Bruce Arians is viewed as much more easy-going than Bill Belichick, but that does not mean the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach is afraid to ream out his star players. Rob Gronkowksi has witnessed that first-hand after coming out of retirement.
Gronkowski took a year off from playing last year, and there was some talk earlier in the offseason that he was struggling with his conditioning. Gronk told reporters this week that Arians has come down on him hard a couple of times and isn’t afraid to deliver a tongue lashing.
“At first it was like, wow, that was pretty funny if you’re not receiving it,” Gronkowski said. “Then when you receive it you’re like, oh shoot, it’s not as funny anymore.”
Gronk said he appreciates trash talk — even if it comes from the head coach.
“The trash talking is always cool, too. That’s part of football,” he said. “There’s never gonna be just a pat on the back every single play or every single route. It’s football. You’ve gotta be mentally tough and mentally strong or you’re gonna get called out.”
Gronkowski played nine seasons with the Patriots, which is why he recently said he feels like a rookie with his new team. However, he and Tom Brady should have the chemistry down pat. Even with the conditioning issues, Arians has already set extremely high expectations for Gronk.
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