Gronk

Is he one of the Best Tight Ends to ever play the game? Best tight end in the game today?

If he stays healthy, I see him in the HOF.

calamity said:

Is he one of the Best Tight Ends to ever play the game? Best tight end in the game today?

If he stays healthy, I see him in the HOF.

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Best in the game today...maybe. Best ever? No...I dont think so. Gronkowski's skills are like any big wide receiver. So that makes him a real threat down field. But what is the role of a TE? He has to be able to block, to be the QBs bailout option, and be that extra downfield option. Witten is probably as valuable an offensive asset as is Gronkowski

VanceMack said:

Best in the game today...maybe. Best ever? No...I dont think so. Gronkowski's skills are like any big wide receiver. So that makes him a real threat down field. But what is the role of a TE? He has to be able to block, to be the QBs bailout option, and be that extra downfield option. Witten is probably as valuable an offensive asset as is Gronkowski

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Good ones I recall from the day: Winslow and Ditka.

While it may be arguable who is really the best, why is Jason Witten not on anyone's list?

OrphanSlug said:

While it may be arguable who is really the best, why is Jason Witten not on anyone's list?

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See post 2

no....

gronk is great at a number of things

he is a matchup nightmare....speed, size, and and strength that few few linebackers have the speed required, and very few safeties have the strength required

he has marvelous hands....and he has the advantage of having Tom Brady throwing him the ball

he is a poor route runner

he is a poor to average blocker

as far as pure tight end skills....Gates in San Diego is much better overall in almost every category

will Gronk go down as a "great" tight end as he progresses....i dunno

but if it was based on skills alone, the answer would be no

if based on catching passes and td's from touchdown tom brady, then the answer may be yes

Belichick states that he's one of the best blockers he's ever coached. He has had to do a lo of blocking this year and has been fantastic.

We all have our biases, and I'd say Gronk is pretty darn good especially because of the system he's working in. He becomes more valuable because Brady has so few decent options to throw to that he becomes an oversized component of their offense.

I look at Pittsburgh with Heath Miller and he's as good a blocker, equally good hands, much more durable, and he plays in an offense where Roethlesberger has so many other options he's not critical to the Steeler's offense. But you just have to look at last week's game in Cincinnati and in the first half Miller had double digits in catches, many of them on third down conversions up the middle where he takes a beating but still catches the ball if it's anywhere near his hands.

Lot's of good tight ends in football over the years but the offensive playbook is what makes them meaningful or not.