316 replies to this topic

[RedOctober3829]

ESPN Sports Science

It's a video of his amazing catch-get-up-and-run against the Redskins last week.

Edited by RedOctober3829, 12 January 2012 - 11:44 PM.

[Reverend]

The coolest part of watching that video for me was watching Gronk's footwork on the sideline. The way he swings his leg way out and at a funny angle so it would be in the perfect place to plant and hold him in bounds despite the momentum--all while dealing with everything else--is one of those apparently small but vital things that these players do so well.

It almost looks awkward, except that it's perfect. It's like some kung fu movie thing.

[Mystic Merlin]

Still not the caliber of athlete Finley and Graham are!!!11 /Deion Sanders

[EddieYost]

So I just watched that video with the sound off at work. Did anyone else feel ill watching it? All the stops and starts made me nauseous. Whats that about?

Also DeAngelo Hall looks like a fool just standing there while 2 guys try (and fail) to get him down or out of bounds.

But yeah, Gronk is a freak.

[Beomoose]

Man, I am soo happy that monster is on our side.

Yeah DeAngelo Hall's stock took a big dive after that.

[Al Zarilla]

Man, I am soo happy that monster is on our side.

Yeah DeAngelo Hall's stock took a big dive after that.

Mike and Mike talked with Gronkowski on a call-in this week. Mike Greenberg, who is a huge Jets fan says Gronk was either hatched or came down from another planet. As far as DeAngelo Hall, three possible scenarios:

1. Looked possibly like he thought the two other Redskins defenders were going to bring him down.

2. Maybe Hall thought if he joined in the fray, he'd end up with an unnecessary roughness penalty (related to 1 above).

3. Hall was scared shitless.

[EddieYost]

Fair points on Hall..especially the possibility of .drawing a flag.

[Marciano490]

http://www.thepostga...-so-good-sports

Here's a great article on Gronk's lineage, and his father's training of him and his brothers.

[loshjott]

What was the grocery bill like in that household? Poor Mom no doubt had to be at the store every day.

[RedOctober3829]

Great article by Jackie Mac on Gronk.

http://espn.go.com/b...-rob-gronkowski

[MentalDisabldLst]

Great article by Jackie Mac on Gronk.

http://espn.go.com/b...-rob-gronkowski

That's a wonderful article I was just coming here to post too. My favorite quote:

"I told Rob whenever he builds his first house, there's no doubt there will be a big slide with a bunch of plastic balls in his living room," [High School Coach] Mammoliti said. "He said, 'You know what, Coach? That's a great idea!'"

Anyone who wants to get pumped for Saturday should read that. And maybe we should rename the thread title to be about more general Gronkery.

[Beomoose]

After reading that, I'm ready to put him in as a DE when we need a stop.

[ivanvamp]

What was the grocery bill like in that household? Poor Mom no doubt had to be at the store every day.

Whatever the cost, I'm sure a couple of NFL salaries more than make up for it.

[sleepyjose03]

I think I'm going to have to elevate him to Pedroia levels of man-crushness. He sounds like a crazier football-playing giant version of Dustin.


I want HBO to force them to be roommates and make a show about it or something.....

[Hendu for Kutch]

I think I'm going to have to elevate him to Pedroia levels of man-crushness. He sounds like a crazier football-playing giant version of Dustin.


I want HBO to force them to be roommates and make a show about it or something.....

It's been done before.

Edited by Hendu for Kutch, 13 January 2012 - 12:38 PM.

[weeba]

Rob's father, Gordon, a former offensive lineman for Syracuse who was revered by his sons, hurled tennis balls at them at close range with the aim of teaching them toughness, perseverance and hand-eye coordination. By the time Rob was 13, he was inching closer and closer to the Jugs machine his father bought them, hauling in bullets from just 12 yards away.

Jesus

[Mystic Merlin]

Hey, being 'that dad' works.....when your kid has otherworldly talent!

EDIT - I would therefore like to thank Gordon Gronkowski for engaging in borderline child abuse to sow the seeds of the beast we enjoy today.

Edited by Mystic Merlin, 13 January 2012 - 12:02 PM.

[Byrdbrain]

My main takeaway from that article is that Gronk played hockey. Holy crap I can't even imagine how scary he must have been on skates.

[Old Fart Tree]

I imagine him as a totally unskilled center just barreling through people like a moose, losing the puck on a breakaway that he creates singlehandedly by flattening two people, mucking into the corner, flattening someone else, losing the puck again, and just rinsing and repeating as he barrels around like a drunk Mark Messier, ultimately getting a penalty for goaltender interference. Sound about right?

[Myt1]

Or, if you are an advanced stat analyst, you can pick an All-Pro team based on advanced stats. And when ESPN asked us to pick a Football Outsiders All-Pro team, that's exactly what we did. We also decided to structure our All-Pro team like a real NFL lineup, instead of an NFL lineup from 20 years ago. Since NFL teams now use three or more wide receivers on more plays than they use just two wide receivers, we've picked three receivers instead of a fullback.

. . .

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
This one is pretty easy, as Gronkowski had the best tight end season in NFL history. He set records for yardage (1,327) and touchdowns (17) while catching 73 percent of pass targets (as opposed to 66 percent for the also-excellent and nearly record-setting Jimmy Graham). Gronkowski had 505 DYAR. No tight end had ever put up more than 375 DYAR before.

http://insider.espn....ll-pro-team-nfl

Nota bene: DVOA and DYAR "measure only passes thrown to the tight end, not performance on plays when he is not thrown the ball, such as blocking and drawing double teams."

