Games with Names - Highlight Reels: National Tight End Day

Episode Date: October 26, 2025

Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates share some stories from their days playing as tight ends in the NFL, along with Heidi Gardner's story of Travis Kelce on Saturday Night LiveSupport the show: http://www.gameswithnames.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming tech at Lenovo.com. Dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming, and performance that won't quit. Push your gameplay beyond performance with Intel Core Ultra processors. For the next era of gaming, upgrade to smooth high-quality streaming with Intel Wi-Fi 6E

and maximize game performance with enhanced overclocking. Win the tech search. Power up at Lenovo.com. Hello, America's sweetheart Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist, from smartless media, campside media, and big money players. It's a wild tale about a gang of high-functioning nitwits who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist.

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Listen to Crimless, Hillbilly Heist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Chicago, a white woman's murder, a black man behind bars, for a crime he didn't commit. 90 years of killing somebody I have never seen. The Crying Wolf podcast is the story of a corrupt detective, two men bound by injustice, and the quest for redemption, no matter the price. Listen to the Crying Wolf podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Two rich young Americans move to the Costa Rican jungle to start over, but one of them will end up dead and the other tried for murder three times.

It starts with a dream, a nature reserve and a spectacular new home. But little by little, they lose it, they actually lose it. They sort of went nuts. Until one night, everything spins out of control. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Polic. or wherever you get your podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News keeps you on top of the biggest stories of the day.

My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate cut. Impact politics, change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world and how you think about your bottom line. Listen to the big team. from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Welcome to Games with Names. I'm Julian Edelman, and we got a brand new compilation highlight reel starting now. Now, Gronk tells a story about how he fell asleep in his first visit with the Patriots. I was so sick of that visit, dude. It wasn't just a visit. Weren't you sleeping? Just wasn't the visit to the Patriots.

So I went on like a little tour. like you go and i visited 12 different teams it's kind of like you're going on these recruiting visits to each team because they want to get to know you and yeah the new england patriots were the last ones on the list and bro i was sick i was flying from denver to jacksonville to freaking baltimore meeting with every team and i was so sick of it and you know you're putting like kind of a front on as well and i was literally so sick if i go i want to be outrageous here i need to have some fun with it i remember i was kind of hung over too feeling like crap all these flights i went out and party a couple of the nights too so i wasn't

even feeling like myself so i was like how do you get back to normal you just you just become outrageous and i show up bro i was so tired first thing i do is fall asleep in nancy's office yeah bill bellichick heard all about it he can't believe it and then i go into the interview session and billy o'brien draws a play up and then he races on the board he's like all right can you uh you name the what the wide receivers did like rename their route and And what the responsibility was, I was like, bro, I have no, I couldn't even think. And then he's like, he's like, what do you do? I was like, you just throwing me the fucking ball, Billy.

Oh, I'll make some guys miss. I'll run over some people. He's like, he's like, but you don't know the play. I was like, I don't need to know the play. You throw me the ball. Like that's basically how our interview went. And then I literally walked out of there called Drew Rosenhouse. I said, this team is either going to take me or they're fucking laughing at me.

And I give no fucks because I'm over this whole process. So what happens? New England Patriots trade up for me for the 42nd pick in the NFL draft in 2010 and select me and I looked around the table I said, I told you they were going to take me. But Billy O, so going back to where we started,

that is grunk. Right there, that whole thing. And they built up like, I remember them talking about you, the coaches saying like, yeah, man, you're going to love this kid. He's fucking just awesome. He had, like,

you explained the whole thing that you just explained. and like that was like oh my god what like that doesn't happen in new england you know what i mean and gronk kind of from your little story right there you can kind of portray that you're not a smart football player like but you were like brilliant like they would explain that like don't think that gronk didn't know his fucking plays this guy you coached him once on one thing he never had to say it again like he was like one of the most football intelligent guys i knew yes i mean at that time when i was doing the interview i was beat down i was sick of it so I couldn't really recall you know the play after he showed it to me and then also I did struggle a little bit though my rookie year with the playbook I actually would have probably started every single game from the beginning my first eight games I only was playing about 15 the 20 plays a game if you can recall that and then finally boom the playbook hit I mean it was a tough playbook I mean in college I literally think I had like 15 plays and I lined up in the same spot every single play and I get to new england and man let me tell you that playbook was outrageous it's not

just the playbook it's the personnel groups you're playing y you're playing f exactly you know what i mean it's wheels you guys got a flop like it it was it was definitely tough it was definitely a challenge and the fucking formations there's so many goddamn formations it drove me crazy like i said in college i had one formation i lined up in the same spot every single play i'm not lying every single play i get to new england what 65 different formations yeah actually probably 150 different formations but then we narrowed it down about 65 dude my head head was spinning all over the place. And finally it just clicked, you know, once I got it under control about week 10. It's remember I scored that touchdown first of Chicago Bears versus

