Following Friday night's preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasn't happy. One issue he has with the team's performance is the lack of explosive plays from the offense.
If Belichick isn't happy, no one in the Patriots' Foxborough, Massachusetts headquarters is happy. Not even the usually gregarious Rob Gronkowski, reports Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.
"We're not playing well as a unit, and when we're not playing well as a unit, you're never really happy," said Gronkowski, who has four receptions for 44 yards in two preseason games. Gronkowski scored his first touchdown on his longest play (16 yards) this summer against the Buccaneers on Friday night.
"It's definitely frustrating. We gotta take what we did wrong, we gotta take what we did right, and build off it," Gronkowski added. "We have to do our corrections. We have to go out and get our chemistry down as an offense in practice. That's where it starts."
Gronkowski may make headlines for his colorful personality and off-field adventures, but he's made it clear that he's all about football at this point in the calendar. With a six-year, $54 million contract extension in his back pocket, the 23-year-old Gronkowski's role as a vocal leader on offense might be increasing and his comments from this weekend seem to reflect that.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter @brian_mcintyre.