Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

Via Field Yates' tweet:

Twitter / FieldYates: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski ...

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

Damn it! I know it is a silly superstition, but I hate to see a Patriots' player on the cover..... And what if the SI cover curse is actually true.:D

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

Hmm, wonder if that's a regional or national cover. Grooonnnk.

Actually, glad this is here because I just read a tweet from Judy Battista of the NYT:

Look out for an overload of Peyton love this year, folks.

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

Yeah, it boggles my mind that the Pats, who went to the SB, have less prime time games than an 8-8 team from last season.

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

this probably just a regional cover, in which case there has to be a patriot on the cover for the new england region.

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

It's really not surprising.

P. Manning's return is a big story, especially when combined with the Elway angle. I have little doubt that the NFL's market research shows that a lot of viewers nationally suffer from Pats Fatigue Syndrome, while Manning is a story of a guy who disappeared for a year and is trying to rise from the dead (in that sense, trying to out-Tebow Tebow, who only prays to the Guy who rose from the dead).

And, when you consider that a 9--7 team actually won the SB last year, a gaudy prior year record has to be taken in context.

All in all, the farther under the national radar screen the Pats can fly the better, IMO.

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

Definite step up for Gronk in the "family friendly" department. Seems to be at least partially clothed and no adult movie stars in sight ...

re: Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski
 

However, the Headline over his pic does read "The Full Gronkowski," a reference to "The Full Monty," which usually refers these days to a male stripping in public.