Even though Rob Gronkowski continues to torture the Buffalo Bills defense, and the fact that the Patriots offense sliced and diced their defense to the tune of 41 points, some members of the Bills defense think that Gronk isn’t that great.
A couple even went so far as to say that without that “system QB” Tom Brady, that Gronk is a JAG (just another guy). On a day where Gronkowski set the Patriots team record with his 69th touchdown, the Bills aren’t impressed.
But before fans start thinking it was Rex Ryan, think again. Ryan was particularly gracious in his comments about both Gronkowski and Tom Brady. Asked about the difficulties in covering him, Ryan had this to say in his post-game interview.
“He’s pretty dang good,” Ryan said. “The problem is, you know, somebody has to have a tough down and win that tough down or whatever but yeah, that guy’s (a) phenomenal player and he’s been that way for a long time.”
But apparently, his players…the ones who allowed him to catch 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown were less impressed.
“I’m more impressed with [Martellus] Bennett than Gronk,” Bills linebacker Zach Brown told the Boston Globe. “When Tom Brady wasn’t here, you didn’t hear [Gronkowski]. But when Tom Brady comes back he knows where to place it, how to place it, and he uses Gronk’s size to his advantage. As far as blocking, no, I do not think he’s one of the best. Bennett is probably a better blocker.”
“He uses his body well, but he’s got Tom Brady,” Bills safety Corey Graham said. “I mean, Tom Brady’s Tom Brady.”
Gronkowski missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury. The Patriots eased him back into the lineup the next two games, including the Week 4 contest where rookie QB Jacoby Brissett started and Gronkowski, clearly not 100 percent caught just one pass for 14 yards.
Since Tom Brady’s return, Gronk has been as hot as Brady, catching 21 passes for 463 yards and three touchdowns. The QB’s return and his getting healthy was the two biggest factors in the Patriots offensive resurgence.
In Gronkowski’s last two games in Buffalo, he’s caught 12 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. In Gronkowski’s career, he’s faced the Bills 11 times and has 52 catches for 813 yards and 11 touchdowns. Played out over an entire NFL season, that works out to 76 catches, for just under 1200 yards and 16 touchdowns. JAG? That’s laughable.
Just a month ago Bills linebacker Preston Brown said that the defense “could take a nap” on one side of the field as rookie QB Brissett would only make a read to one side and the players on the other could rest easy.
Well there may be some sleepless nights on tap as the Bills try to right their ship after their defense was gashed by Miami’s running game one week and the Patriots passing game the next. They face Seattle on the road next week.
As for Gronkowski, he keeps plugging along, he won’t lose any sleep over the Bills comments. In fact, he answered them with a jab of his own. At the end of his post-game presser, he was asked about the sex toy that was thrown on the field, presumably at former Bill Chris Hogan on his pass reception near the Buffalo goal line.
My, my, my, [Joe Kenda voice] what have we come to here. In Detroit during the hockey playoffs, fans threw octopi on the ice. In Florida, Panthers fans threw toy rats on the ice, after a player dispatched a live one on the bench. Now in Western New York, they throw strap-ons to the field….that is so Buffalo.
As for Gronkowski, what did he think of it?
“I think that was for the Bills,” he said. Classic.
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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)
