A career retrospective of one of the NFL's greatest tight ends ever, Rob Gronkowski. Follow Nonstop Instagram: / nonstop TikTok: / nonstop Twitter: / nonstop Imagery supplied by Getty Images
@@marceld8961 it is a part of a TE job, but some do it well and others do not. He was an elite pass catcher, route runner and a great blocker as well. I mean Kelce, Tony G, Winslow, Witten and many others widely considered in a top 50 TE of all time could not pass protect and block like Gronk could.
@@66BW Indeed. Gronkowski was a much better blocker than any of the other good TE's. There is a video I saw of Gronkowski knocking Raven's Terrell Suggs on hisAss after the snap. And Suggs is a behemoth. Behemoth JJ Watts also had a hard time getting around Gronkowski, when Gronkowski was blocking him.
The fact that he left so much on the table due to injuries and still became one of the greatest, if not the greatest tight ends ever, is a testament to how good he was.
I remember an interview with a professional defensive back where he said that tackling Rob Gronkowski went like this: "You tackle Rob, you have to your arms around him somewhere in his middle, and with your momentum you try to twist him so he trips up. This doesn't work about half the time. He's still on his feet and you can feel his legs still churning as you sort of slide down towards his thighs, and all you can think is 'please go down, please go down, i don't want to make the highlights for the wrong reasons, please go down' "
Best TE ever one of the best receiving TEs ever , the best blocking TE ever and the most clutch I can’t count how many times this man stepped up in the biggest situations. A legend forever🐐
@@tclott316no he’s not. You could argue he’s the goat with more yards and tds but gronk was wayyyyy better and so much more productive and imo gronk is the goat
It's crazy because it goes beyond the insane chemistry between TB and Gronk. Teams having to gameplan for Gronk opened up sooo many WR's for Brady over the years.
Exactly, even when Gronk didn't have gaudy numbers he impacted games. Especially in Tampa, a big reason Evans and Godwin both crossed 1,000+ yards was b/c Gronk was on the field. Defenses had to devote extra attention, that's a big reason why Tampa's Offense is struggling this year IMO. People talk about Brady-Belichick and who accounted more for the dynasty.... Gronk should be tossed in that convo too. His blocking was elite too, he saved Brady more than once getting rocked.
@@DayngerDayne Brady's career is much longer than Gronks. he had 4 SB appearances and 3 SB wins before Gronk ever entered the league. also the best statistical year was before Gronk.
One of the greatest offensive weapons in league history. Had pretty much no flaws in his game other than durability. Too big, too fast, too strong, too good for nearly any matchup.
I’m a pats fan and my favorite play ever was Brady’s 20 yard pass to Gronk in the AFC championship in 2015. They were down and lost that game but that played showed heart and showed how special Gronk was.
His durability was incredible. When you see the hits taken 3 or4 times on a single play. Never protected himself knowing a hit was coming. Many many incredible blocking assignments people don’t pay attention to. Then his ability to recover from very serious injuries.
I know what you mean. The way dudes had to take him down was animal. There were some dirty hits on him over the years that would have been ejections, fines and suspensions if they were against other players too. Sometimes not even flags against this animal. I watched a lot of JJ Watts two primes seasons and he was the same. There were a few games where he could have racked up 6+ sacks I reckon if they refs were blowing the game as they should.
How do you not love and respect a guy that works hard and leaves everything on the field. And is charismatic and fun loving. Definitely one of the best of his time and position. Wishing all of the Gronkowski's family and friends Good Health, prosperity, and Happiness
And is also a 'party animal', but you never see him being sloppy, throwing his wealth in peoples face, disrespecting people, or any of that other nonsense.
Explain why you think that…I’ve been watching the league since like ‘03 so I saw Gronks whole career and never felt that way watching him…don’t wanna say overrated cause he’s top 5 ever but GOAT no way man
@@WideHarryCock In Gronks prime he was one of the best blockers in the league down field or could hold up on the line which was a TEs primary duty anyway. But he could rumble down the field much faster than most men his size ever should. While he may not have been the best receiving TE of all time, in his prime, there wasn't many people that could take him down. If it wasn't for injury, Gronkowski would have probably all the TE records by a HUGE margin.
