“He Was Like a Pony on a Horse”: Rob Gronkowski Recalls “Carrying” Tom Brady in Patriots vs. Colts Game

Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman remain two of Tom Brady’s closest friends and biggest supporters. The pair often reminisce about their glory days with the New England Patriots, particularly their intense battles against the Indianapolis Colts. Recently, Gronk recounted a moment when the roles were reversed — when it wasn’t Brady carrying the Patriots, but Gronk, who carried the superstar, quite literally.

On the latest episode of the Dudes on Dudes podcast, Gronk reminisced about a memorable five-yard out route he ran against the Colts, describing it as one of his best. After catching the ball, he left a defender spinning with a slick move and took off down the field.

As soon as Edelman spotted Gronk running, he bolted into action, delivering a vicious block on an incoming defender to clear the way. Near the end zone, Colts DB Darius Butler attempted to tackle Gronk, but the tight end hurdled over him and powered his way into the end zone.

Watching the entire play unfold from behind, Brady was thrilled by the teamwork and sheer determination. Overcome with excitement, he sprinted into the end zone, jumped onto Gronk’s shoulders, and celebrated the touchdown. Gronk carried him a short distance in pure jubilation.

“This was the moment, one of my favorite moments with him. Tom loved the route, loved the catch, loved your block. He was so pumped up, that he ran full speed from the 30-yard line, and probably because I got him a TD, he came running full speed, jumped on my back, and went for a ride. He was like a pony on a horse. I was carrying Tom Brady around,” recalled Gronkowski.

Rob did not want that moment to end and wanted Brady to ride on his back forever. It became one of his favorite pictures to sign, though TB12 never did autograph it. Rob joked that it would be impossible for him to get Tom to sign the picture because it would cost $5 billion.

Edelman’s favorite moment with Brady

Jules’ favorite moment with the quarterback was one which earned him Brady’s trust. It came after Wes Welker left the Patriots. When Welker was around, he was the man in that receiving room, and Edelman was a nobody. Jules was just a QB from Kent State that Bill Belichick drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 Draft, and then turned into a receiver.

Edelman’s moment came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 of the 2013 season. The Patriots won that game and Edelman scored two TDs. Until that moment, TB12 hadn’t put his faith in Jules as his trusted wideout.

“It was when Wes left. He loved Wes. It was when he left, that Brady had to trust me. It was week 1 and 13 where we played Buffalo and we went out there and won. I had two TDs and that’s when I felt like [alright]. We had some spurts when Wes would get banged up and he wouldn’t play. But he didn’t trust me trust me,” said Jules.

Both Edelman and Gronk keep bringing up many stories involving Brady in their podcast, and the fans love them all. After all, the Patriots were the greatest sports dynasty in the 21st century, and it was these stars who played a huge role in building that.