Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski — a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champion — doesn’t watch film.
He made the confession on Peyton and Eli Manning’s alternate “Monday Night Football” broadcast on ESPN2 during the Packers’ 35-17 win over the Lions. Gronkowski just relies on Tom Brady, with whom he’s been teammates his entire career.
“I don’t watch film,” Gronkowski said. “I do go up to Tom [Brady], because I know Tom watches like, I don’t know, 40 hours of film a week.
“[I’ll ask], ‘Tom, who is covering me, and what type of coverages are they doing?’ I go, ‘That’s why I love playing with you Tom, you know everything.’”
Gronkowski, 32, explained that his method of preparation is based on how he’s feeling on game day.
“My teammate [Cameron] Brate just asked me the other day, ‘Rob, I have a serious question: Do you ever watch film?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t. I just run by guys, if I’m feeling good, I’m feeling good,” Gronkowski said.
“So I don’t watch film. I do watch film when the team is showing it,” he told the Manning brothers, adding that he’ll watch NFL games on television “every once in a while.”
“Keep it simple,” Eli said.
Pat McAfee also joined the show, and later quote-tweeted Gronkowski, writing, “‘I don’t watch film.. I just run by guys.'”
The Bucs star replied, “I have people who watch film for me @tombrady.”
While many players spend a lot of time studying film, Gronkowski’s opposite method seems to be working.
In the first two games this season, he’s tallied 12 catches for 129 yards and four touchdowns.