@@WideHarryCock Ive played and watched football since the late 80's and to this date the game has never seen a player like Gronk that was an All Pro caliber WR which always commanded a double team along with being an All Pro level Road grading run blocker. Typically TE's are either receivers or blockers but not both, Tony Gonzalez being the closest but he was neither the receiver not the blocker Gronk was during his prime. The only thing he had was longevity over Gronk. As a student of the game I see it as an impossible matchup for a defense because the Patriots were able to simplify their checks at the line by simply looking at the defensive personnel (light or heavy) and then choosing whether run or pass because if you went light to cover Gronk they would run and if heavy they would pass. Gronk in his prime basically forced defenses to pick their poison. The only thing that ever truly stopped him was injuries, he was always the best player on the field regardless of position during his prime. Sorry for the long explanation
@@WideHarryCock there's two sides of the game when being a tight end, and Gronk is one of the greatest blockers to grace the game. There has been tight ends who could make as big an impact in the passing game, but those tight ends couldn't touch Gronk when it comes to blocking and impact at the line of scrimmage. Football isn't just one dimensional receiving.
The chemistry Brady had with his top guys was incredible. Gronk being the main one, with Welker being the 2nd until he hung it up & Edelman took over. Edelman is such an interesting player. He dosen't have great regular season numbers, but he is one of the best Playoff players in NFL history.
He would without a DOUBT be the GREATEST TE ever if not for injuries. He would have every damn TE record by a mile. The most dominant TE I've ever seen. And I couldn't STAND the Patriots 😂
@@denisbeaudoin4618 Who cares what "casuals" think about anything. If Kelce wins another SB and continues his production over the next 2/3 yrs. he will be in the convo as one of the greatest TE's
His rookie year, against the Rams, where he caught a ball a couple yards in front of the end zone and kept jumping towards the end zone on one leg while a defender was dragging his other leg until he finally leaped into the end zone and scored a TD, at this moment I knew this kid is special.
Definitely the best TE to play the game to me. Such an insane offensive force. Legitimately would take multiple defenders just to slow him down. Hell of a character and half of the best bromance in NFL history.
He has HOF numbers while being very injury prone and missing like 2 seasons worth of games annnnnnd while being the best Blocking TE in the game. Easily the all around GOAT at TE. I won't be mad if people have him behind Tony G because of the the sheer volume of of offensive production. But he had a healthy career and was more of a big WR.
Ppl are gonna want to list kelce but keep in mind, kelce should he considered a Slot Reciever. If we adjust gronks stats to account for all of the missed time 33 games plus 16 for 2019 we arrive at 49 games Accounting for his average per game stats gronk lost Catches - 212 Yards - 3181 TDs - 31 Targets - 329 When added to what he does have he totals Catches - 833 Yards - 12,467 TDs - 123 This doesn't even consider how injured he was while playing such as in 2018 where he played 13 games but was busted the whole time. Now just for fun if we base that 49 off of a healthy season like kelce has had in all 9 of his seasons we add the below instead. Catches - 235 Yards - 3,841 TDs - 35 * based on his 2015 production Vs kelce's Catches - 730 Yards - 1026 TDs - 60 So even while being a key component of the blocking game, gronks numbers are still much better than Kelce's. Then again were comparing the all around greatest TE in nfl history vs a Slot Reciever.
That’s my knock on Gronk really dude never seemed like he was healthy at any point in his career…hell of a player but I need dependability when talking about the GOAT
@@WideHarryCock I would think that would enhance his status. He did what he did while being as injured as he was. He could have been an all pro last year if he didn't miss time to injury so if he were healthy like say a Tony G in his career his numbers even in his more "healthy" years are even better. And it's not like he was suffering missed time for hamstring or foot injuries this was chronic stuff like broken ribs and pierced lungs, an ACL tear, broken forearm and herniated disk type stuff because he was to physical tackle like everyone else.
I think injuries go hand and hand with his play style and success. Meaning if he didn't play as hard, he would have fewer injuries but also less success on the field.