Edited by Myt1, 13 January 2012 - 02:23 PM.

[BrazilianSoxFan]

The Fabulous Life of Rob Gronkowski

[drleather2001]

[weeba]

[Hendu for Kutch]

The Fabulous Life of Rob Gronkowski

I had no idea the Pats almost traded that 2nd round pick to the Bears for Greg Olsen. Whew on that one.

[bigsid05]

I had no idea the Pats almost traded that 2nd round pick to the Bears for Greg Olsen. Whew on that one.

Yes, I just caught that as well. Wow, the thought of Olsen on this team instead of Gronk is... frightening...

[FelixMantilla]

From the Jackie MacMullan article:

Diane Gronkowski's full-time job was keeping the two freezers and refrigerator in the garage and the main fridge in the kitchen stocked with hearty meals for her five sons with bottomless appetites. They blew threw two six-pound bags of Sahlen's hot dogs for a snack, then an hour later were clamoring for dinner.

How the hell does that happen in a magazine article? Five days later and they still haven't corrected it.

[pedros hairstylist]

Clearly, it's a brain fart on JackieMac's end, but yeah, that should have been picked up by a copy editor, unless in some absurd Simmons directive, ESPN.com doesn't employ copy editors anymore...

[Shelterdog]

Clearly, it's a brain fart on JackieMac's end, but yeah, that should have been picked up by a copy editor, unless in some absurd Simmons directive, ESPN.com doesn't employ copy editors anymore...

They make mistakes like this all the time. Sadly, very few people seem to give a crap about copy editing any more.

[pedros hairstylist]

Correct spelling and grammar are for those who live in elitist little factopias!

[DaughtersofDougMirabelli]

[ivanvamp]

My main takeaway from that article is that Gronk played hockey. Holy crap I can't even imagine how scary he must have been on skates.

Think: Zdeno Chara.

[Hendoo]

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

The last spike got me hoping that I had somehow forgot a Gronk "double spike".

Spikes the ball, it goes high into the air, he catches it on the bounce and spikes it again.

A discount double spike, if you will.

Edited by Kenny F'ing Powers, 18 January 2012 - 08:17 AM.

[loshjott]

The last spike got me hoping that I had somehow forgot a Gronk "double spike".

Spikes the ball, it goes high into the air, he catches it on the bounce and spikes it again.

A discount double spike, if you will.

The last one was the TD where he thought he'd broken the receiving TDs for a tight end record, spiked it, then remembered he wanted to keep the ball. But then it was ruled a running TD on a lateral anyway.

[BernieRicoBoomer]

The last one was the TD where he thought he'd broken the receiving TDs for a tight end record, spiked it, then remembered he wanted to keep the ball. But then it was ruled a running TD on a lateral anyway.

The last one was the actual record...it was in D.C. the following week.

[loshjott]

The last one was the actual record...it was in D.C. the following week.

Right, which would have been obvious to me had I paid attention to the actual pass play of Brady throwing from the 12 yd line on that clip.

[BrazilianSoxFan]

Looking at this picture from the 2d TD last game, we can clearly see that his pinky and ring fingers on the right hand are taped together:



Is this usual? I don't remember hearing that he had an injured hand...

Edited by BrazilianSoxFan, 19 January 2012 - 07:53 AM.

[Groovenstein]

I don't remember hearing that he had an injured hand...

Gronk doesn't get injured. Only annoyed.

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Eh, might just be a jammed or broken pinky. That's not really "injury report" material.

[loshjott]

I think he knew he'd have to cradle the ball in his hands on a diving TD catch and didn't want the tip to squirt between his fingers and hit the ground. The Pats truly think of everything.

[sleepyjose03]

Considering his fingers were taped up when he made that ridiculous catch (as opposed to after), I'm not too concerned.

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Agreed. It happens all the time. He misjudged a ball thrown below his bellybutton and jammed/broke his pinky. I'm sure it isn't the first time for him, and it won't be the last.

[abty]

Did you ever think you'd find a football player you'd want to be for a day more than Tom Brady?

[Hendu for Kutch]

Did you ever think you'd find a football player you'd want to be for a day more than Tom Brady?

I'd still want to be Tom Brady, because then I'd get to hang out with Gronk.

[DegenerateSoxFan]

Did you ever think you'd find a football player you'd want to be for a day more than Tom Brady?

I'd still want to be Tom Brady at night.

[ragnarok725]

Gronk: "Yo soy fiesta!"

[simplyeric]

Gronk: "Yo soy fiesta!"

wow that was....rough.

love the guy though!


(as an aside, is there any way the NFL could make the Lombardi Trophy on that hat look MORE like a cock-and-balls?)

[sleepyjose03]

Gronk: "Yo soy fiesta!"

That is fantastic. His expression when the reporter first starts speaking in Spanish is great.

And I'm making "Yo Soy Fiesta" the theme of our Superbowl party.

[DrewDawg]

I'm waiting for the youtube parody video set to the music of the Def Leppard song "Do You Wanna Get Rocked?"

Do you wanna get Gronked?

[Old Fart Tree]

I like that the reporter was saying something along the lines of "tonight, some tequila, some beers, a little bit of everything, right?"