Brian Erlacker. Oh yeah. What was that? Panther route where I had to just get big right at the goal line and then Tom was going to throw it low. And then we hit it in practice at Friday. Then we hit it in the game that Sunday. And since then I was starting every single play. Next, Antonio Gates talks about how he transitioned from being a college basketball player to a tight end. That first training camp, that first, whenever you got there, the mini camp, talk me through that, because I couldn't even get into a fucking receiver stance, bro. I watched my rookie mini camps. I watched my rookie mini camp recently, or like a year ago, and I'm sitting looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame trying to take off on a fucking release.

Walk me through how you transitioned, because you didn't even play the goddamn sport. Yeah, yeah, right. What, dude, like, you know what I'm saying? It's the same for everybody. man it's the it's the you know it's the progression it's the stages right you know that's stage one for me and you that ain't that don't change you know i for me it was even you know probably more complicated you know the range of which i had to come from because i didn't play college football but i think it served me somewhat on an advantage because i didn't have any what i would like to consider credit i didn't have any bad habits i'm like you're you're you had a fresh canvas. Right. So I was learning from a clean slate. But I'm like guys, right,

but unlike, you know, unlike people that's like, you know what I'm saying, they come in, they already learn how to run. You know, you learn how to do it. So now you're trying to change what you learn at Kent State. Oh, you know, say a guy coming from Michigan or Ohio. They change in what they've already learned for three or four years. And I didn't have to change nothing. I just had to learn it from the first time. So I felt like it was somewhat easier for me. Yeah. Like credit. You better to have no. credit than bad credit right so it was like i felt like i was it was a little easier transaction now it wasn't easy i just felt like it was easier i couldn't get in the

stands you know what i'm saying three point right i couldn't understand motion you still really you got to remember i'm here right yeah right i'm not yeah i'm trying to see what the covers is right so they got to a point i was so bad they just told me to just stand up i just do what you want to do gays yeah i would stand up at the end of the line and i would do whatever because they got to be worried about what i'm doing at this point why i'm worried about what they doing so it got to that level but the idea was i just remember learning watching who i thought like when you said watching who i thought um who was your guy i mean we had a guy called eric named eric parker who played receiver from tennessee and we

he was our starting receiver and obviously you know we had keenan mccarter came along but eric parker to me um initially was a guy who ran robs to the tea yeah dropped his weight. I mean, coming at you full speed, drop his weight. I mean, two or three steps, he's coming out. He ain't overstepping to come out. Like, there's everything.

Get up on your toes. And I'm like, this is why he's starting. Yeah. Simple. This is why he's starting, right? And then I was, as I matured and I got a chance to go to the Pro Bowls and I started watching Marvin Harrison. He was another guy that I would watch and practice.

And like, this is crazy. To me, this is perfect. To me, you know, even though I'm playing tight-in, I'm still with the vision of what I think a perfect rock runner looks like. And I think that's how I seen it. I didn't see. I wouldn't like watching. And obviously I grew with tight ends in my room, the guys who were before me.

But I was learning from them how to be a professional. Yeah. So we had the ultimate professionals for the charges. That's the beauty of it. I was learning from guys that was in my space. And I was just like, okay, he's taking notes. He's doing this. He's making sure this is on.

His footwork. Okay, in the run game, how are you? Okay. get your inside hand inside get your foot down get them hit get them foot in the ground or you're going to get through around this is they too strong these are five techniques you know what I'm saying back then it was a four three defense so it wasn't the stand up line it was a god his hands in there he was 2.95 they's trying to stop the run back then you know what I'm saying so it changed to a three four as we got going but everybody was playing four three when I got

there and I had an end pretty much every time yeah his hand in the ground so I remember saying And I got to get my feet in the ground. Who were the end? Who were the early end? Huge. I mean, back in the day, I remember, you know, shoot, come on the... I'm going over in my head in your division. Yeah, we had some...

