At first blush, it's alarming that all New England could get for a once in a lifetime player like Gronkowski is a fourth-round pick but then again, he last played in Super Bowl 53 (13-3 win vs. Rams). It seemed like the right time to step away from the brutal game of pro football and who would ever blame Gronk of all people because he's had countless serious injuries (concussions, knees, leg, back, arm, etc) since he was drafted by Bill Belichick in 2010 (2nd round, 42nd overall). Seeing him turn into the Shaq of football in terms of saying yes to every half-ass marketing opportunity got tiresome along with his constant hints of making what felt like an inevitable comeback like this after he waffled his way into an extended siesta.
The fact that Belichick basically ran off both the greatest quarterback and tight end will always be a painful what if for Pats fans (not that we ever have anything to complain about after 6 Super Bowl victories) especially when their eventual "Last Dance" documentary series gets put together (budding documentary directors around the country are currently writing crappy scripts as we speak). As I keep saying in these Patriots posts lately, let's just hope that there is a 2020 NFL season if only for the reason that the Bucs and Pats will each be fascinating to watch for different reasons (who does better in their first year apart-Bill or Tom). Brady joining a loaded offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and now Gronk is tantalizing to keep it in PG terms. Conversely, you wonder what the hell Julian Edelman is thinking right now in his lonely Beacon Hill condo on a rainy Tuesday. Likewise, there have already been rumors of Tampa trying to move on from their young tight end OJ Howard. It feels like one or both of those guys could also be flipped in the near future. Harvard alum and tight end Cameron Brate has surprisingly played better than Howard who came out of Alabama with a ton of hype but so far hasn't made much of an impact in the NFL.
At his core, there will never be another Gronk on the Pats or in the NFL in that matter in the sense that he combined singular talent with a fun-loving personality (like a human Golden Retriever). You can't help but wonder how much he has left though since at the end in New England, he was basically cooked although he did make huge catches against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship and then against the Rams. He is probably still in great shape for a normal human being but football shape is different (not to sound like your local high school hardo football coach) and he's no doubt lost a ton of weight. His act is very played out but it's impossible to hate him so therefore I'll always root for Rob (and most of all hope that he doesn't suffer anymore serious injuries). I'm too old and entrenched as a Patriots fan to ever ditch them but at least I now have an NFC team to pay close attention to for however long Brady and Gronk play there.
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment