New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski displaying Pro Bowl dominance
Eight-year-veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski earned his fifth Pro Bowl as one of four New England Patriots selected to the 2018 NFL honor.
Coming off one his most dominant performances on the field, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski earned his fifth Pro Bowl of his career on Tuesday.
Gronkowski was one of four members of the Patriots to be selected to the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl and the timing couldn’t be any better. Leading all tight ends with 1,017 receiving yards, the performance this man put on in the team’s 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Heinz Field solidified him as the best in the league.
With Travis Kelce the other tight end selected for the game, Gronkowski’s play on the field going down the stretch has separated the two. It may very well be a matter of opinion to some, but his clutch three catches for 69 yards in the final drive of Sunday’s game showed how unstoppable of a force he is when healthy and locked in.
In fact, Steelers safety Sean Davis was left dumbfounded on how to cover a force like Gronkowski.
"“I don’t know how you cover him,” David said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t know how you can challenge him more than that. I battled him the whole game.”"
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Bill Belichick is impressed
With a career-high 168 receiving yards, Gronkowski caught passes in every way. He caught them high, he caught them in coverage and he caught one low pass that left Patriots head coach Bill Belichick mesmerized.
"“It’s really impressive, and I’d say it’s one of the most impressive things that he does is not going to the ground on a lot of those catches, that he can make those catches around his ankles and still continue to run and gain extra yards,” Belichick said, via ESPN. “Rob has a lot of those plays where for a tall, linear type of player like he is to go down and be able to get those balls is difficult, but I think it’s even more impressive when he goes down and catches them below his knees and continues to pull the ball in and continues to run and keeps his balance.”More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win"
With Rob Gronkowski hitting his stride at the right time, the Patriots will be a hard team to beat, especially when he is catching the kind of low passes he caught on Sunday.
Revenge not on the mind of Tre’Davious White
The one thing that could get in the way of Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots is some sort of injury as the result of some sort of revenge cheap shot from the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
Speaking to Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Bills defensive back Tre-Davious White said he will not attempt to get revenge on Gronkowski for a late hit the tight end applied on him during the team’s Week 13 matchup. Gronkowski was suspended one game for the hit.
"“As I had time to think about it, I knew that he wasn’t that type of player,” White said in the interview, via WEEI. “We just honed in and moved on from it. I get to see him Sunday and the best way that I can handle that situation is just try and go in there and get a big ol’ W in their stadium and help our playoff chances.”"
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With winning being the best revenge, White and the Bills will have their work cut out for them following the type of performance Rob Gronkowski just put on against the Steelers.