Watching tape (again) with Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski

With 42 seconds left in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ divisional round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, Bucs running back Leonard Fournette scored a touchdown from nine yards out. That put the score at 27-27, and gave the Bucs a most impressive comeback from a 27-3 deficit halfway through the third quarter. At that point, everybody assumed that Tom Brady was going to do his usual Tom Brady thing, and the Bucs were going to progress in their quest to Run it Back.

Then, Matthew Stafford did a new Matthew Stafford thing, driving his Rams down the field, Matt Gay kicked a game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired, and just like that, Tampa Bay’s season was over.

Right after that, the futures of Brady and longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski were questioned. Would Brady come back for his age 45 NFL season, and would Gronk follow?

This, we do not yet know.

What we do know is that Gronk isn’t one of those guys who refuses to watch the playoffs after he’s eliminated. From January 24-February 2, Groupon is inviting fans to enter daily for a chance to win an over-the-top Big Game viewing experience at Gronk’s 4,486 square-foot home in Foxborough, Mass. for themselves and up to 15 friends for a once in a lifetime experience that most football fans could only dream of. The grand prize winner will be flown to Boston to take over Gronk’s house for a watch party complete with local Groupon experiences (indoor bounce house, anyone?) that will ensure this is one epic party.

Fans who aren’t selected as the grand prize winner will still have the chance to enter through Feb. 20, to win and experience one of many other bonus baller prizes that Groupon has to offer, including:

• A trip for two to Las Vegas from MGM

• A trip for two to Cancun from Great Value Vacations

• VIP New Kids on the Block Concert Experience from Live Nation (See them on their Mixtape Tour Summer 2022!)

• Blue Man Group Experience in NYC or Chicago

Fans can learn more and enter to win at www.partylikeaplayer.com.

“I teamed up with Groupon, and I love their experiences,” Gronk told me this week. “I’ve been aware of Groupon for a long time, so when this opportunity was presented, I heard it out and thought it was a great idea. We came up with the idea to have an ultimate Super Bowl party. I mean, I play in the NFL, and Groupon, they’re the experienced pros at throwing things like this, and it was a boom-boom situation. It just made a lot of sense.

“I’m known to party… that was back in my heyday, when I used to get after it. I still love to have a good time, don’t get me wrong, and I think a Super Bowl party is the time to have a good time. That’s what makes football so great, and I actually learned that in my year off. I learned that why people love to watch the game so much is that you can watch the game and be doing many other things at the same time, and still know exactly what’s going on in the game. That’s the kind of experience we’re throwing.

“You can be in an indoor bounce house in my basement. Indoor mini-golf. I mean, while you’re watching the game. I mean, I was watching games when I was retired, hanging with my friends. We were playing cornhole and busting each others’ chops. We’re talking, and then we look up, and boom! It’s even more entertainment, because there’s a big hit in the game, or a big play. Football just keeps you entertained the whole time, and while you’re also doing something else, like a party experience. So, this is just a boom-boom situation.”

Another boom-boom situation? Watching tape with the best tight end in NFL history when the opportunity presents itself. I was able to do this in late September, when Gronk was working through some early-season injuries…

…and he was happy to discuss more plays from the second half of the season, when he was healthy and looked like the Gronk we’re used to.

One door closes, and another opens.

(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Doug Farrar: That was quite an abrupt ending to your season, especially since the Bucs were so close to coming back and winning. How are you feeling physically and emotionally two days out from that?

Rob Gronkowski: You know, I’m feeling pretty decent. I’m a little sore from the game – little nicks, little bruises, a little dinged up. Nothing serious at all; that’s part of the game of football. But overall, I’ve got my health. It was a very successful season, no doubt about that. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, but let me tell you – we fought our hearts out from the beginning of the game to the end of the game, and throughout the whole season. So, we should definitely keep our heads high to get that far – to win a Super Bowl last year and get that far this year. That’s something we should be proud of. Just being part of this organization – I love it. My teammates, we have a special bond in the locker room that will live on forever. As you go through a season like this, you gain so many friends in the locker room, and you share so many memories. That’s going to be held into my life forever – just knowing all those memories I’ve had with this team. .

We fought hard; it just didn’t go our way. But we got a Super Bowl last year, Doug! So, that’s pretty cool.

DF: It’s very cool. So, as Marshawn would say, your mentals are okay right now.

RG: Yes, my mentals are okay, for sure. Yesterday, the day after, the first 24 hours [after a loss like that] are pretty tough. You feel it. You feel it mentally, you feel it physically, but time heals, There’s no doubt about that.

DF: I imagine it will take you some time to decide about playing in 2022 and beyond. But does Tom coming back or not factor into whether you would come back or not, or is that a separate thing?

RG: I mean… it’s kind of a separate thing, but also, it’s a thing, too. It’s kind of a hard situation now, because it’s two days after we lost. Tom’s got to do what’s best for him and his family, there’s no doubt about that, and also, I’ve got to look out for what’s best for myself. At the same time, it’s like, “Well, let’s see [whether] Tom’s playing, because we have that connection, and we love playing with each other. So, it all comes into play, and we just have to wait and see. Let the time fly by, and let it play out naturally.

Why Brady is Brady.

(Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports)

DF: Before we get into the plays, I want to ask you about how that Rams game played out. There’s 7:07 left in the third quarter, Matthew Stafford runs it in for a one-yard touchdown, and you guys are down 27-3. A somewhat familiar situation, minus one point. I wanted to ask you about how Tom conducts himself in the huddle, on the sideline, and as a quarterback in those seemingly impossible situations, because the general feeling on social media was, “Well, Brady’s going to bring his team back again.” and it very nearly came true. What is it about him that allows him to thrive in situations that would bury a lot of really good quarterbacks?

