50.719 --> 0:35:53.000 Yeah, I wasn't going to bring out two point conversion 0:35:53.000 --> 0:35:53.759 because they didn't throw it. 0:35:53.960 --> 0:35:55.680 We're not talking about the two point conversion. I was 0:35:55.719 --> 0:35:56.239 open though. 0:35:58.040 --> 0:36:02.400 A couple other games, rob uh fourteen, the Jonas Gray game. 0:36:02.760 --> 0:36:06.560 Oh you, I mean you had an unbelievable touchdown where 0:36:06.600 --> 0:36:08.640 it seems like you literally ran through every member of 0:36:08.680 --> 0:36:13.280 the Colts. But we're talking about the play where you 0:36:13.360 --> 0:36:16.759 threw Sergio. You threw Sergio out of the club. That's 0:36:16.800 --> 0:36:18.479 what everybody remembers about that game. 0:36:18.760 --> 0:36:22.160 Yes, they do. I mean that's a real tight end. Like, yeah, 0:36:22.200 --> 0:36:22.839 that's a real time. 0:36:22.880 --> 0:36:24.640 I don't disrespect to some of these other guys with 0:36:24.800 --> 0:36:27.000 pass catchers, but you're a blocking guy too. 0:36:27.239 --> 0:36:28.680 I am a dark and you're gonna. 0:36:28.480 --> 0:36:30.520 Block your ass off, yes, And you blocked your ass 0:36:30.520 --> 0:36:31.879 off on that play, that's for sure. 0:36:31.880 --> 0:36:34.799 I had a lot of a pride in my blocking. Man. 0:36:34.840 --> 0:36:36.680 I love blocking. I truly believe that. 0:36:37.040 --> 0:36:39.320 You know, it helped me, you know, in the passing 0:36:39.360 --> 0:36:40.840 game as well. It helped me get open in the 0:36:40.880 --> 0:36:44.160 play action. And it just you know, I truly I 0:36:44.320 --> 0:36:46.920 just always felt and believed in as a tight end, 0:36:47.000 --> 0:36:48.880 just when I when I started playing the position that 0:36:48.920 --> 0:36:51.040 you had to do both. Man, that's what it's all about, 0:36:51.080 --> 0:36:53.479 you know, doing the dirty work and then also going 0:36:53.480 --> 0:36:55.680 out there and making plays as well in the passing game. 0:36:56.040 --> 0:36:57.000 But on that play, I. 0:36:56.920 --> 0:36:59.799 Mean, Sergio Brown came in with me here with the 0:36:59.840 --> 0:37:01.839 new the papers. He was a free agent that year 0:37:01.840 --> 0:37:04.080 out of Notre Dame, and he was a great player. 0:37:04.120 --> 0:37:06.520 He was a safety here. Uh he was. He was 0:37:06.560 --> 0:37:07.720 a great special teamer. 0:37:08.000 --> 0:37:10.200 And then he went over to the Colts and uh, 0:37:10.320 --> 0:37:12.080 you know, he did great things for us while he 0:37:12.160 --> 0:37:14.600 was here with the pages. But that game, man, he 0:37:14.760 --> 0:37:17.160 just went and stopped talking. Man, he just went to stop, 0:37:17.600 --> 0:37:20.280 you know, you know, trying to get under my skin. 0:37:20.680 --> 0:37:22.919 And let me tell you, he eventually got under my skin. 0:37:23.000 --> 0:37:25.719 When you get under my skin talking garbage, you know, 0:37:25.840 --> 0:37:27.880 it's not gonna be good for you on that defensive 0:37:27.880 --> 0:37:29.960 side of the ball. And that's what happened. And finally 0:37:30.000 --> 0:37:31.759 I just ticked it. I was like a ticking time 0:37:31.800 --> 0:37:34.439 bomb the whole game. He just kept going off and off, 0:37:34.480 --> 0:37:37.680 talking garbage, and then finally he just he hit it. 0:37:37.760 --> 0:37:40.680 He hit that switch, and then I saw. 0:37:40.520 --> 0:37:42.640 I noticed that play like, all right, one on one 0:37:42.719 --> 0:37:45.120 right here, I'm just gonna drive. I'm gonna drive your 0:37:45.160 --> 0:37:48.200 butt all the way until I can't drive you anymore, 0:37:48.280 --> 0:37:50.720 until you get planted, you know, into the ground. 