Rob Gronkowski Quotes

Something I really pride myself on is not just being a running back that can catch the ball but if I move out to the slot, I become a receiver.

I really try to pride myself on route running, catching and being able to be a mismatch anywhere on the field.

Being able to play basketball at a high level, adjusting to the ball in the air, quick feet, quick hands and all that stuff definitely translates to playing tight end in the National Football League.

I think you have to have a high football IQ. Obviously, you have to have the physical ability to run fast and get open. But you also have to have a high football IQ.

I was always fast; I was always racing guys that were older than me and beating them, so I always had speed. I was able to make good cuts at a young age, on the side of the house with my dad, going through different plays, working on cuts and stuff like that.

I'm just a receiver. I don't want to be labeled as a deep-threat guy, which is always going to happen because I'm always going to be able to run past people until I'm slow. I watch some guys who are very good at being deep threats, but it's like people don't respect them doing anything else.

It takes a tremendous amount of skill to be a football player. And some of these guys have enough skills to do other sports. Soccer could be one. Basketball could be another. Things where you need incredible hand-eye coordination are always options. I think a football player would be able to adapt to a lot of sports.

We used to play touch football, where you put the little rag in your pocket. I was good because I was fast. I wasn't the greatest at catching. Sometimes the ball would come so hard and fast that it'd knock the wind out of me.

Jaelen Strong's big. He runs really good routes. He's got great hands.

You need guys who can run and throw.

People look at my legs and they see I can make big plays, but they don't really see my arm, and I make big plays with my arm.

It is very hard to find a good defender who is strong and good with the ball. Very hard.

Calvin Johnson, we've never seen a receiver like him - size, speed and how he's developed his overall route running and toughness.

I'm not one of those typical receivers who's like a robot in the slot or outside.

A lot of sprinters aren't football players. I'm a football player. That's the difference between me and a sprinter. My knowledge of the game. I'm totally different than any other track guy.

Being a tight end, you have to be able to do everything. You have to be able to run routes; you have to be able to block, pass-protect, and run with the ball after a catch. So, that's how I attack my workouts - focusing on doing everything.

Everybody's fast and strong, but to go out there and throw pass-rush moves or be able to do something different on the run to get them off balance. Anybody can run into somebody, but if you can shake them a little bit at the line, that's what's helped me out as a player.

I think I proved that I was a polished receiver.

I love Forlan. He runs a lot, shoots with both feet, puts pressure on and he is intelligent and fast.

Messi simply cannot be stopped by yourself. Ronaldo is easier because he is more about athletic prowess.

I was certainly no Maradona. I was a very fast player. When I saw a space, I used it. When I went past somebody, he didn't catch up with me again. I was a player who came with a run-up. What Maradona could see in a small space, I saw over long distances.

As far as what it takes to play football, I've got all it requires.

You break down the tape of the top five backs, all those guys can catch the ball out the backfield. They're special with the ball in hand. Something I strive to be.

I was always pretty much the biggest running back on the field at any given time.

I had not so much talent. I was a striker who could score, but running was not my main goal.