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Rob Gronkowski an 'old-school tight end in a modern game'
Of course, receiving is far from the only responsibility for a tight end, and that’s where former New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro’s perspective warrants mention.
When Patriots coach Bill Belichick has discussed the top blocking tight ends he has seen over his 44-year coaching career, it starts with Bavaro, who was with the Giants from 1985 to 1990 before moving on to the Browns (1992) and Eagles (1993-94). Belichick has often reflected on how many times Bavaro successfully blocked players like Reggie White one-on-one, a matchup he prepped for in practice by facing elite players such as Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks.
While no one ranks above Bavaro as a blocker to Belichick, the longtime coach had high praise for the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Gronkowski in that area in January, calling him a “very sophisticated player.”
“He can do a lot of things that I haven’t had many guys, I’d say, other than Bavaro, be able to do,” Belichick added.
To Bavaro, the mix between blocking and pass-catching -- and the different eras of football -- is what makes it impossible to truly declare the best ever at the position.
“Gronkowski, to me, looks like an all-around type of tight end, but it hasn’t been proven because he’s not in a balanced offense. But there is no balanced offenses anymore. The whole league today does not put a heavy premium on blocking [at tight end],” Bavaro said in a conversation from his home state of Massachusetts.
“The only way I can compare him is how would he be on my Giants teams, on the Chicago Bears of the '80s, and a lot of those '80s teams that were heavy run. The Raiders of the '70s. And the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ I could guess and think he’s going to do OK, but there was physical stuff going on back then. I don’t know how he would hold up day-to-day in that type of physical environment. I don’t know how he would hold up practicewise; back then you had to hit every day. Today, there is very little physical contact in practice.
“My guess is he would do just fine, and he's the type of guy who could play in any era, and that’s what you want when looking at the best of the best.”
Of course, receiving is far from the only responsibility for a tight end, and that’s where former New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro’s perspective warrants mention.
When Patriots coach Bill Belichick has discussed the top blocking tight ends he has seen over his 44-year coaching career, it starts with Bavaro, who was with the Giants from 1985 to 1990 before moving on to the Browns (1992) and Eagles (1993-94). Belichick has often reflected on how many times Bavaro successfully blocked players like Reggie White one-on-one, a matchup he prepped for in practice by facing elite players such as Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks.
While no one ranks above Bavaro as a blocker to Belichick, the longtime coach had high praise for the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Gronkowski in that area in January, calling him a “very sophisticated player.”
“He can do a lot of things that I haven’t had many guys, I’d say, other than Bavaro, be able to do,” Belichick added.
To Bavaro, the mix between blocking and pass-catching -- and the different eras of football -- is what makes it impossible to truly declare the best ever at the position.
“Gronkowski, to me, looks like an all-around type of tight end, but it hasn’t been proven because he’s not in a balanced offense. But there is no balanced offenses anymore. The whole league today does not put a heavy premium on blocking [at tight end],” Bavaro said in a conversation from his home state of Massachusetts.
“The only way I can compare him is how would he be on my Giants teams, on the Chicago Bears of the '80s, and a lot of those '80s teams that were heavy run. The Raiders of the '70s. And the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ I could guess and think he’s going to do OK, but there was physical stuff going on back then. I don’t know how he would hold up day-to-day in that type of physical environment. I don’t know how he would hold up practicewise; back then you had to hit every day. Today, there is very little physical contact in practice.
“My guess is he would do just fine, and he's the type of guy who could play in any era, and that’s what you want when looking at the best of the best.”