0:37:50.800 --> 0:37:52.960 And that's basically what happened. Man. 0:37:52.960 --> 0:37:54.560 That's why after the game, I was sitting there with 0:37:54.640 --> 0:37:57.160 Chris Collinsworth. I was like, hey, Chris conwer, he was 0:37:57.200 --> 0:37:58.960 just yapping too much. I had to throw him out 0:37:58.960 --> 0:37:59.440 of the club. 0:38:00.520 --> 0:38:02.400 Great line, so a lot of great catches. 0:38:03.239 --> 0:38:03.400 You know. 0:38:03.440 --> 0:38:05.279 There was another one in a Denver game at home. 0:38:05.680 --> 0:38:06.360 Is there a catch? 0:38:06.760 --> 0:38:09.279 One particular catch that stands out among the rest of them. 0:38:09.520 --> 0:38:11.800 Four It was in fourteen as well. Here against Denver, 0:38:12.200 --> 0:38:14.520 Tom throws that up and he goes, how did you 0:38:14.600 --> 0:38:15.680 eten catch that ball? 0:38:16.120 --> 0:38:19.640 You know, I kind of made Tom's career if you 0:38:19.680 --> 0:38:22.400 really think about it. Same with Julian, same with Moss. 0:38:22.560 --> 0:38:25.200 I mean Tom should be, you know, thanking us by 0:38:25.200 --> 0:38:27.759 selling us a gift every every single year, like a 0:38:27.840 --> 0:38:31.040 four wheeler for Christmas, would be much appreciated for all 0:38:31.320 --> 0:38:32.080 all those you know. 0:38:33.160 --> 0:38:33.960 You're get things. 0:38:34.000 --> 0:38:36.839 I know I'm just messing around, but uh, you know 0:38:37.080 --> 0:38:40.359 I want to be here without Tom and uh but yeah, 0:38:40.480 --> 0:38:43.839 I would say one of my favorite catches was versus 0:38:43.840 --> 0:38:47.160 the Buffalo Bills and and to tell your truth, to 0:38:47.200 --> 0:38:50.200 catch happened because Tom put the ball. He plays the 0:38:50.200 --> 0:38:51.919 ball where only I could go and make the play 0:38:51.920 --> 0:38:52.960 because I was kind of covered. 0:38:53.000 --> 0:38:53.200 I was. 0:38:53.239 --> 0:38:56.640 I was going versus their all pro safety man names. Man, 0:38:56.840 --> 0:38:58.440 we're out of the league for a little bit. You 0:38:58.520 --> 0:39:00.000 got to look back and you can't get the name 0:39:00.000 --> 0:39:01.600 gas right in the spy. I mean, that's not good. 0:39:01.600 --> 0:39:03.960 But there's so many memories and so many players that's hard. 0:39:04.280 --> 0:39:07.200 But I was going all Pro safety. I was spread 0:39:07.200 --> 0:39:09.160 out wide one on one. It was right here in 0:39:09.200 --> 0:39:13.759 Jellette Stadium, this corner right there, the opposite corner, left 0:39:13.800 --> 0:39:17.719 side of the lighthouse, yep. And he threw it up 0:39:17.760 --> 0:39:20.200 there and I was on the two yard line. I 0:39:20.320 --> 0:39:22.680 just reached back like that. It was a one hander yep, 0:39:22.719 --> 0:39:27.960 versus my hometown Buffalo Bills, and vaguely just brought it in, 0:39:28.040 --> 0:39:30.359 didn't even use my second hand, brought it in toe 0:39:30.520 --> 0:39:33.080 tapped into the end zone and then fell. 0:39:33.800 --> 0:39:35.640 So it was a one handed grab. Baby. It was 0:39:36.040 --> 0:39:38.160 a beauty. It was one of my favorite catches. 