Rob Gronkowski could hardly hide his delight after seeing pre-season action for the first time since 2012.
The New England Patriots tight end unexpectedly played 14 of the team's first 16 plays in Saturday night's exhibition loss to the Houston Texans.
Although he didn't record any catches or targeted passes, Gronkowski said it was nice to just be on the field.
"It felt good to be out there, get my feet wet, to get the speed of the game. I love to play football," Gronkowski said, via ESPN.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also started Saturday's game in Houston, though he had a much better outing as he went 6-of-9 with 67 yards and a touchdown.