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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski says he'll be ready Week 1

Get ready for Gronk. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had surgery on a torn right ACL on Jan. 9, is optimistic he'll be ready for New England's Week 1 game in Miami on Sept. 7.
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Get ready for Gronk.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had surgery on a torn right ACL on Jan. 9, is optimistic he'll be ready for New England's Week 1 game in Miami on Sept. 7.

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"I'm planning on playing the whole season this year," Gronkowski said Friday night during his Football 101 Women's Clinic at a local high school, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.

Injuries have limited the 25-year-old to 18 games over the last two seasons, including only seven last year due to a broken forearm and the knee injury on Dec. 8.

"I'm always antsy to get back on the field, no matter when it is," Gronkowski said. "I just want to play football. I love playing the game."

He played all 16 games in each of his first two seasons. He has 226 receptions for 3,255 yards and 42 touchdowns in 50 games in his four-year career.

Though he is optimistic about Week 1, he's not as sure about the start of training camp on July 24.

"I don't know yet until I report, so I'll sit down with the coaches and training staff and we'll see," he said. "I'm just working with the trainers right now, improving every single day and whenever it starts up, whatever the trainers have, whatever the coaches have for me, whatever we feel comfortable with [we'll be] doing as much as possible every day that I can do."

- Chris Mascaro