0:39:38.280 --> 0:39:39.759 We're gonna wrap this up here in a second, but 0:39:39.760 --> 0:39:41.879 I got to ask you this one. You talked about 0:39:41.920 --> 0:39:44.319 Super Bowl fourteen, how much it mentioned everything like that? 0:39:45.400 --> 0:39:49.360 The Kansas City game. It wasn't a super Bowl. It 0:39:49.440 --> 0:39:52.919 got you to the super Bowl. That was your last year. 0:39:54.320 --> 0:39:56.960 How great was that? Kind of like the last call, 0:39:57.920 --> 0:40:00.720 but for Rob Gronkowski's part. You know, in that Kansas 0:40:00.760 --> 0:40:03.400 City game in the cold, you know that that team's 0:40:03.480 --> 0:40:06.759 on the come, here they come and everything like that. 0:40:06.760 --> 0:40:09.080 That was a game. I don't want to put words 0:40:09.080 --> 0:40:10.520 in your mouth. How great was that game? 0:40:10.680 --> 0:40:13.120 That was one of the greatest AFC championship games you 0:40:13.160 --> 0:40:16.080 could ever imagine or ever be out. It was probably 0:40:16.080 --> 0:40:19.360 the greatest AFC Championship game, which was wild. I was 0:40:19.400 --> 0:40:21.799 actually hanging out with I was hanging out with my 0:40:21.880 --> 0:40:24.520 nephews about four weeks ago, and they're starting to get 0:40:24.560 --> 0:40:26.960 to the age where they understand things now. They understand, 0:40:27.040 --> 0:40:29.200 you know that I played in the NFL, that I'm 0:40:29.239 --> 0:40:31.239 on YouTube and everything. And I was just sitting there 0:40:31.239 --> 0:40:34.160 in my little nephew. He goes and puts YouTube body 0:40:34.280 --> 0:40:37.000 and he types in my name and he puts the 0:40:37.080 --> 0:40:41.400 last five minutes on of the AFC Championship game in 0:40:41.440 --> 0:40:45.600 twenty eighteen. It was correct Yep VERSU the Kansas City Chiefs, 0:40:45.600 --> 0:40:48.000 and we watched the last four minutes of the game. 0:40:48.920 --> 0:40:51.279 And that was the first time I've actually seen the game. 0:40:51.640 --> 0:40:53.120 And let me tell you, I. 0:40:53.160 --> 0:40:56.319 Was getting goosebumps again. Man, I was getting excited. I 0:40:56.360 --> 0:40:59.759 couldn't believe what was going on in that game. How 0:40:59.760 --> 0:41:02.440 many touchdowns were scored in the final four minutes. We 0:41:02.480 --> 0:41:05.479 went down, we went down, we scored, they came back, 0:41:05.520 --> 0:41:07.720 they scored. We went back down and scored a touchdown 0:41:07.760 --> 0:41:09.640 to take the lead, and then with thirty seconds left, 0:41:09.680 --> 0:41:12.279 Patrick Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes sing. He threw a big 0:41:12.360 --> 0:41:14.799 deep pass got him in field goal position, and they 0:41:14.880 --> 0:41:17.600 kicked the field goal with the final seconds left and 0:41:17.719 --> 0:41:20.680 regulation to put us into overtime. It was one of 0:41:20.680 --> 0:41:24.200 the most exciting four minutes I've ever watched. And I 0:41:24.280 --> 0:41:26.040 played in the game and I knew what was going 0:41:26.120 --> 0:41:28.719 to happen, and it was still that exciting. And what 0:41:28.760 --> 0:41:30.839 made it so great was that we had so many 0:41:30.920 --> 0:41:33.919 third and tens and fourth and tens. We weren't moving 0:41:33.920 --> 0:41:36.319 the ball on those final drives on the first down 0:41:36.360 --> 0:41:40.120 or second down, but we completed the third down every 0:41:40.520 --> 0:41:41.200 single time. 0:41:41.239 --> 0:41:42.839 And Julian Edelman balled out. 0:41:43.000 --> 0:41:44.920 It was Julian Edelman over the middle third and ten, 0:41:45.040 --> 0:41:47.239 Julian Eddo over the middle third and ten that I'm 0:41:47.239 --> 0:41:49.880 spreading out wide fourth and ten slant for a first 0:41:49.920 --> 0:41:51.840 down and then the fade for a first down, and 0:41:51.880 --> 0:41:55.880 then rex Burg had runs in for the overtime touchdown 0:41:55.920 --> 0:41:59.360 as well. So it was just one of the best 0:42:00.360 --> 0:42:02.160 four minutes of football. 0:42:02.280 --> 0:42:05.239 That you could ever watch. Was that ASC championship game. 0:42:05.280 --> 0:42:08.480 Man, what what an incredible, you know moment, And to 0:42:08.560 --> 0:42:10.839 win on the road for the first time, to get 0:42:10.880 --> 0:42:11.720 to the super Bowl. 0:42:12.400 --> 0:42:15.880 Just made the Patriots dynasty that much greater. 0:42:16.000 --> 0:42:19.080 Man, appreciate you coming in. Thank you so much. Happy 0:42:19.120 --> 0:42:22.160 Thanksgiving to you and your family. You'll be here at 0:42:22.160 --> 0:42:24.120 some point time, sooner rather than later to get a 0:42:24.160 --> 0:42:26.800 red jacket. You're gonna get a gold jacket and canton 0:42:26.800 --> 0:42:29.640 whenever your time comes from there. It was a pleasure 0:42:29.719 --> 0:42:32.759 to watch your career and see how great you were 0:42:32.800 --> 0:42:34.080 and how you made this team great. 0:42:34.080 --> 0:42:34.719 Thank you so much. 0:42:34.760 --> 0:42:35.280 Tremendous. 0:42:35.400 --> 0:42:37.880 Yes, I appreciate that, guys. Thank you guys for having me. 0:42:37.920 --> 0:42:40.120 This is this is really cool, man, to be here 0:42:40.120 --> 0:42:42.439 and just to be back in the building and see 0:42:42.440 --> 0:42:44.479 some of the guys. Man, it's bringing back so many 0:42:44.520 --> 0:42:47.200 great memories, man, and it's juicing me back up. 0:42:47.239 --> 0:42:48.919 And I like it. Man, this is really cool. 0:42:48.960 --> 0:42:51.480 So thank you guys for inviting me in and go 0:42:51.560 --> 0:42:53.960 check out the at the Patriots Hall of Fame. If 0:42:53.960 --> 0:42:56.919 you can Grink, spike harder than Gronk can spike, because 0:42:57.280 --> 0:42:59.000 the velosity was tested. 0:42:58.960 --> 0:43:00.000 And there's a mission. 0:43:00.239 --> 0:43:03.719 It gives you the you know, the wavelength of how 0:43:03.760 --> 0:43:06.359 hard you can spike, and if you can compare it, 0:43:06.520 --> 0:43:07.719 you know, you can compare. 0:43:07.360 --> 0:43:10.080 It to my velocity and how hard I can spike. 0:43:10.160 --> 0:43:13.120 So go check it out and just great to feedback. Man, 0:43:13.200 --> 0:43:15.120 this is a pleasure, so if you guys are the best, 0:43:15.520 --> 0:43:16.120 good plucks. 0:43:16.440 --> 0:43:18.200 Thanks Robin, It's no problem. 0:43:18.320 --> 0:43:20.040 Thank you for downloading this podcast. 0:43:20.280 --> 0:43:23.560 Subscribe on Apple, Google Play, and everywhere else you listen. 0:43:23.960 --> 0:43:26.080 Like the show, please rate and review us. 0:43:26.320 --> 0:43:28.880 Listener comments and ratings help keep us high in the 0:43:28.880 --> 0:43:31.680 podcast rankings so new listeners can find us. 0:43:31.800 --> 0:43:34.880 Be sure to check Patriots dot com for more news 0:43:34.920 --> 0:43:37.600 and more podcasts.