Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Dawg
I feel like Gronk is being forgotten. He has been invisible in the passing game but this is his last year with NE. He may get targeted more for certain. Out of no where they run plays for him.
|
Patriots obviously try to exploit the weaknesses in a defense so against KC, I fully expect 5-6 passes to be thrown to Gronk. I was not surprised at all with how Gronk was used last week. I fully expected it since it was logical to deploy him that way.
I may be wrong but win or lose this year, I suspect Gronk is back for 1-2 more years. He won't be a player that sticks around like Antonio Gates playing for low valued contracts but I don't think he walks away after this year even if Patriots win the Super Bowl.
My best guess is he retires after next season or the year after that. His current demise which will accelerate in all likelihood is ridiculously overstated. Yes, he has lost a little speed but he was never Hill. Still a huge target with very good hands that is tough to take down and still a great blocker for a tight end.
I doubt he goes to another team unless they pay him funny money which another team probably wouldn't at this point.
Put an elite/near elite defender on him and Gronk is no longer worthy of many throws to him. Patriots now clearly realize -- see Chargers game plan -- that and that is probably a huge reason they used him less as a receiver against the Chargers. But defenses have to pick and choose how to deploy their elite defenders and shade their defenses so Gronk still has very good value if he can sometimes win his fair share of match ups against good
to very good defenders. And he can do that when reasonably healthy.
I expect Gronk to get 75+ yards against the Chiefs and to be much more of a genuine threat than he was in the 2nd Super Bowl against the Giants when he was playing with a super banged up ankle. Chiefs can live with the 75 yards. The real question is whether or not he gets in the end zone and he hasn't done that good of a job of that this year.
I really don't think KC will be confused by the Patriots offense or the Patriots overly confused by the Chiefs defense. Patriots will use Gronk as a receiver a decent amount but Chiefs will expect it.