Athanasios Armenis
Journal Staff
Everyone recall the miracle catch? You know. The gum on the helmet, one handed pull down, angels in the outfield grab by New York Giants wide receiver, David Tyree.
It was nearly four years ago in what has proved to be the most upsetting moment in any Super Bowl New England fans have ever seen. That one play, single-handedly ruined the Patriots “fairy tale ending” to an undefeated season.
Fast-forward a couple of seasons and it seems as if the tables have turned. When the Patriots faced the Giants a few years ago in Super Bowl XLII, their offense, which put up record high numbers, was missing one thing. A trustworthy, reliable, go-to tight end.
Meet Rob Gronkowski. As a rematch, of a Giants v. Patriots championship looms, the most hyped up and dangerous weapon in the Patriots stagnant offense, which ranks second in the NFL in total yards this season, is their second year tight end, who looks to continue and add to his impressive resume.
During his rookie campaign, Gronkowski came into training camp as somewhat of a mystery. Coming out of The University of Arizona, he worked his way up the draft board with an impressive showing at the NFL combine and was later taken with the 42nd overall pick by Bill Belichick and the rest of the New England Patriots personnel.
After posting an above average rookie season, with 42 passes for 546 yards and 10 total touchdowns, Gronkowski entered his second season in New England looking to build off of the chemistry he developed with seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Tom Brady.
And so he did. In 2011, Gronkowski, whose nickname has morphed into “Gronk,” has broken both the all-time receiving record as well as the total touchdown record for tight ends as he eclipsed Kellen Winslow’s record of 1,290 yards and Vernon Davis/Antonio Gates previous records of 16 touchdowns in one season.
He has by far been the most exceptional pure tight end, New England has seen and has put together an amazing season, which has been highlighted by six multi-touchdown games along with five 100 plus yards receiving games.
The effort Gronkowski puts towards being a Patriot, whether it be the three TD, 145-yard effort he had against the “surging” Broncos in the AFC Divisional match up or the time he’s spent supporting the Patriots Charitable Foundation, which helps assist a variety of charitable organizations by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives has shown why the tight end has become such a popular household name in the New England area.
As Gronkowski enters his first Super Bowl appearance, the Giants can only hope to contain the NFL’s best tight end, as those mental notes of the one handed, unfathomable catch made by David Tyree just a few short years ago, look to be easily erased by this Patriots star sensation.