@@Juniversal 100%. And being that powerful can make the injuries worse. I think it is the Bo Jackson 30-for-30 when they talk about how he ripped his own leg out of his hip and how there is probably like 30 people in the world powerful enough to do that with no help. It's like the amount of torque requires either a car crash or to be Bo Jackson. Bloody entertaining FREAKS!
Gronk is definitely the most dominant tight end of all time. I truly believe if you line any tight end up one on one, Gronk was the most uncoverable TE ever! I didn’t say greatest but that argument can be made. The only thing that hurts Gronk is his longevity/ injuries. Outside of that he had hands, size, skills and strength! His speed wasn’t great but really good for a guy his size. He has the numbers, rings and clutchness. Gronk had it all!
People always overlook gronk’s ability to block because of his athleticism. He was one of the greatest blocking tight end too. He did so much more dirty work on the field while managing to get 1000 yards in multiple seasons compared to the more modern receiving TEs
Gronk could flatten any defensive lineman as a blocker. And when he caught a ball in space, god help the man trying to tackle him. I watched him play for years as a pats fan. No other TE like him! Pure joy to watch.
The consensus is that Gronk is voted the greatest TE ever by his peers and experts despite the armchair experts in the comments saying otherwise. I will say he is lucky he had Brady throwing to him because if he ended up on the Jets or Browns for example, he probably wouldn’t have got to showcase his skills as best he did with Brady and probably wouldn’t be the Goat TE. I know that’s arguable as well.
@Flippy People can have their own views on who they think is the best at whatever position, that's fine. But, it is just an outright lie to say "the consensus is that Gronk is voted the greatest TE ever by his peers & experts..." To be considered a consensus pick of anything there are 2 ways that can happen. 1) Someone needs to be a winner with clear majority support over the course of multiple polls, surveys, or whatever. 2) Winning some sort of multiple round process of narrowing it down to an ultimate vote between only 2 options. The sort of process in method #2 will never happen because its time consuming & just hard to get organized & the people who count as experts & current/former players to actually participate in all the rounds, so in reality only method #1 is possible in a practical sense. For now at least there is no player who has managed that in regards to Tight Ends. Not Gronk, Gonzalez, Mackey, or anyone else. I mean the NFL literally just did the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team selection back in 2019, while there was no ranking in the ultimate selections among the final selections out of the 5 TE's voted in [which Gronk was one of,] he was not the single TE out of the 5 who was selected unanimously by the committee. He didn't even get his Greatest Player of the 2010s Decade selection unanimously in 2020. in 2022 ESPN did a survey of 50 experts to see the results of who was selected as the best by position. That survey had Gronk winning, with 23 of the 50 votes (46%) & Tony Gonzalez coming in 2nd with 21 of 50 votes (42%). He is absolutely one of, if not the best TE in NFL history. But, for now at least, he is not the "consensus" best TE in NFL history.
It goes both ways. Brady was lucky to throw to him as well. Both would have been great, regardless, but there's no question they benefited from each other.
@@aaronhoy3410 Dude when you take blocking into account it isn't even close. The other ATGs cant hold a candle to him on blocking. Ozzie, Gates, Winslow, Gonzalez, Sharpe they just aren't even in his league as blockers. The patriots kept him into block Kahlil Mack one on one in pass pro because Mack was killing their offensive line. Who sends a tightend to stop one of the leagues top pass rushers?
@@chonzen1764 I don't have any personal opinion on the matter, I don't even watch sports. I just watch some sports creator videos when there is nothing else at all I can find to watch, or even re-watch, that sounds interesting at the time. I was just immediately suspicious upon seeing a comment claiming a "consensus" anything because it is so ridiculously improbable for there to be a genuine consensus on anything. Just too many people with too many options for that to genuinely happen. The other people I mentioned is just names I came across in trying to dig in a bit to that consensus claim & see if it there was any basis for it. But, I couldn't give less a f-ck about whether he was or wasn't the best, or if he wasn't who was. I simply don't care. Other than the occasional boxing or MMA event the last time I ever watched any type of sporting event would've been back when, if I remember the names correctly, Kurt Warner & Marshall Faulk won the Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams [I'm from Missouri.] Luckily though I don't have to actually be, even vaguely, familiar with anything regarding the player or other possible candidates to quickly determine whether or not there is any basis to a claim of someone being a "consensus" greatest ever by "experts & peers." It is very easy to find that sort of thing out & as the examples I gave demonstrate it is simply the case that this guy is not, & has never been, a "consensus" greatest of all time. How good he was & how good he was in considering the position at all times I don't know & don't really care to be honest. "Consensus" as a word has a specific meaning, to be a consensus greatest of all time requires something more/different than simply being the greatest of all time.
