Gronk has some work to do
This weekend's loss to Miami saw the first of many (we hope) Gronk Spikes, but Rob Gronkowski still has some work to do. He caught 4 of 12 passes that were thrown to him, including his first touchdown. He played most of his snaps during the first half (37 snaps) and all his catches and targets came in the 1st half, according to the Boston Herald. In the 2nd half, Gronk only played 2 snaps when the Patriots were in the process of giving up 23 unanswered points.
Part of the problem may have been that he wasn't 100% yet, but there were a couple of snaps where he and Tom Brady were not on the same page. And that needs to change. I'm sure they'll work it out in practice before the Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. At least, they should - how well Brady and Gronk function together will be one of the keys for the Patriots going forward.
And maybe he's not quite there yet health-wise, but I think the bigger issue is him and Brady getting on the same page because even if he doesn't play as much as he would normally until a few weeks in, Gronk needs to make the most of his time on the field. If he's catching most of the passes thrown to him (even if it's 12 a game for the time being), then that opens up space for other receivers to make plays.
Stats and photo from the Boston Herald.
Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter (@C_Frederick1016) or leave a comment.
Part of the problem may have been that he wasn't 100% yet, but there were a couple of snaps where he and Tom Brady were not on the same page. And that needs to change. I'm sure they'll work it out in practice before the Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. At least, they should - how well Brady and Gronk function together will be one of the keys for the Patriots going forward.
And maybe he's not quite there yet health-wise, but I think the bigger issue is him and Brady getting on the same page because even if he doesn't play as much as he would normally until a few weeks in, Gronk needs to make the most of his time on the field. If he's catching most of the passes thrown to him (even if it's 12 a game for the time being), then that opens up space for other receivers to make plays.
Stats and photo from the Boston Herald.
Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter (@C_Frederick1016) or leave a comment.