Tampa Bay’s Rob Gronkowski still connecting with Tom Brady

It hasn’t taken long for Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians to love the addition of tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The process of figuring him out will be far more tedious.

“He’s unusual,” Arians said with a laugh during an appearance on Dan Patrick’s radio show this week. “He’s a hell of a lot of fun though, man. He’s a hell of a lot of fun.

“Just talking to him, like, ‘Dude, does your elevator go all the way to the top?’ I mean, I’m not sure, but it is fun.”

Gronkowski is starting to enjoy himself more and more as he settles back into the routine of a football season after sitting out 2019.

It helps that he finally scored his first touchdown last week in Tampa Bay’s blowout win over Green Bay.

“It felt good to get back in the end zone,” the 31-year-old said Monday. “It’s been quite some time, and it just feels real good to get my first with the Buccaneers. It was just cool to see my teammates excited and my coaches excited for me.”

The trademark spike? Not as cool.

Gronkowski tried to fire the ball into the ground with his left hand, instead holding on too long and barely releasing it before it contacted the ground.

“The spike was not monstrous,” he said on Fox after the game. “It was a lefty. The right arm is a little sore so I had to do a lefty spike. Just overall, I’m just glad I got a spike.”

The 12-yard strike marked the 91st time Gronkowski had caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the regular or postseason, the third-most prolific connection in NFL history.

The pair has a chance to match Steve Young and Jerry Rice, who had 92, when the Bucs visit the Raiders on Sunday. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison lead the way with 114, which seems out of reach with Brady playing at 43 years old.

But Brady is clearly enjoying the opportunity to play with his favorite target again. Brady was also the biggest factor in Gronkowski’s decision to return.

He had retired after an injury-plagued 2018 season that included an attempt by the Patriots to trade him. Gronkowski blocked it by threatening retirement instead of reporting to Detroit, stating at the time he didn’t plan on catching passes from anyone but Brady.

Return to play

When the Arizona alum eventually did walk away from football before his 30th birthday, much of the language he used about being drained and worn down led to a belief he was just over the so-called “Patriot Way” preached by Bill Belichick.

Brady’s exodus to Tampa Bay opened the door to play for a far more relaxed boss, and Gronkowski stepped right through.

“It just happened to be the right opportunity down in Tampa,” Gronkowski said at the time. “Tom was like the appetizer of the whole meal. He got me hooked when he went down to Tampa. I saw what was down there, just the opportunity to go down there and play with that type of offense.”

The transition hasn’t always been so easy on the palate.

Gronkowski, who leads the NFL in touchdown receptions since joining the league in 2010, had just nine catches in his first four games despite playing at least 69 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in each game.

With fellow tight end O.J. Howard injured, Gronkowski has eight receptions for 130 yards over the last two games. The success also includes that notable return to the end zone.

“It was great to see,” Brady said on his weekly Westwood One radio appearance. “I love seeing him in the end zone because, A, we’re scoring and that leads us to winning games. But I just love seeing him have fun.”

Arians likes the chemistry he sees starting to return between his quarterback and tight end. It may take some getting used to for him beyond just learning about two players he’s never before coached.

There is a common perception Arians sees tight ends more as blockers than weaponsin the passing game. He didn’t exactly reject the theory when asked about Gronkowski’s lack of production after two weeks.

“We’re not throwing the ball 50 times to tight ends,” Arians said in September. “That’s what we have receivers for, and that’s the way our offense is built. (Gronkowski) is playing great run blocking in the fourth quarter, so I’m not concerned with his pass catches or his targets.”

Bucs coach changing view

Arians has come around a bit.

“He’s getting close,” he said this week. “He had to learn a whole new offense and had to get into football shape. He’s worked his tail off. .. We continue to find ways to use him where he’s comfortable.”

Arians has tried to exploit Gronkowski’s blocking ability by lining him up tight on the line of scrimmage on 90 percent of his snaps. He has been in the slot 7 percent of the time and out wide on just 3 percent of his snaps.

That ability to line up anywhere, as well as the rare combination of being elite as both a pass catcher and a blocker, makes him one of the best to play the position.

It also reminds Raiders coach Jon Gruden of one of his players who became a legend in one uniform, briefly retired, and is playing somewhere else this season.

“He’s a great tight end,” Gruden said of Gronkowski. “He’s a real tight end. He reminds me of Jason Witten from a standpoint that he can play as a conventional tight end and run block, pass protect. You can line him up in the slot or outside. He can dominate the game at any position you put him.”

The Raiders certainly will have to be aware of Gronkowski. While there have been ups and downs, the pop culture icon is looking comfortable.

Even the rough patches all have been part of what he expected after taking time away from the game.

“There’s been no curveballs,” he said. “Everything is going smooth.”

Former NFL tight end Anthony Becht, who lives in Tampa and still works as a color analyst, has seen Gronkowski’s impact since he signed with the Bucs.

“He’s about as explosive a player as there is in the first 5 yards of a route.” Becht said. “He’s not going to beat you 10 or 15 yards downfield. He’s going to beat you at the line of scrimmage.”

And if he’s open, Becht said, “Brady is going to find him because he trusts him.”

Arians is starting to feel the same way, even if he isn’t quite sure on which floor the elevator stops.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.