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Patriots 2015 End of Regular Season Report Card – Offense

Steve Balestrieri

January 6, 2016 at 6:00 am ET

Patriots 2015 End of Regular Season Report Card – Offense

(PHOTO: Thomas J. Russ - USA TODAY Sports)

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Posted Under: Patriots Commentary

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Tight Ends:
Grade: A-

Rob Gronkowski remains the gold standard for NFL tight ends. With hats off to guys like Olsen in Carolina and Eifert in Cincy among others, who are fine tight ends, none of them is in the league with Gronkowski. No one faces the kind of coverage he does or gets held, grabbed and interfered with to the limit he does. He’s an outstanding combination of blocker and receiver that provides a matchup nightmare for defenses.

Gronk had another stellar season in 2015.
(USA TODAY Images)

His numbers too went down in the second half as the injuries elsewhere and teams were able to double and at times triple-team him. But he still ended up with big numbers. Gronk tallied 72 catches for 1176 yards for a league best 16.3 ypc among tight ends with 11 touchdowns. Gronkowski also led all TEs in yards per game (78.4), catches of 20+ yards (22), and 40+ yards (5).

The team brought in Scott Chandler this season and after an impressive spring and summer, he’s been a disappointment. We were expecting a ton of the two-TE offense with the big targets but he’s struggled to catch the ball and stay on the field. His 23 catches for 259 yards and four TDs are well below what was expected. He dropped to #3 in the depth chart as Michael Williams took over in a blocking role. Next up is the OL and the coaches:

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)