TAMPA, Fla. — During his media session with reporters Wednesday, Mike Evans unintentionally may have peeled back a portion of his team’s psyche during its lukewarm offensive stretch.
When it was suggested to Evans that the core of the 2021 Bucs team is back this fall, the ninth-year veteran quickly retorted, “No Gronk, though. No Gronk.”
That unsolicited response might have been the clearest acknowledgement yet of how greatly gregarious future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is missed these days at AdventHealth Training Center.
Without him, the Bucs (3-3) are last in the NFL in rushing (67.5 yards per game), scoring touchdowns on only 50% of their trips inside the red zone and lacking a matchup nightmare that can take pressure off Evans and his peers.
Perhaps just as critically, they miss Gronkowski’s disarming locker-room presence, not to the mention the way he served as a jovial counter-balance to Tom Brady’s steely intensity.
“I miss Gronk,” Evans followed when asked specifically about his former teammate.
“Just hanging out with him in the locker room — that was my guy. He was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around, and there was a reason why he was so great. But I just brought him up because his locker used to be right here (nodding to his left).”
And there’s no indication he is returning to occupy it any time soon. Gronkowski recently returned as an NFL studio analyst for Fox, indicating Sunday he doesn’t miss the physical demands of the game.
“What I really miss about the game is just being in the locker room with all the guys, especially with the Bucs. It’s like a family there, they’re all great dudes,” Gronkowski said on Fox’s NFL Kickoff.
“But getting smacked every week, trying to block a 280-pound defensive end, then trying to go full speed, catching a pass up the seam and just getting smacked by a full-speed safety, I mean, I don’t really miss that part of the game.”
Evans followed his comments on Gronkowski by saying his team “absolutely” still is rife with talent and can rectify its shortcomings.
“It’s a super long season,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay as healthy as possible and get it right right now, before it’s too late.”
