Dennis Seidenberg isn't too much of a football fan, but he did turn on the Patriots' game Sunday against the Bears for a bit.

BOSTON — Dennis Seidenberg isn't too much of a football fan, but he did turn on the Patriots' game Sunday against the Bears for a bit. Like everyone else, Seidenberg watched Rob Gronkowski treat Bears safety Ryan Mundy like a doll, tossing him aside with one arm for a 46-yard touchdown in a 51-23 Patriot Place demolition of Chicago.

Gronkowski caught nine balls for 149 yards and three touchdowns in the game, his best performance of the season. It was Full Gronk, back to being an unstoppable force of nature.

Seidenberg saw it, and although he's not a diehard Pats fan, one wouldn't be surprised if the defenseman smiled as he did.

“I do follow him and his recovery,” Seidenberg said Monday. “It's great the way he is now, and now I'm feeling great.”

Gronkowski and Seidenberg are both members of the Torn ACL Club. Gronkowski got his right knee ripped to shreds Dec. 9, 2013, on a hit to the legs by Browns safety T.J. Ward. Less than three weeks later, Senators winger Cory Conacher landed on Seidenberg's right knee, sending the Bruin to the operating table and ending his season.

Seidenberg was in contact with other hockey players that have had ACL injuries, notably ex-teammate Marco Sturm. He didn't contact Gronkowski, but he observed the tight end throughout the summer. Gronkowski didn't participate in preseason games and wasn't fully involved in training camp at first, but slowly ramped up and was on the field for the season opener at Miami.

But Gronkowski wasn't himself. He was tentative and couldn't get open the way he used to. The tight end usually seeks out contact. He had just 13 total catches in the first four games.

Seidenberg can relate. He too was on the ice when the Bruins opened the season Oct. 8 against the Flyers, but couldn’t do what he normally does. Seidenberg lost one-on-one battles, struggled to hold his footing and couldn't defend the way he's used to.

It’s proof that no one can overtime the nature of major injuries. Seidenberg likely would have come back in May had the Bruins advanced one more round in the postseason, but he still would have needed the time to sharpen up.

“It doesn't matter if it's an ACL or a little muscle injury,” Seidenberg said. “As soon as you miss a couple games, you feel out of rhythm and you have to feel your way back for the most part. It's never easy no matter how much time you lose or miss, but you always want to come back and be as good as you can.”

In his last four games, Gronkowski has looked more like the spiking meathead the Patriots pay him to be. He has 27 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns in the Pats' four-game winning streak.

And now Seidenberg too is starting to find his way. Since bottoming out on a back-to-back in Montreal two weeks ago, the German's game has been better. He’s forced into a bigger role with Zdeno Chara sidelined by his knee injury, and played a team-high 25:59 of ice time Saturday at Toronto.

Seidenberg had been playing on the second defensive pairing and averaging 20:46 a night before Chara’s injury. Being force-fed more minutes could be a good thing for him as he seeks himself.

“It gives you less time to think, but I never not play (a lot of minutes),” Seidenberg said. “I didn't play 26 (minutes) yet this year, but I was around 20, which is decent. But again, 26 doesn't give you time to think. It might help. Hopefully it'll keep getting better.”

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