We hope that he has many more productive years left in his career, but as of today, what is Gronk's place in history? Is he a hall-of-famer *right now*? Is he the greatest TE of all time *right now*? Or is his career not long enough to give him that title? A few tidbits for thought....
There are only 8 tight ends in the hall of fame. Here they are, and here are their career stats:
Mike Ditka: 158 games, 427 rec, 5,812 yds (13.6), 40 td
John Mackey: 139 games, 331 rec, 5,236 yds (15.8), 38 td
Jackie Smith: 210 games, 480 rec, 7,910 yds (16.5), 40 td
Kellen Winslow: 109 games, 541 rec, 6,741 yds (12.5), 45 td
Ozzie Newsome: 198 games, 662 rec, 7,980 yds (12.1), 47 td
Dave Casper: 147 games, 378 rec, 5,216 yds (13.8), 52 td
Charlie Sanders: 128 games, 336 rec, 4,817 yds (14.3), 31 td
Shannon Sharpe: 204 games, 815 rec, 10,060 yds (12.3), 62 td
Other notables not (or not yet) in the HOF:
Mark Bavaro: 126 games, 351 rec, 4,733 yds (13.5), 39 td
Ben Coates: 158 games, 499 rec, 5,555 yds (11.1), 50 td
Tony Gonzalez: 270 games, 1,325 rec, 15,127 yds (11.4), 111 td
Antonio Gates: 187 games, 833 rec, 10,511 yds (12.6), 103 td
Russ Francis: 167 games, 393 rec, 5,262 yds (13.4), 40 td
Jason Witten: 204 games, 1,008 rec, 11,096 yds (11.0), 59 td
Rob Gronkowski: 77 games, 369 rec, 5,397 yds (14.6), 64 td
Clearly, Gronk's career stats, in a fraction of the games that those 8 hall of famers have played, are just as good as the guys who are in Canton. Now, the game has changed considerably, and passing is much more prolific, so we'd expect TEs today to be more like receivers than blockers. Nobody is ever going to confuse Jimmy Graham or Jason Witten with an offensive lineman.
I think right now, Tony Gonzalez has to go down as the greatest TE in history. Longevity, mind-boggling production, and sheer numbers give him that title, even if he wasn't the best blocking TE ever. He wasn't bad, he just wasn't elite for a TE. Antonio Gates has to be right up there as well. Both those guys are HOF locks. As is Witten, to be honest. He's getting in as well.
But Gronk's numbers, even for such a short period of time, compare favorably to most guys on this list - both those in and not yet in Canton. His yards per catch average is better than Gonzalez, Gates, Witten, Coates, Sharpe, Winslow, Newsome, et al. He has more TDs already at the position than anyone besides Gonzalez and Gates. Think about that. In 38% of the games compared to Sharpe, Gronk has 2 more TDs. And it wasn't like Sharpe didn't have good QBs throwing to him. He had Elway most of his career.
Gronk is a better blocker than any of the guys in the "not or not yet in the HOF" list above. He is also a much better blocker than Sharpe, Winslow, and Newsome. I can't speak for Ditka or Mackey or Smith, but it's hard to imagine Gronk not being on a par with those guys.
Long story short, Gronk is on the absolute short list of all-time greatest TEs in the game *right now*, if he never played another down in the NFL. If he plays several more years, his cumulative numbers will make his overall case that much more impressive. It's hard to picture him amassing the same number of receptions for the same number of yards as Gonzalez, because Gonzalez just played so long, enjoying great health throughout his career. Gronk's body probably can't survive that long.
There are only 8 tight ends in the hall of fame. Here they are, and here are their career stats:
Mike Ditka: 158 games, 427 rec, 5,812 yds (13.6), 40 td
John Mackey: 139 games, 331 rec, 5,236 yds (15.8), 38 td
Jackie Smith: 210 games, 480 rec, 7,910 yds (16.5), 40 td
Kellen Winslow: 109 games, 541 rec, 6,741 yds (12.5), 45 td
Ozzie Newsome: 198 games, 662 rec, 7,980 yds (12.1), 47 td
Dave Casper: 147 games, 378 rec, 5,216 yds (13.8), 52 td
Charlie Sanders: 128 games, 336 rec, 4,817 yds (14.3), 31 td
Shannon Sharpe: 204 games, 815 rec, 10,060 yds (12.3), 62 td
Other notables not (or not yet) in the HOF:
Mark Bavaro: 126 games, 351 rec, 4,733 yds (13.5), 39 td
Ben Coates: 158 games, 499 rec, 5,555 yds (11.1), 50 td
Tony Gonzalez: 270 games, 1,325 rec, 15,127 yds (11.4), 111 td
Antonio Gates: 187 games, 833 rec, 10,511 yds (12.6), 103 td
Russ Francis: 167 games, 393 rec, 5,262 yds (13.4), 40 td
Jason Witten: 204 games, 1,008 rec, 11,096 yds (11.0), 59 td
Rob Gronkowski: 77 games, 369 rec, 5,397 yds (14.6), 64 td
Clearly, Gronk's career stats, in a fraction of the games that those 8 hall of famers have played, are just as good as the guys who are in Canton. Now, the game has changed considerably, and passing is much more prolific, so we'd expect TEs today to be more like receivers than blockers. Nobody is ever going to confuse Jimmy Graham or Jason Witten with an offensive lineman.
I think right now, Tony Gonzalez has to go down as the greatest TE in history. Longevity, mind-boggling production, and sheer numbers give him that title, even if he wasn't the best blocking TE ever. He wasn't bad, he just wasn't elite for a TE. Antonio Gates has to be right up there as well. Both those guys are HOF locks. As is Witten, to be honest. He's getting in as well.
But Gronk's numbers, even for such a short period of time, compare favorably to most guys on this list - both those in and not yet in Canton. His yards per catch average is better than Gonzalez, Gates, Witten, Coates, Sharpe, Winslow, Newsome, et al. He has more TDs already at the position than anyone besides Gonzalez and Gates. Think about that. In 38% of the games compared to Sharpe, Gronk has 2 more TDs. And it wasn't like Sharpe didn't have good QBs throwing to him. He had Elway most of his career.
Gronk is a better blocker than any of the guys in the "not or not yet in the HOF" list above. He is also a much better blocker than Sharpe, Winslow, and Newsome. I can't speak for Ditka or Mackey or Smith, but it's hard to imagine Gronk not being on a par with those guys.
Long story short, Gronk is on the absolute short list of all-time greatest TEs in the game *right now*, if he never played another down in the NFL. If he plays several more years, his cumulative numbers will make his overall case that much more impressive. It's hard to picture him amassing the same number of receptions for the same number of yards as Gonzalez, because Gonzalez just played so long, enjoying great health throughout his career. Gronk's body probably can't survive that long.
