Did anyone have more fun playing football than Rob Gronkowski? - Boston.com
By Google News Sports ·
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Know what’s a satisfying way for a Patriots fan (or chronicler) to pass more than a few minutes?
Hop over to YouTube and seek out the highlights of the most spectacular Rob Gronkowski plays that you remember, while inevitably stumbling upon a few beauties that you might not.
The Patriots probably have never had a more fun player than Gronkowski, and they have never had one that had more fun, on or off the field.
Yo soy fiesta wasn’t just a Gronk malapropism, it was a lifestyle.
When Gronkowski is inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, there is sure to be much laughter, with his goofy antics interspersed with clips of his utter dominance at the tight end position during his 11 NFL seasons — including nine (2010-18) with the Patriots, and two more as a self-expatriate with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (2020-21) following a year in retirement.
His delighted imitation of a Buckingham Palace guard — punctuated with a trademark “Gronk spike” following a touchdown in the Patriots’ 45-7 clobbering of the Rams in London in October 2012 — still brings a smile every time it comes to mind.
But in these days before his enshrinement, it’s his pure dominance, that rare combination of size, athleticism, wingspan of a wandering albatross, savvy, and toughness, that I keep thinking about.
Even before hitting play on this Gronk highlight reel or that one, I could probably name a dozen spectacular plays — the kind no other tight end in the league could make — off the top of my head from his time in New England.
Gimme the top five, you say, for space reasons? Who are you, my editor?
Fine, I count those down with the ease of Gronk trucking a defensive back. Speaking of which …
5…
Originally published by Google News Sports