I wish there was a way for them to track blocking stats for TE. Gronk was also an amazing blocker and you could really tell on that SB year with the bucs.
2014 felt like the exemplary year for him. He has the gaudy receiving stats but there's also film of him straight up manhandling DEs and LBs like they were children
Did it all while pretending to be a dumb jock. Heart of gold im told. THIS is the guy i pick first if im choosing a team to play for my life. Blocking alone hes a GOAT
Bro is literally the Shaq of football. Insane size but incredible speed and talent to match it, with an attitude that makes even the most sour people smile. He really could do it all.
As effective a blocker as a recieving weapon, something the other great tight ends haven't done consistently. My favorite is his denting the Super Bowl trophy.
this guy revolutionize the TE position, as a Ravens fan, I really hate going against this guy, but as a football fan, he is one of my no. 1 Receiver of all time not just TE
He didn’t revolutionize the position lol he was a phenomenal player in an all time system…but Winslow and Tony G put the foundation and actually revolutionized the position
So good most non NFL football fans are not aware of his "offensive blocking" skills. The fact he could catch and run as a WR as TE was the bonus. If you study his game film, there many straight blocking plays he is also part of.
Gronk was AWESOME. I became a NE fan while living in Los Angeles because of Brady and Gronk. I loved watching them. I attended a couple of the SB they were in. I had hoped he would come back after the 2020 season but understand why he didn't. Ultimately TB12 is my greatest hero.
Gronk just took over games by himself. So dominate. The 2017 Steelers game, what Gronk did in that game to the Steelers secondary in the second half was complete domination. They had no answer for him at all and every player in the secondary seemed to be 10 inches shorter than him. Retired early for the first time at age 29, he body took a beating.
@@goldennuggetofwisdom5068 he was killing the entire Steelers secondary in the 2nd half. Also the 2015 AFC Title game, almost single handily brought that game to OT when it was just him and Brady playing with a bad o-line getting killed by von miller all game long.
Goat barred non including Gonzalez. No tight end has ever been as dominant in his time and his difference wasn’t garbage stats and lack of weapons his contributions mattered in championships and playoffs. THE BEST. PERIOD
As a Pats hater, anyone who says Gronk isn't the GOAT TE doesn't know shit about football. Kelce, Gonzalez, Gates, Sharpe, Winslow, etc, it doesn't matter. He blocked like a OL, didn't complain at all and was the most unstoppable TE. A healthy Gronk is literally uncoverable. He's the best there ever was at that position. No one did it like he did and I doubt anyone ever will.
Gronk the best ever period. There is no doubt in anyones mind. Such a shame that the nfl and all it’s fans had to lose such a great player way before his time. He will be surely missed but never forgotten. Long life to you my polish friend😊
Best TE of all time. Top 5 as a pure receiver, and almost as good as some linemen as a blocker. Thats what makes him so valuable. He is a true old school TE combined with a modern day "hybrid" te.
I'd say he was the best receiving TE ever besides Gonzo. Gronk was basically the X receiver with the routes he used to run. I don't think i've ever seen a TE with anywhere near as perfect of a route-running technique as him.
@@TheTeremaster IDK i'd say antonio gates is the best pure receiver, he just was a really poor blocker. still going to the hall, but no where near gronk or gonzo
He also played the majority of his career with ONE arm. He broke his forearm and got pins, came back to soon and broke the same arm breaking off the pins. Just watch him play with that arm brace and you see him avoiding the ground with that arm when tackled. He blocked with the one arm too and and when they had that big fight breakout at the the end of the game when they beat the Seahawks he was throwing hay makers with just his good arm.. He was a beast!! Can you imagine him without all those injuries!!! but his play style is what made him great.