RG: Yes. Just the way he keeps his composure. He doesn’t let the score get to him. He stays calm, he stays relaxed, and he stays confident. It just runs off on every player in the huddle. And also, just taking one play at a time. It’s not like you can score 24 points with one touchdown – it’s just doing what you can do in the moment, instead of trying to make something extraordinary happen out of the blue. So, it’s basically about focusing on the now, getting the momentum going, and let it build from there.

DF: With that, let’s get into the plays.

Kicking out the jams against the Falcons.

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

DF: You scored two touchdowns against the Falcons in Week 13, but this 27-yarder was of special interest because of what safety Jaylinn Hawkins is trying to do to you here – press you at the line. It does not go well for him. You’re well-known for high-pointing defenders and just obliterating them downfield, but you’re also so good at winning these matchups off the line. What are your technique points for crashing out of a defense aligned to stop you in this fashion and breaking downfield for big plays?

RG: Well, it was kind of a challenging situation. Because the outside linebacker (Foyesade Oluokun, No. 54) whose job it was to come out and be pointed on me and hit me off the line… when you hit me off the line, it makes it very difficult to get up to your top speed at the moment. And then, there’s a safety on top of him to guard me. I got jammed and I was thrown off a little bit, but I reacted like, “Oh, crap!” It was kind of a do-or-die situation, where I’m thinking, I just got jammed, I’m about to get demolished, and I had to get off of it and get my wheels started. And that’s what I did. I got around the safety, and the jam definitely threw me off a little bit, but I recovered from it.

What also helped was how long the play needed to develop. If it was a quick pass and Tom was getting pressure, he would have never been able to get me the ball. Our O-line did a great job of blocking everyone, which also helps when they take the defensive end or outside linebacker out to jam me – it takes away from their pass rush. So, we get more time to throw the ball, and in this situation, Tom had a lot of time and stepped up in the pocket. I didn’t get open until about three seconds into the route, and he needed all that time for it to develop. He hit me on the run, which was a great pass, and I got away from the defender. With the ball that Tom led me on, it kept my wheels turning, and I caught the ball and turned it upfield for the touchdown.

F-Turn against the Rams.

(Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports)

DF: Last time we watched your tape, we talked about these routes where you head straight up from the formation or the slot, then you get open by multiple means, and just flood the zone. You had one against Rams safety Taylor Rapp in Week 3 that we detailed. I wanted to include this play against the Rams on Sunday, because it’s another excellent example. This is you pressing cornerback Darious Williams and then twirling out of it, and it looks like you’re telling Tom, “Hey, I’m open” right after that. Then, it’s a YAC experience for 29 yards. What is this concept called in your playbook?

RG: It’s actually called an F-Turn route. So therefore, I would run about 10-12 yards [upfield], and act like I’m going to the corner, doing a flag route. Right on the spot where I turn, that’s why it’s called a Turn route. You’re turning the route around where you’re supposed to be running a flag, you stick it after about two yards, and you then run back to the quarterback. It’s also kind of like a curl route, but a little bit different at the top of the route. But then, I’ve got to come back to the quarterback.

Technically, the ball is thrown right when you come out of the break. But Tom was scrambling a little bit, I saw that, and I started running to him even more. I saw a little bit of open grass, and he hit me open there. When he’s scrambling like that, on my level, it’s kinda like running back and forth to green grass. It was a quick scramble, so I saw it right away. It was a good play by him to get away from the pass rush, and to hit me in the open grass, and I got to run with the ball a little bit from there.

DF: Would you do anything different based on what Williams does? Like, if he comes in, you go out, or if he crashes down, you get depth?

RG: No, not necessarily. I mean, with that coverage, he’s definitely not going to come in on me – he needs to protect his outside, and that’s also why you run that route. You know he has to do that, and that’s where a turn route is good, because you’re acting like you’re running the flag route, which goes against his outside, and he has to protect that. Once he does, you turn and come back, and the quarterback can hit you right there.

Crossing into green grass with Cameron Brate.

(Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports)

DF: This 42-yard play against the Rams on Sunday was also interesting. This looks like a TE switch release against Quarters coverage with you and Cameron Brate, and it’s pretty amazing how open you are. Did you go into this game knowing how much Quarters the Rams play and how well they do it? (This season, per Sports Info Solutions, the Rams allowed 82 completions on 137 attempts for 970 yards, one touchdowns, a league-high seven interceptions, and an opponent QBR of 62.6 when playing Cover-4).

Was that a big part of your overall plan, where you make these crossers and switches work for you?

RG: Yes, it was, and that comes down to the coaches doing a great job with the game plan. That was definitely made to throw off the defense off a little bit with a couple of crossing patterns. Guys switching around. Instead of me running up the seam, it was Cam going up the seam, and I go outside. The coaches saw that on film – if I take a little bit of time to get out there, the play would open up, and I would be running out there with some green grass. That’s what happened, and Tom hit me with the pass. It was beautiful.

DF: What are your favorite Quarters-beaters?

RG: Oh, man – that’s a good question. Quarters-beaters? I’m kind of the guy who runs up the field, so I’m not a big fan of Quarters. I like running up the seam and all that, and there’s four guys [defending] it, so… I like the underneath patterns, shallows, crossers that are under 10 yards, two guys crossing each other, and you sit in the hole.

Another one would be that turn route we talked about, because I act like I’m going deep, and then I come back to green grass in the levels of the zone defense. That’s another good one, but I wouldn’t say that deep balls and seams work that well versus Cover-4. It would be more underneath routes – under crossing routes, and finding the hole.within 10 yards .

1

1