New England Patriots: The great Rob Gronkowski-Ben Coates debate

Before the dominance of Rob Gronkowski at the tight end position, the New England Patriots enjoyed the playmaking ability of Ben Coates at the position.

If you are a New England Patriots fans who watched the team in the 90s, you got to enjoy the physical dominance of pass-catching tight end Ben Coates.

A dynamic playmaker, the former Patriots tight end still follows the game and appreciates what the current team’s tight end (Rob Gronkowski) has accomplished on the field. With a combination of speed and size, Coates paved the way for the importance of the tight end in the Patriots’ offense.

He wasn’t the first, but the way his franchise regular-season record of 490 receptions by a tight end tells just how much the Patriots relied on Coats in the 90s. Just like Gronkowski is a major target of Tom Brady, Coates was a reliable target for Drew Bledsoe for the latter half of the 1990s and was a big part of the team’s rise to respectability.

More from Chowder and Champions

Coates did not get to play a season with Brady, so one has to wonder how much more dominant he would’ve been if he came along in the 00s.

With the way the game has changed between the two eras, we’ll never know. One thing we do know, is that the best two tight ends in New England Patriots history are just separated by a decade.

As Gronkowski approaches the team’s record for career regular-season receptions, Coates took some time to praise his predecessor. In an interview with ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Coates drew comparisons to himself when describing Gronkowski’s physical presence on the field.

Coates also marveled at how complete a player Rob Gronkowski is.

"“Rob is a complete tight end. He can run block, get vertical, catch the ball. There aren’t many that can run block the defensive end by himself or pass-block a very good linebacker like Von Miller,” Coates said, via ESPN. “I didn’t want to just catch passes. We had guys like Shannon [Sharpe] and other people in the league that were going to be pass-catching tight ends, but [my question was], ‘When are we going to start looking at the complete tight end?’”"

The fact that Ben Coates wanted to be more than a pass catching tight end says a lot about how he would’ve excelled he played under Bill Belichick and with Tom Brady during the prime of his career.

The great tight end debate?

There really is no fair comparison between the two. When I put together my All-time great New England Patriots tight ends list, Rob Gronkowski and Ben Coates were easily No. 1 and No. 2 on the list. Gronk came in at No. 1 due to how much he has done without being fully healthy.

Coates, despite his physicality, was durable during his career. I had the luxury of watching Coates and was instantly reminded of him when Gronkowski first stepped on the field in 2010. Gronk is a bigger physical specimen than Coates, but the ability to break tackles and barrel over defenders is what makes both similar.

Where they are different is that Rob Gronkowski is a more effective route runner. Then again, Ben Coates never got the chance to play in an offensive system led by the greatness of Tom Brady.

As far as who is the best. Well, that is a fun debate to have. A fully healthy Gronkowski may win the debate, but watching how Coates transcended the tight end position during his time supports any argument made on his part.

When it comes to having his current record broken, the old No. 87 is happy that the current No. 87 is the one to do it.

"“It’s not [bittersweet] because records are made to be broken. He’s a phenomenal tight end and he’s wearing the number, and I’m happy to see that number is still pretty big in New England,” Coates said. “Just make sure he takes care of himself. They are totally different when he’s not in the game.”"

Next: New England Patriots: Top 5 pass catching tight ends of all time

Now the question is: If the New England Patriots ever retired the No. 87, which player would it be retired under? Both perhaps?

Home/New England Patriots