Sports Illustrated's NFL 2012 Cover features Rob Gronkowski

[shmessy]

Via Field Yates' tweet:

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

 

[Rob0729]

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.

 

[Joker]

 

[Uncle Rico]

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:

Interesting: SI and ESPN the mag both picking Packers-Broncos Super Bowl in New Orleans.

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

 

[Urgent]

 

[PatsGirl2011]

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.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

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

 

[PatsFanSince74]

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.

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.

 

[Zeus]

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

 

[PatsFanSince74]

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

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.

 

[Rob0729]

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.

I don't get the Broncos love (Actually, I do since the media has always been on Peyton's jock). Everyone is expecting Manning to be the Manning of two years ago. I'm not sure if he will. Plus, their schedule is brutal which means they are likely to have to play Wild Card weekend and two AFC games on the road to get to the Super Bowl.

 

[Reckedtrek]

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.

It's great! Although it's not likely to happen, flying under the radar is the best thing for this team. Hopefully our D is considerably improved and opponents think they're getting last years D.

 

[shmessy]

I don't get the Broncos love (Actually, I do since the media has always been on Peyton's jock). Everyone is expecting Manning to be the Manning of two years ago. I'm not sure if he will. Plus, their schedule is brutal which means they are likely to have to play Wild Card weekend and two AFC games on the road to get to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots didn't just beat Tebow twice last year - - they brutalized that Broncos defense for 86 points in two games.

That's just a vicious beating. Not sure if just switching to Peyton will solve all that.

 

[PatsGirl2011]

Yeah, my annoyance with the Broncos is I can't stand the love fest with Peyton and the hatred of the Patriots and Tom Brady. Yes, the media gives Tom his due, but it seems like they always trying to look past him . Maybe I am just overreacting. Sigh...

 

[shmessy]

Yeah, my annoyance with the Broncos is I can't stand the love fest with Peyton and the hatred of the Patriots and Tom Brady. Yes, the media gives Tom his due, but it seems like they always trying to look past him . Maybe I am just overreacting. Sigh...

Well, ya know, the Broncos DID set a team record for training camp fan attendance on the first day of Manning's appearance this July - - 4,100.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It's a regional cover because this is on the newsstands in the Midwest:

the list of stories on the covers is the same, so I am guessing

three regional covers are

A) Gronk
B) Stafford and Megtron
C) Whomever the story "badass of the defense" is about

a 4th one could be Peter King (just kidding)

 

[Avenger]

Pretty sure that was a Big Lebowski reference