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          NFL Nation

          Rob Gronkowski eases into the mix by playing just 14 snaps

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterSep 23, 2016, 08:00 AM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski made his regular-season debut Thursday night after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, but it was the type of performance that was easy to go unnoticed.

          Including kneel-downs and penalties, Gronkowski was charted on the field for just 14 offensive snaps, and only three of those came in the second half when the Patriots were firmly in control en route to a 27-0 victory over the visiting Houston Texans.

          The plan, obviously, was to ease Gronkowski into the mix.

          "It just felt good to be back out there, getting my feet wet, and now we got [time] off a little bit to get really right," he said.

          Asked how the hamstring responded, Gronkowski said, "It's good, it responded well."

          Gronkowski was targeted just once in the passing game, on a third-and-1 play from the Houston 6-yard line in the first quarter. Rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett fired a high delivery that was well over Gronkowski's reach.

          "We're just going to throw that one out," Gronkowski said. "I don't even know if I want to watch it, but it's all good, we got that win baby!"

          Of his 14 snaps, all but one came with multiple tight ends in the game and he was mostly used as a blocker.