The New England Patriots have a lot of talented players. Heck, they have a lot of talented coaches and front office members too. But even though quarterback Tom Brady rightfully gets most of the headlines, attention, praise and accolades, tight end Rob Gronkowski is just as important to this offense.
Gronkowski adds an offensive element to New England that no other player in the league can equal. He is a mismatch no matter where you line him up on the field and is one of the game's best red zone targets. In other words, Gronkowski has MVP-type ability.
"One of the more underrated storylines around the Patriots is the health of Rob Gronkowski; he's had a relatively normal offseason after spending previous springs and summers rehabbing from various injuries," ESPN's Mike Rodak wrote. "Gronkowski hasn't played a full 16-game season since 2011, when he caught a career-high 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. Production from Gronkowski and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez was a driving factor in getting the Patriots to the Super Bowl that season, his 2011 numbers are attainable. That would put him squarely in MVP territory."
Gronkowski played in 15 games last season yet was not close to 100 percent healthy during the first month of the season. Despite this, he still managed to haul in 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is, quite simply, one of the most unguardable pass-catchers in the entire NFL.
Now a tight end winning the MVP isn't just far-fetched, it's practically insane. No TE has ever won the award in NFL history so Gronkowski has about as much chance of actually taking home the trophy as I do of taking home Scarlett Johansson. But Reiss' comments speak to how unique and unparalleled Gronkowski is as a player and how valuable he is to the New England Patriots.
Let's see what he has in store for 2015.
