I love this team

[Triumph]

It doesn't get any better than this so cherish these times.

These guys stick up for one another. Gronk should not have taken the bait, but I am glad that he did. I can visualize him saying " F you b1tch"

https://media.giphy.com/media/tStM85CRNJQpq/giphy.gif

 

[archstanton543]

Really? He cost the Pats three points on that drive. Dumb move.

 

[IllegalContact]

Gronk to Bennett: Dude, you're jacked up
Bennett to Gronk: No, you're jacked up
Gronk to Bennett: man, you're huge
Bennett to Gronk: no, you're huge
Gronk to Bennett: you sweat just like I do.....wanna be my friend?

Julian Edelman says: me and Tom are like that

 

[patchick]

Really? He cost the Pats three points on that drive. Dumb move.

Worse yet, when you rise to the bait you encourage other teams to try and bait you -- and encourage refs to keep you on a short leash.

With the new automatic expulsion rules, I can easily picture certain teams deciding that the best way to neutralize Gronk is to get him kicked out of the game.

 

[Kontradiction]

Worse yet, when you rise to the bait you encourage other teams to try and bait you -- and encourage refs to keep you on a short leash.

Which Pacman tried to do on the very next drive when Brady threw one incomplete into the end zone and both were walking back to the huddle. Gronk smiled at him because he knew what was up. I agree, he needs to keep his cool. Brady also pretty much came out and said that things always get chippy with the Bengals, though (stopping just short of calling them dirty) and Gronk had just seen his buddy take a low and dirty shot so it's understandable. Plus God knows what they were doing to Gronk under the pile throughout that contest. Can't blame him if he got a little heated, but he needs to watch it going forward.

 

[aluminum seats]

Really? He cost the Pats three points on that drive. Dumb move.

Nah, sometimes you gotta push back a bit. More an art than a science, and it's important that you saw Belichick talking to him, and that Gronk said he'll have to watch himself after the game, and all that stuff. But it's football, and sometimes you gotta throw guys out of the club.

 

[Triumph]

Really? He cost the Pats three points on that drive. Dumb move.

I never thought the game was in doubt the way the defense was playing.

 

[Triumph]

Worse yet, when you rise to the bait you encourage other teams to try and bait you -- and encourage refs to keep you on a short leash.

With the new automatic expulsion rules, I can easily picture certain teams deciding that the best way to neutralize Gronk is to get him kicked out of the game.

Disagree

Gronk behaved himself the rest of the season after he threw Sergio Brown out of the club. Gronk needs to release his aggression from time to time. Also, not every team has a thug like Burfect who is going to injure another player if he keeps this up. Bennett could have been lost for the season or worse and there is no excuse for stomping on Blount after the play was over.

The leagues players are a union and its rare that you see a Suh of Burfect that are out to intentionally injure others players. Quite frankly, it is the cheap shot artists like Suh and Burfect that have a target on their backs as opposing players know that they are the ones who could end their NFL careers. Gronk has great respect from his peers not only in his own locker room, but throughout the NFL.

Gronk is the least of my concerns going forward because I know that he is smart enough to not let his own emotions get in the way of putting the team first.

 

[patchick]

Disagree

Gronk behaved himself the rest of the season after he threw Sergio Brown out of the club. Gronk needs to release his aggression from time to time. Also, not every team has a thug like Burfect who is going to injure another player if he keeps this up. Bennett could have been lost for the season or worse and there is no excuse for stomping on Blount after the play was over.

The leagues players are a union and its rare that you see a Suh of Burfect that are out to intentionally injure others players. Quite frankly, it is the cheap shot artists like Suh and Burfect that have a target on their backs as opposing players know that they are the ones who could end their NFL careers. Gronk has great respect from his peers not only in his own locker room, but throughout the NFL.

I'm not at all saying that Gronk is a dirty player, I'm saying he's a tempting target and so has to be extra careful.

This isn't the first time Gronkowski has been successfully baited by dirty plays etc. from the opposition. (The season when he threw Sergio Brown out of the club ended with him "throwing some haymakers" in the Superbowl, remember?) No more so than many others, certainly, but: Gronk is such a high-profile player that every incident gets much, much more attention than if it were somebody else. Everybody hears about it, everybody remembers it.

That's going to lead some defenders to think of him as volatile and baitable and to try extra hard to get under his skin. And every time they succeed, it plants an extra seed in the back of the refs' mind to not give him the benefit of the doubt going forward.

I know he's a smart player and should be fine, but I can't cheer for this taunting penalty. Taunt 'em with touchdowns.

 

[Ring 6]

Really? He cost the Pats three points on that drive. Dumb move.

3 points that weren't needed, and a lot of team building that will mean a lot more in the long run

 

[Ring 6]

Worse yet, when you rise to the bait you encourage other teams to try and bait you -- and encourage refs to keep you on a short leash.

With the new automatic expulsion rules, I can easily picture certain teams deciding that the best way to neutralize Gronk is to get him kicked out of the game.

There is no history of Gronk being baited and falling for it.
I am happy that he responded to a cheap shot on his teammate.

 

[archstanton543]

3 points that weren't needed, and a lot of team building that will mean a lot more in the long run

All points that you can get are needed.

 

[Ring 6]

All points that you can get are needed.

No they aren't. We needed 18 last game.

 

[Ring 6]

All points that you can get are needed.

You disagree that when the other team has 17 you only need 18?
Are you talking about style points?

 

[archstanton543]

You disagree that when the other team has 17 you only need 18?
Are you talking about style points?

You don't know the final score going into the game and how many points you'll need. If you did you wouldn't be posting on a Pats message board. You'd be on your own private island drinking Mai tais.

 

[Ring 6]

You don't know the final score going into the game and how many points you'll need. If you did you wouldn't be posting on a Pats message board. You'd be on your own private island drinking Mai tais.

I didn't imply otherwise. I said those were points they didn't need. I didn't say at the time the game was over.
In the end that penalty was meaningless.

 

[patchick]

There is no history of Gronk being baited and falling for it.
I am happy that he responded to a cheap shot on his teammate.

Well, there's Gronk himself saying that's exactly what happened on Sunday:

"They do that every game," Gronkowski said. "If you watch film, they're always baiting everyone to do that. They're a tough, physical team. They're physical football players. They're big and they hit hard, and I feel like that's the style that they play. (I) kind of gave into it when I got my penalty and gotta watch out for that.

Ironically, what there's really no history of is the notion that Gronk was responding to the cheap shot on his teammate.

That's an assumption others made after the game -- Gronk has never even indicated that he saw the attack on Bennett. He was deep in his own separate back-and-forth with Adam Jones, and then Burfict:

Gronkowski said after the game that he hadn't seen Burfict's low hit on Bennett

Gronkowski seemed to take issue with a hit he took from Cincinnati corner Adam Jones over the middle when Jones dove at the big tight end's ankles. Words were exchanged back and forth, and the conversation continued moments later after Gronkowski's next catch.

after a 29-yard catch he tumbled over Jones. After getting up, Gronkowski stood over the downed cornerback and shouted at him. “He was like, ‘How’s that s--- feel, little guy?’ ” Burfict told his teammates.

“That’s why Taze got mad!” Jones called out from several lockers over.

Burfict, who recently served a three-game suspension for his helmet-to-helmet blow of Antonio Brown in last season’s playoff loss, stepped up to Gronkowski, and they lightly bumped helmets. Two plays later, after the catch that gave him a career-high for single-game receiving yards, Gronkowski stood over Kirkpatrick jawing—and this time, he was flagged for taunting.

 

[MitchKumstein]

I agree with Tom GOAT when he said on WEEI the next morning something you the effect of (paraphrasing) "I'd prefer that Gronk didn't take the penalty when we were winning by only 1 score, but I completely understand why he did it"

 

[Ring 6]

Well, there's Gronk himself saying that's exactly what happened on Sunday:



Ironically, what there's really no history of is the notion that Gronk was responding to the cheap shot on his teammate.

That's an assumption others made after the game -- Gronk has never even indicated that he saw the attack on Bennett. He was deep in his own separate back-and-forth with Adam Jones, and then Burfict:

Umm those comments are about the bengals baiting not teams doing it to think every week. And my point was about him being affected by it any way.
If you don't want to believe that Gronk was aware that burficts cheap shot was the reason Bennett limped off the field that's up to you. Not sure how you expected him to see it when he was running a route.

 

[Triumph]

I'm not at all saying that Gronk is a dirty player, I'm saying he's a tempting target and so has to be extra careful.

This isn't the first time Gronkowski has been successfully baited by dirty plays etc. from the opposition. (The season when he threw Sergio Brown out of the club ended with him "throwing some haymakers" in the Superbowl, remember?) No more so than many others, certainly, but: Gronk is such a high-profile player that every incident gets much, much more attention than if it were somebody else. Everybody hears about it, everybody remembers it.

That's going to lead some defenders to think of him as volatile and baitable and to try extra hard to get under his skin. And every time they succeed, it plants an extra seed in the back of the refs' mind to not give him the benefit of the doubt going forward.

I know he's a smart player and should be fine, but I can't cheer for this taunting penalty. Taunt 'em with touchdowns.

I never implied that you meant that Gronk was a dirty player.

This is much about nothing. The Sergio Brown play happened 11/16 and Gronk went 8 more games without incident until the Super Bowl vs Seattle with 20 seconds left in the game.The Pats were just kneeling down on every play with Brady and the OL protecting the ball. Seattle tried to bully NE and Patriots would have none of it.

Gronk doesnt get the benefit of doubt as it is because he is so dominant.

Sometimes you have just have to square off and be a man. Acting scared like a sissy has no place in pro sports.