Jets beat writer responds to Gronkowski touchdown: ‘He made one nice play’
"Sure, he can have momentary flashes."
A week after writing off tight end Rob Gronkowski as a “a decrepit version of his former indestructible self,” New York sportswriter Manish Mehta revisited his analysis in light the Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Jets on Sunday.
Gronkowski returned to the New England lineup for the first time since October, catching three passes for 56 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Mehta, who covers the NFL and the Jets for the New York Daily News, wrote a new piece on Gronkowski after the game.
“Gronk isn’t dead yet,” Mehta began, though much of his descriptions of the 29-year-old tight end were couched in continued accusations of overall decline.
“Like a battered prizefighter backed into a corner, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski showed a flicker of his former self in a 27-13 win over the Jets on Sunday,” Mehta wrote. “Gronk was hardly the dominant player we’ve grown accustomed to seeing through the years, but he made one nice play to help the Jets drop their fifth consecutive game.”
He lamented that there was no “Weekend at Bernie’s” touchdown celebration (a reference to the Daily News’ back page artwork from last week).
Who knew that Bernie would be alive & kicking (3 catches, 56 yards) for the Sequel?
Congrats to the remains of Gronk on his second TD of the young season. #November25 https://t.co/r9i93jsiHx
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) November 26, 2018
Despite admitting Gronkowski’s impact – both in his scoring effort and also his presence drawing coverage on Julian Edelman’s touchdown – Mehta remained skeptical.
“Let’s not go crazy here,” Mehta noted. “Gronk caught three of his seven targets for 56 yards and the score. He managed just one catch for seven yards in the second half. Jamal Adams blanketed Gronkowski for much of the game. Brady targeted Gronk on back-to-back red-zone plays in the first half only to come up empty.”
And the New York writer continued to see Gronkowski as more of a question mark than a pillar of the Patriots’ offense.
“Sure, he can have momentary flashes. But can his battered body withstand the pounding each week?” Mehta asked. “Can the Patriots trust him against the Vikings in seven days?”
Gronkowski, for his part, took the criticism in stride. Asked about the “Weekend at Bernie’s” reference before the game on Friday, he responded with a joke.
“Heard there was some like crazy weekend though at my house,” Gronkowski said. “It gets crazy.”
