New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the best pass-catchers in the NFL - be they tight ends, running backs or wide receivers. Losing him for any amount of time, whether it be one week, two weeks or several weeks, especially with the Pats and quarterback Tom Brady already facing a shortage of offensive weaponry, could prove difficult to overcome for New England.
So the quicker they can get him back, the better. But when Gronk does return, a disturbing trend that has developed this season is likely to continue. Gronkowski currently leads the league with five accepted pass interference calls, which is more than 30 other NFL teams combined.
Is he being targeted?
"Maybe there is something out there," Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald said Tuesday, while appearing on the Toucher & Rich Show on CBS Boston. "How can you say those are unfair things to think after the way the NFL targeted this team? The other side is the officiating has been such a horror show all season long, and you probably have every other team in the league who can point to certain instances and say the officials bagged the game for them," said Howe. "The conspiracy theory is a tough one to subscribe to, but I think it's absolutely legitimate when you look at the way they're targeting Gronk."
Gronk was quick to agree with Howe's assessment.
Agree https://t.co/E3aWNGE548
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) December 1, 2015
The most recent example of OPI called against Gronk came during the Pats' Sunday night game against the Denver Broncos. In the video below, you can see Gronk's offensive pass interference call as compared to a defensive pass interference call made on Pats safety Patrick Chung against Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas in that same game.
The merits of the call on both are questionable and, perhaps more than anything, highlight the convoluted and oftentimes unnecessarily murky interpretations of much of the NFL's rule book. What exactly is pass interference? While we're at it, what constitutes holding by offensive linemen?
Gronk is a big guy often matched up against smaller defensive backs. Does he use his size to his advantage? Of course. Is there a clear line between what's an acceptable use of physicality in order to get open and what's pass interference? No.
And perhaps that's where the disconnect lies. It's silly to suggest that Gronk is being "targeted" as some kind of conspiracy. But is the NFL likely making their officials aware that Gronk has a tendency to push off in order to create separation?
You bet.
