INDIANAPOLIS — It sounds like Rob Gronkowski took a step forward in his recovery from a left ankle injury.
Friday was an important day for Gronkowski to see how he bounced back from Thursday's practice, which marked the first time he worked on the field since the AFC Championship. The second-year tight end had missed the previous four practices.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sounded genuinely optimistic about Gronkowski's progress Friday morning before the team's final full practice session of the week.
"I think he was OK this morning," Belichick said. "I think he was OK. I don't think we have any setbacks. We'll see how it goes out there [Friday at practice], but I think that he's been on — Rob has worked extremely hard. He's gotten treatment morning, noon and night, and he's gotten better on a daily basis. Hopefully, he'll be able to continue that same process [Friday], [Saturday] and all day Sunday. We'll see where that takes us, but I think he's coming along. We'll just have to see where he gets to, but he's certainly moving in the right direction. He's getting better on a daily basis."
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