4th & South - Rob Gronkowski on WILDEST parties, Patriots-Jaguars BEEF, Bucs Super Bowl stories

We kicked this off like, damn, we got Robbie G in the building, the legend, and yes, playoff Lenny is in the chair asking who gave him that name.

Robbie G was my high school handle, then the league flipped it to Gronk, and playoff Lenny brought that old name back, baby.

I ran through your resume and asked how it hits now, because it is stacked.

When you are grinding week to week you do not feel it, but hearing it now reminds me I really left a mark.

Draft night still on your mind, because I always felt you were a first rounder.

I sat in New York through the first round tight, then went second to New England and the disappointment flipped to the best feeling ever.

You said your hands never failed you; where did that come from?

My dad peppered us with balls in the backyard, so hand-eye got built early and never left, and big mitts help me snatch anything on set or on the field.

Two years in Tampa, give me your favorite non-game memory and why our locker room vibe mattered.

We invented little games like trash football that kept us tight, and after the bye we finally clicked, won eight straight, and became the first team to win a title in our own stadium.

I was salty early as the number two and even a healthy scratch, but you and the vets helped me grow past that.

You had been a top guy your whole life, so that role hit hard, but you flipped it when your number got called and that is how playoff Lenny was born.

And yes, I hit the 50-yard post and took 15 grand off you, which you paid on time.

You earned it, and for the record you throw a tighter spiral than most backs I have seen.

When did you know we had the Chiefs handled?

Practices were crisp, zero mental errors, and we stuck to the plan without panic checks, so I felt we would control it and we did.

That playoff run felt brutal and historic from the couch; walk us through it.

We won on the road at Washington, then out-toughed New Orleans and Green Bay while the defense surged, and in the Super Bowl our complementary ball was the cleanest it gets.

How much does championship experience matter when everyone is chasing you?

It is always about who plays best that day, but experience helps you ignore the Super Bowl chaos; in Tampa COVID made it a pure work week with no distractions.

Who was the most talented team you were on?

Skill for skill that 2020 roster was probably the best, and great teams need ones and twos who are both ones in quality.

Our buy-in came from honesty; Tom told us some days it was three targets and a whole lot of blocking, so we earned trust with extra routes after practice and used every guy’s lane, like Scotty before half in Green Bay.

Exactly—everyone had their moment in that run, and timing was everything.

Next year still hurts—the Rams game, injuries, and the AB mess.

Repeating is brutal; health, timing, cohesion all slipped a bit and that is all it takes to fall short even when you are good.

Physically, how were those Tampa years after New England and the first retirement?

The year off helped, but I had to play smarter with less burst, lean on play-action and feel for holes, and I do not miss the game now because I did what I set out to do.

Duval still hits me about that 2018 title game; did New England cheat us?

The Miles Jack strip was a bang-bang call that would look different in slow motion, but Tom’s last drive was just surgical patience into tight windows to Dola and the backs.

You party, but you learned the line—what was the wildest stretch?

After beating Seattle I rolled from the team party to Kimmel to the parade on almost no sleep, a full three-day heater, and later I learned how to cap it so I could actually recover.

Compare Belichick and BA and how they hit you different.

Bill is hands-on, hard standards, and more defensive-minded accountability, while BA is offensive, teaches through the scheme, and is more laid back.

Is the Patriot Way real?

We never said those words in-house; it was a daily standard of trust and accountability, and that structure was what I needed coming from party-mode Arizona.

You kept it simple with money and clothes, and folks say you never touched your NFL checks—true?

I lived on appearances and deals, stayed frugal, and let my contracts sit, which made life easy when the career took off.

Did Kobe pull you into BodyArmor?

I was the first athlete there, left when the renewal dipped, then learned the equity lesson when those early shares paid out, and now I have invested in Recover 180 with the founder.

Drop a quick money tip for young guys.

Do not sprint into cars and jewelry that tank in value; live within your means, stack cash, and remember the league stands for not for long.

You and Jules talked with AJ Brown; any tea or Patriots hope?

He kept it tight, and a trade would take a monster offer; otherwise he stays put.

How is the hammy after that flag game, and are you picking anyone to surge?

I popped it on a third catch, rested five weeks, ran smooth this morning, and I like the Rams as a real contender while the Cowboys hit about nine wins and still miss.

Before we bounce, three celebrity invites for a Gronk party and one party pooper you would skip.

Give me Miley in the wrecking ball era, Jim Carrey for pure energy, and Bieber for heat; early-career Tom and old-school Bill were my buzzkills, though I would invite both now.

Y’all heard it here first; appreciate you, Robbie G, send that tropical ice, and take care of that hammy so we can run it back in flags.

Much love, fellas—this was a blast, and good luck surviving the offseason, football fans.