“I Talked to Rob About This”: Bill Belichick Reveals He Took Travis Kelce as a Blueprint to Improve Rob Gronkowski as a Tight End

Travis Kelce might have just received the biggest compliment of his life. In the latest episode of Inside The NFL, legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reminisced about a period in Rob Gronkowski’s career when defensive backs regularly got the upper hand on him by going low and bringing him down to the ground. This didn’t have much effect when Rob was stationary, but when he dashed down the field, he could be taken down very easily.

Exercising his stiff arms while running wasn’t an option for Gronk, and due to his frame, he couldn’t train himself to be an elite runner. This is where Bill took a page out of Travis Kelce’s playbook, finding a solution to his player’s struggles.

Belichick had observed that the Chiefs superstar would often pause, with a good distance between himself and a defender, when facing them one-on-one, disrupting their rhythm. They could no longer bring Travis down by coming in fast and going low, as they now had to close the gap for the tackle. This gave the tight end the opportunity to make a diversion and stiff-arm those defenders chasing him from the side. This also helped Travis gain crucial yards for the team.

This observation was almost like a eureka moment for Belichick, realizing that Rob, with his superior physicality, could execute this maneuver even better. The eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach immediately reached out to Rob, advised him to follow the same method, and just like that, the problem was solved.

“By slowing down and being under control and anticipating that these DBs are going to go low on them, you know, that’s the way to avoid those tackles… the way Kelce ran with the ball after the catch. Put it in my mind like this is what Rob should be doing… So I talked to Rob about this. Rob eventually became a much better runner with the ball in his hands by slowing down and getting it under control…”

 

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Considering how Kelce and Rob Gronkowski have often competed against each other in rankings of the best TEs, Belichick’s statement undoubtedly gives the Chiefs player the upper hand in this debate. Unsurprisingly, his fans had a field day celebrating this.

Gronk’s fans, however, didn’t stay quiet. They hit back by wishing Andy Reid had done the same with Travis by showing him Gronk’s blocking highlights.

Popcorn Alert

Gronk and Travis’ fans engage in war after Bill Belichick revealed how Kelce’s carrying technique helped Rob get better pic.twitter.com/o2Vf8uhZ9I

— Burner Boy (@MiraRoadKCChief) January 23, 2025

The best comment under Bill’s analysis video, however, came from a netizen who pointed out how many, over the years, have described Kelce’s slowness as his superpower. While many laughed this off before, the naysayers have no argument now.

Y’all owe Kelce an apology https://t.co/AZIl29cg98 pic.twitter.com/nASf5txVcN

— Burner Boy (@MiraRoadKCChief) January 23, 2025

As interesting as it is to hear these behind-the-scenes tidbits from legends of the game, it will surely spark some fan wars. Pro Tip: Stay away from Chiefs fan pages for a while, especially if you’re a Patriots fan and they win the Super Bowl.