Out at LAX just a day after his old team beat Buffalo on a last-second touchdown, Gronk said he's nearly positive Belichick will continue his squad's turnaround after improving its record to 2-5.

"They could definitely build off that momentum now," the former Patriots tight end said, "and do a little damage this year."

While never quite this bad, Gronk told us he saw some darker times with Belichick when he was with "The Hoodie" in New England ... and yet, he explained Belichick "always" found a way out of it.

"He'll keep it together, that's for sure," Gronk said. "If there's one thing that he taught us, it's to always black out the outside noise. So, I'm 100 percent sure that's what he's doing."

Of course, some fans aren't as convinced ... while the Pats' win over their divisional rival was a big one -- a loud portion of New England faithful still seem ready to move on from Belichick.

But, according to Gronk, there needs to be patience when it comes to the coaching GOAT.