Last Friday, during the "NFL 100 All-Time Team" series Rob Gronkowski was named to the team and Bill Belichick told a story of the tight end's pre-draft visit with the Patriots.
"I brought him in and we're getting ready to meet with the coaches," Belichick said on NFL Network. "He fell asleep on the floor."
Appearing on Ordway, Merloni & Fauria Monday, Belichick expanded on the story.
"It wasn't a great visit, but I think that's — look, you know how it is traveling around cross-country going from one team to the next, getting MRIs and back x-rays, or whatever," he said. "I am sure it got to him. The energy that Rob has as a football player is I would say at a very high level. Maybe not a (Tedy) Bruschi, but it is up there. It's pretty high and we didn't see it."
Fortunately for the Patriots, it all worked out.
"In the end once we got him here and once he got in the field, Rob was great," Belichick said. "He was great. He had a great career here, but he was a great teammate. Everybody loved him and not because of his (personality) and all that, but just the way he competed and the type of teammate he was. Sometimes the first impression is not always the right one."
In nine seasons with the Patriots, Gronkowski totaled 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.
