From what Rob Gronkowski can tell, Tom Brady is the same guy he's always been -- even as settlement discussions about his four-game suspension continue in federal court.
The Patriots tight end spoke with the Dennis and Callahan Show on Monday morning, telling Gerry Callahan, Kirk Minihane and Gary Tanguay that his quarterback still has a laser focus on football.
Gronkowski said that he hasn't sensed that Brady is in any way distracted with a Deflategate decision looming.
"No, not at all," Gronkowski said. "He comes out every single day and it’s just like any other time for the last five years I’ve been here. He comes out and practices with a purpose -- to get better."
Brady missed two practices two weeks ago in order to prepare for and show up to a settlement conference in Manhattan between the NFL and the NFLPA that was overseen by judge Richard Berman. He missed another practice last week when he returned to New York for further settlement talks.
Brady was able to travel to West Virginia for joint practices with the Saints, however, and he played in three series in New Orleans on Saturday.
Receiving a majority of the snaps behind center was second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who completed 85 percent of his passes and received rave reviews from Gronkowski on Monday.
New England Patriots
"He’s a hard-working player right now and he’s improving every single time he steps out on the field," Gronkowski responded when asked where he would rank Garoppolo on a scale of 1-10. "He had a great game the other day. Everyone that goes out on to the field and works hard, I give a 10."
Gronkowski did not see a single snap with either quarterback, however. Though he's not dealing with any kind of injury, the 2014 unanimous All-Pro has not played in either of the team's first two preaseason games. In fact, he has not played in any preseason action in over two years.
For someone whose body takes a beating over the course of the regular season -- and someone who has dealt with a rash of serious injuries since his college career -- sitting out doesn't bother him.
"I mean, it is what it is," Gronkowski said. "I don’t really mind that."
He added: "It’s always up to the coach’s decision. I’m ready to play when my number’s called, whenever they want me to go in. I mean, it is preseason, we’ve been practicing hard, we’ve been going versus each other, we had great practices with the Saints, it’s been going well.
Gronkowski said he may like to play in one game this preseason, perhaps the team's third, which often serves as somewhat of a dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the regular season. But as far as he's concerned, practice repetitions will have him ready for the competition the team will face in their season-opener against the Steelers on Sep. 10.
"It's always nice to get one [preseason game], but practice is good too," he said. "If you're going full speed in practice and going hard in practice, that can get you super ready too for Week 1."
Though he's one of the most physically-imposing skill position players in the league, Gronkowski knows how important it is for him to avoid unnecessary contact and the bumps and bruises that come along with those hits.
Standing on the sideline during preseason play is beneficial in that regard, but he admitted that he'll do his best to be smart when the snaps matter as well.
"I’m never trying to shy away from contact, but there’s definitely times where maybe you want to step out of bounds where it’s just unnecessary," he said. "You just know you’re going to get hit by three guys or you can just make a little step out of bounds and save your body from that hit. But Every once in a while you can definitely step out of the way just to save a hit or two on you.
"Every once in a while . . . not all the time though. I'm a player where that's why I like the game of football. I like the hitting, I like the smashing."