It takes something special to animate Bill Belichick, the brusque Patriots coach who over his career has personified monotone coachspeak.
Enter Rob Gronkowski.
MORE: Classic photos of Rob Gronkowski
When asked about his star tight end Wednesday, Belichick adopted a more personable tone as he raved about Gronkowski's all-around ability and emergence as an "underrated" leader in the Patriots' offense, which also includes All-Pro quarterback Tom Brady.
“He doesn’t really come across in that (leadership) role,” Belichick told reporters, per ESPN.com. “He’s a great guy to have on the team; forget about the talent and all that. Just the way he goes about his job, the way he works and trains in the weight room, his physical conditioning; his mental concentration and focus to be well and do well and improve are very, very good.”
Belichick also said Gronkowski rates among the best blocking tight ends he's seen in 41 years of coaching, next to former Giant Mark Bavaro.
The 6-6, 265-pound Gronkowski earns praise for his multifaceted skill set, which last week prompted Bills coach Rex Ryan to admit only King Kong could effectively cover Gronk one-on-one. He proved Ryan right, catching seven balls for 113 yards and a touchdown in a 40-32 win over the Bills. That followed Gronkowski's three-touchdown performance against the Steelers in Week 1.
Belichick can't get enough of it.
"Probably other than the quarterback, the tight end position on our offense is the hardest to play because you have all the protections, all the running game and you have routes from sideline to the middle of the field to occasionally even in the backfield," he said. "There’s really no plays off mentally for that position."
Gronkowski's early-season production, however unsustainable, puts him on pace to catch 32 touchdowns this year. That would shatter the NFL single-season record of 23 set by Randy Moss as Patriot in 2007.