Maybe not the best because of his durability and party life style, but definitely the most dominant tight end ever. Super human strength damn near and simply couldn’t be tackled on the first hit in his prime
The fact he couldn't be tackled was what did him in tbh. Defenses would hit him low, high, late or even before he got the ball because they knew he'd run rampant if they tried to tackle him clean
my favorite moments was when he used to mock defenders after they've been talking smack the whole game. But I would say my favorite play was when he drove that defender into the sidelines by the touchdown and just kept pushing until they toppled over a table or something! That was hilarious. Gronkowski said he had been talking the whole game and he was sick of it.
Kelce will literally have every TE record Gronk has, and that will happen in the next 2 years. That is a fact. Sure, Gronk is a better blocker, and more of a bruising beast, but neither of those are relevant when it comes to records. Both are first ballot HOF candidates for sure. But to say Gronk will forever be the best, based simply on "he blocks better" is idiotic. Most of the records listed as Gronk holding in the video, has already been broken by Kelce. Post season yds Post season TD's 100+ reception seasons 100+ yd games Single season yds Single season TD's Most 1000 yd seasons, and those are ALSO consecutive. Which many state, is an as close to an unbreakable record as you can get, especially considering there is no reason Kelce will not extend that record to 8. (#2 on this is only has 4, which is Gronk btw) Fewest games to reach 6,000 receiving yards Fewest games to reach 8,000 receiving yards Fewest games to reach 9,000 receiving yards Fewest games to 10,000 career receiving yards All that, will only grow, since Kelce has at least 1 more years of being elite, and possibly 4-5 more years of being simply great. He has a very good shot at getting the big records he is still a ways from, which is total career yds by a TE, and total touchdowns by a TE. Held by Gonzalez and Gates respectively. But please, tell us how blocking a bit better trumps all of that... lol
@@ckmoore101 funny how you put words in people mouths I said nothing specifically about what gronk does. Also who tries to argue with a 9 month old comment
Gronk finished his last season with 55 catches for 802 yards and 6 TDs in 12 games. Most dominant skill player since Barry Sanders, truly generational.
Never once mentioned that Gronk was also one of the best blocking TE's in the game. That is the single fact that makes the REST of it sooooooooooooooo beyond impressive.
He went to jump into the endzone on MNF 11/21/11 and he lands straight on back with his head at a 90 degree angle. I thought it was dead or paralyzed, then he just gets up as if it never happened. FFS the man was a tank.
This is why Gronk is my favorite player of all time. Huge personality, can’t be stopped, huge, and last but definitely not least, the famous gronk spike
The complete Package. Blocking, great hands, speed and size, and one of the biggest fan favorites of the game.Imagine his stats if he was healthy his whole career.
A favorite Gronk moment occured in a home game against the Chiefs. Score tied and time running out, Brady hit Gronk with a short pass down the left sideline. Gronk gave the defender the best stiffarm you would ever see and flattened him and got another 20 yards to set up the winning kick with no time left.
the dude played for the endzone EVERY play, no running out of bounds, always cutting inwards, and his size made people chop at his knees to take him down. thats why he had no longevity. his best stretch before he got hurt he was averaging 25+ yards per catch through 8 games with almost 100 targets
What’s makes him the best ever is a lethal combination of being a great receiver AND a great blocker as well as making everyone around him better. No TE is even remotely close to bringing what he brought. Don’t forget the toughness or levity he brought as well….
He was the best all around te I've ever seen. He played under Shaq rules for his last 5 years in NE. Got mugged every play. Took some of the nastiest shots I've ever seen too.
Greatest Te ever. A complete tight end that only slowed down because of injuries. But even in a season like 2018 he made so many clutch plays and could take on DEs.
Watching the NFL and Patriots from Boston with my dad since 1965 as a kid, it's the way gronk played, old time hard-nosed football, he may not have had a lengthy career but while he did it, no tight end has ever dominated like he did, as far as career length, the average NFL career is 5 1/2 years, that's why players call the NFL, not for long.