New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski defined ‘The Patriot Way’ in 2018

Forget the money, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski put his team first and did whatever it took to win in 2018.

Let’s face it, Rob Gronkowski wasn’t dominant anymore in 2018, but the New England Patriots tight end found other ways to impact his team’s road to another Super Bowl championship.

Battling back and ankle issues throughout the season, the Gronk fans knew looked like a shell of himself.  Consistently double and sometimes triple-teamed, he wasn’t able to break away from defenders like he used to.  Part of that was due to a lack of other offensive weapons during the early part of the season.  But, some of it was due to him simply losing a step.

While his 47 receptions for 682 yards during the regular season was still better production than the average tight end in the NFL, the dominant playmaker in Rob Gronkowski was definitely not there and had NFL pundits like former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan voicing their opinions.

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"“You look at Gronkowski, I mean, he’s running with a piano on his back,” Ryan said back in December on ESPN’s “Get Up!” morning show.  “He’s not healthy.”"

Ryan explained that Gronkowski looked “slow and stiff” partly due to not practicing because of his injuries.  And his lack of targets, particularly in the red zone, proved something was up with Tom Brady’s biggest and most explosive target.

In fact, towards the end of the season, the rumor of Gronkowski’s possible retirement was the loudest noise heard out of Foxboro.  The 29-year-old tight end contemplated walking away from the game following the team’s Super Bowl LII loss and how the season unfolded it certainly seemed like his swan song (and it still could be).

And then, something happened.

The New England Patriots became more of a running team to end the season and throughout the playoffs.  The power running game redefined Gronkowski’s role as a tight end and he embraced it.

Doing what it takes to win

Rob Gronkowski has always been a great blocker, but his dominance in that area wasn’t exploited and nationally recognized until the team’s Divisional Round win against the Los Angeles Chargers.

In that game, Gronk helped the offensive line control and dominate the game.  Utilizing the big tight end as a blocker also helped the team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.  Tom Brady certainly recognized Gronk’s greatness in that area.

"“Yeah, he’s a great blocker,” Brady said after the Chargers win.  “I think that’s something that goes maybe a little under the radar with his skill set, but he’s one of the most dominant blocking tight ends in the league.  Again, he’s a threat when he catches it.  Just did such a great job there to start the third quarter.  He’s a threat any time he’s out there.”"

In a season in which he didn’t meet many of the incentives of his re-worked contract, Rob Gronkowski embraced the role he was given.  As someone who basically mocked “The Patriot Way” heading into the season, he morphed and became the definition of what Bill Belichick loves in a player.

Versatility, leadership and toughness.  That was all Gronkowski in 2019.  And yeah, there was still the passing play here and there that displayed remnants of what made him such an explosive playmaker in the NFL.  The New England Patriots to their credit found a way to put Rob Gronkowski in a position to still dominate without featuring him in the passing game.

It was only effective because the All-Pro tight end was willing to change his role and put the team first.  If he comes back in 2019, he will be more of a run and pass blocker with the occasional target from Tom Brady just like he was in Super Bowl LIII and the entire playoff run.