INDIANAPOLIS — Rob Gronkowski may have broken another record yesterday — for the number of times saying “day by day.”
The Patriots All-Pro tight end repeated the line over and over again when asked about his high left ankle sprain and whether he will be healthy enough for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI matchup with the Giants.
“I don’t know yet,” Gronkowski said when asked if he thought he would play. “We’re going day by day, just taking steps every day and feeling better every day. That’s a positive sign. You just want to keep going in the right direction. I want to be out there with the team obviously.”
Gronkowski showed up for Super Bowl Media Day without the walking boot on the ankle that he had been wearing since injuring it in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 22. High ankle sprains normally take 3-4 weeks to heal. Gronkowski is trying to come back in two.
COMPLETE GIANTS SUPER BOWL COVERAGE
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the team is preparing two game plans — one with Gronkowski and one without.
Both the Giants players and Gronkowski’s teammates said they expect Gronkowski to be out there Sunday.
“He’s obviously making progress,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “He’s out of his boot today, which makes me feel a lot better. I told him he should write like, ‘Mom, I love you,’ on his sock or something because I’m sure there’ll be a lot of pictures of his sock.
“If anybody wants to be out there, it’s him. No one’s as tough as him.”
Gronkowski remained non-committal about almost everything. When asked if he could play on the injury if it was the regular season, he ducked the question.
“I couldn’t answer that,” he said. “It’s not a regular-season game. It’s the Super Bowl this week, and [we’re] just preparing like it’s a big game and it’s the biggest game. It ain’t no regular-season game. So you’ve got to treat it a lot differently.”
He seemed amused by all the attention his ankle is getting.
“The only reason it’s getting so blown up is because it’s the Super Bowl, obviously,” he said.
Last week, his father revealed to reporters exactly what the injury was. The outgoing Gronkowski had some fun with that yesterday, too.
“If you ever need some information, just call him up,” he said. “I think he’ll give it all out. I’m just messing around.”
The Patriots offense will have a much different look if Gronkowski is unavailable to play. He set an NFL record for tight ends this season with 17 touchdown catches. He had 90 receptions for 1,327 yards, and has led the team in the playoffs with 15 catches.
Gronkowski has not practiced since suffering the injury. The Patriots did not practice yesterday, and resume practicing today. Gronkowski said he was unsure whether he will practice. He’s taking it “day by day.”
Gronkowski’s teammates know missing him will change their offense drastically.
“I think he’ll be fine, but it would obviously change the game a lot [if he isn’t],” tight end Aaron Hernandez said. “It would basically be like playing without our main player.”
Spending Super Bowl week in the trainer’s room did nothing to ruin Gronkowski’s mood. He smiled through most of his media session and said he’s having fun with his teammates. When it comes to Sunday, he said he will be honest with the trainers and coaches if he can’t play.
“I’m definitely going to give an honest answer,” he said. “Whatever the best is for the team, that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to get better every day, trying to get stronger every day and just trying to progress every day, so when it comes to game time I can just help out the team [any] way possible.
“Whatever it is, however it is, if it’s the whole game, if it’s a couple of plays, no matter how it is help out the team as much as possible.”
brian.costello@nypost.com