But like the hand in the dirt. But they were like the big run stopper, so they wasn't the major playmakers. You know, now guys are sacking. And, you know what I'm saying? Then the three, four came, and then you got the Miramas and then the Vines came and all the and the ronkers and all those guys are just coming around the edge. But now, we're tray and blocking now. You know, we're tree blocking.

to the back side, we leave in the end, we're leaving the sandbagger for the fullback. Before that, it was just those three guys was in the box, and it was those four down linemen. And, I mean, I had him. He was in a seven, or he was in a wide nine, and he was mine. And it was just, dude, I used to be like,

y'all, why do you keep helping this guard? You know what I had to? He'd have to go down. I don't know if you understand the run game. Yeah, I understand. So, you know, I would always have him on my own. It's me and against him. But that's why I wouldn't know 235 tight ends

back in those days. You had to be 260, 270. I was a legit 255, 260. And that was like a smaller range in the beginning. Right. So not these tidings are 35. They balking up to 245. Yeah. There's no true. There's no true tight ends. And no true tight ends no more. Next up, Heidi Gardner talks about what it was like having Travis Kelsey host SNL. So what's it like being in bed with Travis Kelsey? Is this what you've giving you any heat? I mean, it was honestly cool. I don't know

How else I answered It was cool What it was cool Was that a chief Was hosting SNL That's what was cool And that's how I felt

The whole week Like my whole family came out I threw a tailgate In my dressing room That's all that it was For me was it was cool Who out of their coverage more Or basically

More out of their league Colin Yost Or Travis Kelsey Who's more out of their league Yeah with their girlfriends Oh, my gosh. I mean, comedian gets Scarlett-Johans. I mean, she's pretty legendary.

I feel like everybody throws that at Colin. But I think it makes sense. And I think Travis and Taylor makes sense. I'm all for love. Love is what the world's all built on. All for love. Or all for love. Just like don't make it a distraction, you know?

Travis. I feel like they're doing a great job. You know, it's honestly really impressive. how he's been able to compartmentalize. Yeah. I mean, that's a big thing he's going to right now. You know what I mean? Big old thing.

So, you know, you tip your cap to a guy that, yeah, has his personal life that's so in the spotlight. Yeah. But also being able to go out and ball out on the field and know what his job is. Next, Grunk tells us about his first impressions with Tom Brady. What's your favorite Tom memory? my favorite Tom memory man I always remember the time when I first met him in the locker room you brought it up during your speech he just came up to me I was getting my ankle taped by Jimbo the great Jim Wallin right Jim Wallin whalein wellin it's been a while Jim man I just called

you Jimbo for so long I'm forgetting your last name a little bit no you got it all right good I got it though and he was taped my ankles and Tom just came cruising by you know I was just a good old and he just walked up to me and he goes hey I'm Tom Brady and I go very nice to meet you Tom Brady I'm Rob Grankowski and then he's like let's get after it this year and then he walked away and I just was like shook I was like man Tom Brady just came up to me and introduced himself as Tom Brady like of course I know who you are at Tom Brady's but that was just one of the coolest moments I would remember you know for rest of my life and uh you We just, you know, got to work from there on out.

And he was all business right from the beginning. He really was. Like we said, what he puts on his persona, what he shows. That's what he is. He truly believes in. And he was all business, 24-7 when he was in that building. What was your favorite moment, too, while we were at it? My favorite moments were the ones who were, like, we'd be throwing routes or something.

And, like, he would yell at me or something. Like, I remember my rookie year, we put in a four wide person. Sinell group the first the first day of rookie and or the first day of veteran camp and so it was me Wes Joey Joey Galloway and Randy and we put it in there and I was the why and I did the right thing and I ended dropping the ball and he starts just yelling at me jose what the and I like oh snap and then as soon as we got in the locker room he he, you know, he came up to me, he goes, hey, you know, if I yell at you, that means I like you. And I was like, you know, you must really love me then, bro.

You know, that was kind of like those moments where, you know, he was getting on you. That's the stuff you remember you like or, you know, the stuff when we'd be training out and throwing on a field or something. Those are always the great memories that you'll remember. Yeah, it's the, the, the, the, the big plays of that and the other but i think it's the behind-the-scenes stuff is that was my favorite i would have to agree with you man if he gets on you he sees potential in you and that's why he got on your your ass all the time he got on my ass all the time my rookie i didn't really like him my rookie i mean he was just getting on my case just non-stop and it was kind of kind of mind-fucking me so much that i couldn't be myself out there sometimes i couldn't run the

right route because I was just thinking so much because there was just so much on the plate at first. I got a coach telling me to do this. I got Tom telling me to do this. And then finally, you just figure it out and it all clicks. It took me about halfway through my rookie year and then obviously going in my second year. It clicked to a whole other level. I mean, we went for 21 touchdowns total, including the playoffs. But just my rookie year, he was on my case. I remember I ran a flag route and I ran inside the guy instead of getting outside of him. And he flipped out on me. uh in the meeting after the practice and told me he's never going to throw me the ball again and like i got butter and algae crumper saw it too and he just he just tapped on my thigh and he

was like yo grunk don't worry about that he's just tom's just being tom man just don't worry about keep doing you and then it kind of like you know put a fire under your ass though and that's what time was so great at doing it i didn't really realize that's what he was doing either like he was just trying to get the best out of you and uh it kind of lit a fire you know under my and then I just wanted to prove Tom wrong. Like, all right, I'm going to run this flag route every time now. And you're never going to throw me to ball, but I'm going to be open by five yards.

