Rob Gronkowski praises Patriots turnaround, says Titans firing Mike Vrabel was franchise-altering

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This time last year, the New England Patriots found themselves in the midst of a controversy.

The team had fired Jerod Mayo, practically handpicked by Bill Belichick to replace him, after just one season, albeit a 4-13 campaign.

Former Patriots called out the team for not giving Mayo a fair shot, but after replacing Mayo with Mike Vrabel, all is forgiven.

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Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots reacts against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 3, 2013, in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

In Vrabel's first season in New England, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, which they played in 10 times under Belichick.

"Winning cures everything. That’s been a known fact since I’ve been in the NFL, and it’s something I learned tremendously," Rob Gronkowski, who called Mayo’s firing an "ugly situation," said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "It cures players’ troubles off the field, it really does. Not all of it, but a lot of things. It can cure a dismantled organization — all of a sudden, you start winning, and you’re a well-put-together program. Winning literally does cure all, and that’s why it’s the entire goal."

There’s no question that Gronkowski, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, is pumped that the mess in New England has been cleaned up. While teaming up with Bounty, which has kept him clean from saucy buffalo wings during recent Super Bowl weeks, he gave credit to Bounty for also cleaning up the slop in Foxborough.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel walks on the field before an NFL football