Getty Rob Gronkowski says that Leonard Fournette could make an impact.
Rob Gronkowski saw plenty of wins over the Buffalo Bills during his career, so wasn’t too impressed with how New England Patriots players handled themselves after an upset win on Sunday.
Gronkowski took aim at some of the players from his former team for their reaction to the 29-25 win on October 22, saying their celebration went a little too far — especially for a team that is still 2-5 and at the bottom of the AFC East.
Rob Gronkowski: ‘That Celebration Was Pretty Ridiculous’
Appearing on “Up & Adams” on October 25, Gronkowski spoke out against the exuberant celebration from some Patriots players after they upset the Bills in Foxboro. The win was the second of the year for New England, and dropped the Bills to 4-3.
“They’re acting like they’ve never been there before…griddying all over the place”
@RobGronkowski was NOT a fan of the Patriots celebrations after their win…
The future Hall of Fame tight end said head coach Bill Belichick would have put an end to that behavior during his tenure with the team.
“If you asked me that celebration was pretty ridiculous, whenever we celebrated just a little bit we would get hounded,” Gronkowski said. “They’ve just won one game and they celebrated more than we would when we won a Super Bowl. That was like one of the most absurd celebrations, I’m like wow they won a game and they went that crazy like they acting like they have never been there before.”
Gronkowski was near-perfect against the Bills during his career, winning 13 of his 15 games with the Patriots and winning another as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. In those games — the equivalent of one full NFL season — Gronkowski made 120 catches for 1,132 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Gronkowski was not too popular among Bills fans, not only for his performances and success against the team but also his controversial 2017 hit on cornerback Tre’Davious White that led to the only suspension of his career. But Gronkowski, who grew up in a Buffalo suburb and said the Bills were his favorite team, also said he wished he could have suited up for the Bills at some point during his career.
“In a way for sure, you know,” Gronkowski said in an appearance on “Up & Adams” when asked if he was “bummed” he never got to play for his hometown team. “That’s a dream come true, especially when you’re a kid, you definitely want to play for your hometown team because that’s the team that you’re watching your whole time growing up.”
Bills Feel Target on Their Backs
While the loss to the Patriots was a disappointment to the Bills, veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips said they need to get used to having a target on their backs.
“We’re going to get [opponents’] best shots, whatever it is,” Phillips said, via ESPN. “We’re a team everybody wants to beat and we got to stop playing down to certain different people. We got to do our thing and play Buffalo Bills football. We haven’t done that the last couple weeks, even though we won last week.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen said the team can learn from the loss to the Patriots, as well as their struggled in the two previous games. In a win over the New York Giants on October 15 and a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 8, the Bills suffered from slow starts just as they did on Sunday against the Patriots.
“I wish I knew the exact answer because we’d have it fixed by now,” Allen told reporters this week. “We’re going to watch this film and find a way to get there, whatever it is. Our season is not over. It’s a long season. Feels pretty bleak right now, but we’re going to figure it out.”
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Rob Gronkowski Blasts Patriots Players for Conduct After Bills Win