Sunday afternoon, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was on hand to provide his thoughts as part of FOX Sports’ halftime show. He was asked about the rainy, mistake-filled battle between the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. Unsurprisingly, Gronkowski expressed faith in his former team, but he turned some heads by taking shots at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
When asked about how the weather will affect the outcome of this Sunday afternoon battle, Gronkowski explained that head coach Bill Belichick does not let a little rain or snow impact practice. He still expects everyone to suit up. In the tight end’s opinion, Jones does not follow this same mindset.
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To further his point, Gronkowski said that the Cowboys’ owner actually strives to put his players in a bubble whenever any adverse weather conditions arise.
Gronk is a national treasure hahahahaha pic.twitter.com/qPizBSXJzX
— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) November 24, 2019
“Let me tell you, it’s advantage Patriots any time there is weather,” Gronkowski said. “You wanna know why? The Patriots practice in any condition. If it’s rain, if it’s snow, if it’s 100 degrees, if it’s four degrees. It does not matter. Coach Belichick is making you go out on that practice field, and he’s making you show up on time – even if there is a blizzard – at 7 a.m.”
“Let me tell you this,” Gronkowski continued. “If there is a little rain in Dallas, a little snow in Dallas, Jerry Jones comes out and says, ‘oh, do you guys want to practice in the bubble today?’”
As residents of Foxborough, the Patriots have often found success with the home-field advantage provided by Gillette Stadium. Entering the 2018 playoffs, the Patriots were 11-2 in playoff games in which the weather dipped below 30 degrees.
“I think the one positive I see from being here is we practice in the elements all the time and I think we’re so used to playing in this climate with the ever-changing weather conditions that we have,” Brady said in 2018, per 98.5. “Just understanding how it works in our stadium and I think those things end up being a benefit if we use them the right way.”
This ability to find success in poor weather has been crucial for the Patriots, especially as the playoffs approach. This team and coaching staff have considerable experience in less-than-ideal conditions, which Gronkowski believes is the defining factor against the Dallas Cowboys.
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