And you're going to look like the idiot now. And that happened. And then then he threw me the ball about 600 more times from there on out. So that was also, that example is an example of why Tom was Tom, because he knew what kind of guy each guy was. Like he could challenge Rob. He could challenge me because we retaliated to that challenging. like in a whole other like that was the way it got us going you know other guys he didn't do that

with and he would do in a different way you know then that's that's a that's the sign of a good leader is when someone knows what to get out of the guys and how to get it out of them and i've seen this before coach balochick and tom challenging wide receivers and they don't and they don't step up to the play after the challenge and let me tell you those wide receivers or tight ends were gone the next week. So, hey, if you don't step up to the challenge, you know, you're gone. That's why I love football. That's why I love sports because there ain't no politics here, buddy.

It's either you got it or you don't. Swink or sim. Swim. Next up, Antonio Gates reflects on breaking the tight end touchdown record. In one sentence, why this game? I guess it was a home game. Home game. Because we played a game.

week one was in a row. So I guess they wanted me to break it at home in Los Angeles at the time. Break what? The record. What record? The NFL touchdown record. NFL touchdown record for tight ends.

Peaches and cream. Yeah. 112. With cherries on top. Yeah. But yeah. I mean, like it's crazy because, you know, when you do something of that magnitude,

man, you don't really, it don't really sink in. you would think because it's your life right you living it you going through it i think when i retired when it was all done i was able to capture the actual moment a little bit better if that makes sense i was able look back and say man that was crazy i passed x y and z i remember playing with those dudes on a video game i played a lot of tecmo bowl a lot of matting and uh you know to pass a guy like tony uh gonzalez that was a a pretty special moment is this the greatest game of all time we ask every i think right no is unacceptable right i think the from an emotion standpoint it was

because you know again i know for those who don't know i played basketball that was always my passion so when i made this transition uh that game i finally had the emotions running through me for the first time i'm talking about i was on the sideline i want to say tears was coming down And I was like, wow, what is going on? But I think it was the idea of what I've been through up into that point, how difficult it is to get to that level, how many days you've got to kind of fight through that pain, the hard work, the dedication, the things that it's not talked about, right?

They only see the touchdowns, right? The Monday through Saturdays, I like to recall it. So I was pretty emotional after that game because I was kind of stagnant for a long time. You know what you get, it's like lifting weights. You get the 300 and you just thug. You can't go past 300. I was, like, stagnated at, like, 1-10 for a while,

couldn't get the 111, and then I finally got to 1-12. I think that was the number. Well, fucking congratulations in the Hall of Fame. Thanks for listening. Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode and every Sunday for another Games with Names Highlighter. In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down.

Unlock Elite Gaming Tech at Lenovo.com. Dominate every match with next-level speed, seamless streaming, and performance that won't quit. Push your gameplay beyond performance with Intel Core Ultra processors for the next era of gaming. Upgrade to smooth high-quality streaming with Intel Wi-Fi 6E and maximize game performance with enhanced overclocking. Win the tech search.

Power up at Lenovo.com. Johnny Knoxville here. Check out Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist, my new true crime podcast from Smartless Media, campside media, and big money players. It's the true story of the almost perfect crime and the Nimrods who almost pulled it off. It was kind of like the perfect storm in a sewer.

That was dumb. Do not follow my example. Listen to Crimless, Hillbilly Heist, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Chicago. murder, a black man behind bars, for a crime he didn't commit. 90 years of killing somebody I have never seen.

The Crying Wolf Podcast is the story of a corrupt detective, two men bound by injustice, and the quest for redemption, no matter the price. Listen to the Crying Wolf Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Two rich young Americans move to the Costa Rica. reconjungle to start over, but one of them will end up dead and the other tried for murder three times. It starts with a dream, a nature reserve and a spectacular new home. But little by little, they lose it. They actually lose it. They sort of went nuts. Until one night, everything spins out of control. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News keeps you on top of the biggest stories of the day. My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate cut. Impact politics, change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world. And how you think about your bottom line.

Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the Eye radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.