Bill Belichick explains why he sees some Lawrence Taylor in Rob Gronkowski

Bill Belichick recently made an interesting comparison between Rob Gronkowski and one of the former NFL greats he once coached.

Belichick spent 10 years coaching former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, and he knows a thing or two about what made the Hall of Famer so great.

The Patriots head coach has been highly complimentary of Taylor over the years, specifically regarding his ability to read and react to plays. In that same breath, Belichick recently pointed out that he sees some of that same ability in Gronkowski, who is often tasked with adjusting to the many different coverages he sees from opposing defenses.

“Well, I think Rob’s seen a lot of different coverages, seen a lot of different looks, ways that people try to defend him,” Belichick said, via Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal. “I think as any player like that sees more of those things he learns how to deal with them. ‘Here’s how I deal with this situation and here’s how I deal with that situation. This works. This doesn’t, or this works better than that, or this has a place.’ I think those kinds of things that specifically apply to him.

“The same thing that Matt Slater deals with on kick coverage. The same thing that when I coached Taylor that he dealt with as a pass rusher…. I think Rob has seen every different way you can cover him from an inside or an outside position based on his style of play, the way teams try to play him. So, you learn how to deal with those.”

Gronk is playing in his eighth season with the team, so he has indeed seen many different looks from opposing defenses, who often build a gameplan centered around attempting to limit his effectiveness. The Patriots have lacked a consistent red-zone target outside of Gronk during his tenure with the team, and he’s integral in helping the team finish off drives when in deep.

It’s rare that Belichick outwardly extols his players, as he expects them to do their job and play at a high level, but Gronk also drew a comparison to one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. which can be considered the highest praise from the Patriots head coach.