Must-read Jackie MacMullan article on GRONK

[ctpatsfan77]

Warning: there are a couple of gratuitous pot shots, since it is J-Mac here, but, all in all, it's definitely worth it.

It's good to be Rob Gronkowski - ESPN Boston

That said, I was stunned by the part that follows this paragraph (yes, I was aware of his back injury, but not what's in the subsequent paragraphs). All I can say is this: GRONK might actually be the biggest high-risk, high-reward draft pick Belichick has ever made.

Rob Gronkowski submitted a sophomore season in which he caught 47 balls for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking Arizona's game, season and career marks for tight ends. He was a bona fide NFL prospect, a sure first-round pick -- until he suffered a back injury that required surgery.

 

[The-Hooded-One]

You were stunned that Gronk had a serious back injury in college? I thought this was common knowledge.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

You were stunned that Gronk had a serious back injury in college? I thought this was common knowledge.

Not that paragraph, obviously; the five or six paragraphs following it.

 

[Satchboogie3]

"Diane started a new tradition last winter. She and her boys congregate at her home in Florida to celebrate Christmas in February.

The February gift Robbie wants desperately is a Super Bowl ring. For all his football adventures, he's yet to win a championship at any level.

"I'm trying," he said, his trademark grin swallowing his face."

Gotta get him that ring!

 

[DarrylS]

Jackie MacMullan is the woman.. is this the basis for a new book??

 

[blackglass3]

Sorry, when I see her name I just think of 'Get Paid' and can't take anything she writes seriously.

 

[Jackson 2]

Jackie MacMullan is the woman.. is this the basis for a new book??

She's a BB hater. And she hates Matt Light more.

 

[UK_Pat37]

One of the best articles I think I've ever read on a player! Superbly written and a tremendous insight into Gronk's upbringing!

 

[Shockt327]

"Rob's father, Gordon, a former offensive lineman for Syracuse who was revered by his sons, hurled tennis balls at them at close range with the aim of teaching them toughness, perseverance and hand-eye coordination."

!!!

 

[Patspsycho]

Good read, thanks for posting.

The one thing that sticks out to me which I take as a good sign is that it will "forever rankle him that he wasn't a first round pick." That's the kind of fire one needs to sustain an all-pro career and not to become complacent.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

OK, since nobody has commented yet on the part I was talking about, let me be a bit more explicit:

"We helped him rehab for a month and a half," Stoops said, "but he wasn't the same player."

Robbie had already decided to go pro and trained with Chris for 2½ months. They worked out six hours a day, but Big Rob was having trouble. His back had healed but his burst was gone.

"He couldn't run under a 5.0 [in the 40-yard dash]," Chris said. "He had no vertical, couldn't jump. I was getting kind of worried for him."

"I was running super slow," Gronkowski said. "Chris thought I was done. Then one day at the end of February I woke up and my body felt good.

"I was just so happy. I was faster than my brother again. I got all my moves back. I told him, 'Brother, I'm back, and now you're done!'"

In other words, yeah, there was risk in taking GRONK.

But, after that bit of a scare, a bit of fun-loving GRONK, from his HS coach:

"I told Rob whenever he builds his first house, there's no doubt there will be a big slide with a bunch of plastic balls in his living room," Mammoliti said. "He said, 'You know what, Coach? That's a great idea!'"

 

[Mike the Brit]

There have been a number of Gronk-growing-up articles that were clearly written through the lens of his Dad. As Patchick pointed out in relation to one of them: where was Mom? Well, this article answers that as well as talking to his High School football team. I think it does a decent job (which, by the standards of current sports journalism, puts it way above average).

The thing that struck me most was the story about him going into the cafeteria, picking up a cookie from one of his future teammates' plates, eating a bite then putting it back down. That's the way to show who's king of the jungle ...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There have been a number of Gronk-growing-up articles that were clearly written through the lens of his Dad. As Patchick pointed out in relation to one of them: where was Mom? Well, this article answers that as well as talking to his High School football team. I think it does a decent job (which, by the standards of current sports journalism, puts it way above average).

The thing that struck me most was the story about him going into the cafeteria, picking up a cookie from one of his future teammates' plates, eating a bite then putting it back down. That's the way to show who's king of the jungle ...

Given GRONK's size. . . . who was going to do anything about it?

 

[Ivan]

Since when is McMullan a hater? I have never seen any evidence of it and consider her the most professional of all the Boston writers. Good article, good read.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Given GRONK's size. . . . who was going to do anything about it?

Indeed -- Nate Solder?

Fortunately, his physical dominance doesn't seem to have led him to become your typical football-playing entitled thug.

 

[PlainOldEd]

"Rob's father, Gordon, a former offensive lineman for Syracuse who was revered by his sons, hurled tennis balls at them at close range with the aim of teaching them toughness, perseverance and hand-eye coordination."

!!!

In todays world isn't this a crime? I'm not saying I agree that it should be a crime, just that it is..... If the mom brought this up during the divorce she would have gotten all of the kids.

 

[ewg_gestalt]

In todays world isn't this a crime? I'm not saying I agree that it should be a crime, just that it is..... If the mom brought this up during the divorce she would have gotten all of the kids.

Ah, but the world of competitive sports allows for many things that would be considered abuse in other contexts to be "just part of the game." . . .

 

[patchick]

Sorry, when I see her name I just think of 'Get Paid' and can't take anything she writes seriously.

That's a shame, because she's one of the best writers of personal sports profiles in the country. Seriously -- to heck with her sports opinions, etc., this is the kind of piece she does best. We've seen plenty of other stabs at a Gronk profile recently, and she is the only one to actually give you a sense of him as a person and player.

 

[DarrylS]

That's a shame, because she's one of the best writers of personal sports profiles in the country. Seriously -- to heck with her sports opinions, etc., this is the kind of piece she does best. We've seen plenty of other stabs at a Gronk profile recently, and she is the only one to actually give you a sense of him as a person and player.

I agree, still trying to google "McMullan hates Belichick" and coming up with nothing..

Maybe I will try Bing..

 

[patchick]

I agree, still trying to google "McMullan hates Belichick" and coming up with nothing..

Certainly not going to find it in this...
Nothing could have prepared him - The Boston Globe