FOXBORO, Mass. — Pouring rain isn’t the most ideal weather for an NFL training camp practice, but in New England, it’s a pretty common occurrence.
The sloppy conditions do have the potential to help players, though, as New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski outlined after Sunday’s practice at Gillette Stadium.
“It’s always important no matter what the weather is. You’ve got to work through it,” Gronkowski said.
“You don’t always get rainy days, so it’s cool to always practice in the rain whenever you get the chance to make sure you’re working on your techniques — learning how to catch the ball in the rain, tucking it in and making sure it doesn’t get knocked out. You see out there a couple people slipping, balls going through hands. It’s a good time to get some work in.”
The weather certainly didn’t bother Gronk during drills. Patriots defensive backs had no answer for him in one-on-one or team drills.
Overall, the weather still was a challenge, and it provided good experience for younger guys who aren’t accustomed to these conditions.
“It’s a grind, sometimes you see me bent over, the huffing and puffing,” Gronk said. “Today, my cleats are probably 20 pounds each, so it was probably more on the body physically-wise trying to bust through the routes, cutting the corners.
“You’ve got to have more technique when it’s more rainy out so you don’t slip as much. It’s more important to work on that so you can play football in conditions like this.”
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
