Rob Gronkowski knows all about consistently winning in New England.
The all-time great tight end never had a losing season with the New England Patriots and won three Super Bowls as a member of the franchise. Along with Tom Brady, Gronk and the G.O.A.T. led the Patriots to nine straight division titles and five Super Bowl appearances.
The current Patriots, led by Drake Maye, are struggling. Although the team is coming off its first Super Bowl appearance in the post-Gronkowski era, Maye has gotten off to a horrid start, throwing one touchdown and six interceptions, while the Patriots have gotten off to a 1-2 start.
Gronkowski said it's a confidence issue with Maye.
"They're just kind of forcing it too much," said Gronkowski. "I feel like they have
a lot of pressure on the table, and the pressure is getting to them. They just got to relax, play ball. Drake Maye just has to go back in the pocket and just do what he does. His confidence isn't there. He needs to rebuild that confidence. He needs to just go down, throw the ball away when necessary, instead of trying to force it in and causing turnovers. This is the first time he's been in this streak. Obviously, last year he played well, but this is the first time he's been in a down streak."
The lack of confidence is apparent in the on-the-field production. Maye's struggles are extending to the rest of the offensive unit, which is already operating without lead receiver A.J. Brown. The Patriots' offense ranks second-to-last in the NFL, averaging just 12.0 points per game. New England averaged 28.8 points per game last season.
Gronkowski once again hammers home that Maye needs to rebuild his confidence if the Patriots are to bounce back. They have a huge game against the Buffalo Bills on the road this week.
"This could actually make him a better quarterback in the end if he knows how to fight himself out of this, if he knows how to get his confidence back, get out of his own head," said Gronkowski. "This is going to make him a tremendous quarterback down in the future. But it's all about if you can get out of this slump, if you can build that confidence back. This offense isn't just Drake Maye's problem. This is a whole offense problem. Wide receivers need to step up as well. They got to get open. They got to put some more cushion where he can throw the ball instead of putting it in a tight window every single time."
Gronkowski is keeping busy in his post-NFL career with his analyst work with FOX. But he's also keeping busy in other ways -- he'll be teaming up with eBay Live seller and host PCBHobby at New York Comic Con to tackle the comics, cards, and collectibles hobby. The former Buccaneers tight end will geek out on Marvel-related topics with fans before the theatrical release of Avengers: Doomsday.
"This is the Gronk Geeks Out series number two," said Gronkowski. "I did the first one at The National with Gronk geeking out, just ripping cards and being on eBay Live. And now we're doing it at New York Comic Con on October 9, and it's going to be a special experience because I don't have much of a background in comics, but I'm learning now. I worked with PCB Hobby from Florida. They taught me a lot about comics, how to grade the books, what comic books are all about."
"I didn't know that the movies were all based off of comics as well, comic books that were written from back in the day, so I'm just learning as we go," Gronkowski continued. "But the experience and and just how fun eBay Live has been, and the experience of being on eBay Live is just a thrill every time. Even if I don't know much of what's going on, I learn as we go, bring the personality to the table, and I'm excited to be on my first Comic Con event as well in New York City."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Rob Gronkowski's key for Patriots QB Drake Maye to bounce back
