Pats succeeding at keeping high-flying Gronkowski grounded
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| Wildly popular Gronkowski credits his teammate and friend Aaron Hernandez most for his success. (AP) |
INDIANAPOLIS -- New England Patriots tight ends coach Brian Ferentz sat in a chair in the media tent of the team hotel as a stream of reporters ventured over to ask about his prized pupil, Rob Gronkowski.
Considering Ferentz's first year as the team's tight ends coach involved his all-world tight end breaking virtually every single-season statistic in the history of the position, one would assume a long line of compliments and praise would hold the conversation.
Not exactly. Ferentz, the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, a former Bill Belichick assistant with the Cleveland Browns, understands the mission of his job clearly when it comes to Gronkowski.
"I think it's my job to make sure he never feels too good about himself," he said.
Somebody call President Obama, he might have relinquished the title of toughest job in America.
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Finding anything wrong with the game of this 22-year-old phenom would be like trying to see a safety behind him in coverage. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound physical freak owns hands that would cover Boston and a catching radius larger than Massachusetts. He bends like a gymnast and jumps like a pole vaulter.
His 1,327 receiving yards this season broke the NFL record for tight ends. His 17 touchdown receptions broke the previous tight end record of 13. He became the first tight end to lead a conference in scoring among nonkickers with 108 points. Only Antonio Gates owns back-to-back seasons with at least 10 touchdowns, but Gronkowski equaled the feat in his first two years. Only Randy Moss (28) has more touchdown receptions in his first two seasons in the league than Gronkowski (27).
In a golden era of tight ends, Gronkowski sports the face of the revolution -- wide, goofy smile and all.
"I always struggle to call him an elite tight end in the league," said Ferentz, realizing he's stretching his schtick. "But I guess those [numbers] speak for themselves."
Sure do. But from Gronkowski's teammates, the louder, more impassioned protest for his elite status comes in regards to his attitude. Forget the power spike, acrobatic catches or even "Yo Soy Fiesta." His grit, determination and humility are what they chose to speak about.
"Gronk's in the building in the morning, he's smiling, he's ready to go to work," said 12-year veteran guard Brian Waters. "He's ready to do the job that is asked of him. Coming from a young football player -- this guy is 22 years old -- that's probably the most amazing part about it. This guy loves to play football and he doesn't allow this to go to his head. That's something you love as a teammate. I think you would see the same Gronk even if he wasn't catching this many balls."
Of course, he wasn't always catching this many balls. When searching for the turning point in his rise, Ferentz points to Nov. 14, 2010, in Pittsburgh. At that moment, Gronkowski had caught more than one pass in just three of the first eight games of his rookie season. That week was different, though. The game plan called for Gronkowski to move all over the field into multiple formations. He had been a one-position tight end for the first half of the year, but Bill Belichick and the staff saw an opportunity to exploit the Steelers.
Gronkowski caught five passes for 72 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots won 39-26. Eyebrows were raised.
"Now it's become so commonplace to see him in all these different places that nobody really thinks twice about it," Ferentz said. "We kind of asked him to do a little bit more that week. And he did. That was when we all said, all right, he's going to be extremely versatile for us. That was a big turning point."
Yet, as Gronkowski's career took off -- much to the delight and diligence of Ferentz -- his tight end's ego didn't. His humility came across as genuine while facing as much media attention and prodding as any player this week in Indianapolis (in case anybody didn't know by now, his ankle is day-to-day).
Proof of his humility lies in the way he calculates the astronomical receiving numbers. In his mind, the only numbers worth viewing are the combined stats of himself and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez, who caught 79 passes of his own for 910 yards.
"None of this would be possible without him on the other side," Gronkowski said. "We just love working with each other and we count each other as one."
As one reporter attempted to call the duo uncoverable, Gronkowski shrugged and allowed, "No, Aaron is for sure."
With each sentence, it appears obvious Ferentz has accomplished his mission of keeping Gronkwoski's head from ballooning. Of course, if Gronkowski can overcome a high-ankle sprain to make the same contributions he has all year and add a Super Bowl ring to the greatest season by a tight end in NFL history, well, the job will only be that much more difficult.
Ferentz would gladly take on the challenge.
"Trust me, it's not that hard," Ferentz said. "Real or imagined, it's easy to find stuff."
