Gronk’s Speed (Or Lack Thereof)
September 26th, 2020
Speed clocked.
A whole lot of NFL pundits are chattering about how Bucs tight end foot-rubbing Rob Gronkowski is now an old man.
He’s slow, they say.
Done. Finished. Kaput. Can’t run any longer. Runs like he’s in lava.
NextGen stats suggest otherwise.
Again, NextGen data is gathered from sensors in players’ equipment. They measure all sorts of stuff from how many snaps a guy took, to his stamina, route angles, tackles and just plain speed.
Jenna Laine of ESPN brings info from NextGen stats that suggests people’s minds are playing tricks with them when it comes to Gronk and his alleged drop in speed.
In fact, there hasn’t been a drop.
For those convinced Rob Gronkowski can’t run anymore…I checked the @NextGenStats. Gronk was clocked at 18.98 mph at New Orleans, a speed he hadn’t reached since 2016 (was going vertical down the seam, sorry I can’t post the video). But he’s capable.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 26, 2020
This is cool info. Could it be that perhaps Gronk is not in football shape yet after a year off and because of that, he looks a bit clumsy, which also makes a man look slow?
September 26th, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Tall gangly guys tend to look like they are running slower than they are. People say the same thing about Mike Evans sometimes, and he’s not slow.
Shorter guys have a higher step rate, makes them look faster. That’s my take.
September 26th, 2020 at 12:15 pm
Like I said watch film him and oj are open ball went elsewhere.
September 26th, 2020 at 12:16 pm
A well known national football site said it best, “the Gronk of Old has been replaced by a Gronk who looks old.”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe buried deep down in the numbers, that they can be fudged enough to somehow say that ole stale biscuit was a good coach the last 5 seasons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that would be cooking the books!!!!!!!!!!!!
Narratives without statistics are blind, statistics without narratives are empty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 26th, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Yeah j wasnt convinced he couldnt run. He just looks off, lack of awareness, maybe winded and rusty
September 26th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
So many idiots running their taps about stuff they don’t know anything about. The season is 2 games old. Let’s see where things are in 4 more games.
September 26th, 2020 at 1:15 pm
He looks like things are still moving fast for him….probably won’t know what he is until week 6 or 8.
September 26th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
There will be a game soon where he goes off mark my words.
September 26th, 2020 at 2:05 pm
@Ftmyersbuc
Like “go off” into the sunset??????????
Retired or injury settlement??????? Which week then?????? I say between week 12 or 13, once the Bucs are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 26th, 2020 at 4:23 pm
El Gnomo with his typically positive spin on things. I bet you’re a real hit at parties.
September 26th, 2020 at 5:29 pm
He’s the best blocking TE on the roster tho. So what if he’s lost a step, he’s a key cog in the machine. I’ll take Gronk stuck in 4th gear if it opens up the rest of the offense. Gronk will get his dues in time after he shakes the rust off too!
September 26th, 2020 at 5:48 pm
“JR Gronk and his money hungry blond
$10 million dollars down the tube. Sweezeyed again”
“Im only making $2 mill. Not only did the Bucs not give me a new contract, they took my jersey number”
Chris Godwin
September 26th, 2020 at 6:56 pm
I agree with Bobby M. Gronk been out for a year and still learning a new system. Just like a new rookie, it takes awhile before you can just react before having to think about it. Give him a few more weeks and he’ll look natural running the plays.
September 26th, 2020 at 7:59 pm
The internet has run out of exclamation points…
Thanks a lot realisto.
September 26th, 2020 at 8:09 pm
Dude’s rusty, no doubt. But he’s also uber talented. Once he gets more comfortable in BA’s system and he and TB12 get on the same wavelength, he will be fine! Look for big strides in weeks 5-8. My guess is he finishes the regular season with 35-40 receptions and 5 TDs.
September 26th, 2020 at 11:41 pm
It seems there are a lot of these football pundits that would love to see Gronk and Brady struggle or fail. Everyone wants to be relevant and make some over the top prediction hoping they get it right. The same pundits who’ll take a washed up RB that’s sitting on the waver wire and make it seem like teams are making a mistake for not getting him on the roster. Don’t listen to these peeps. Gronk will eventually make an impact once he get his feet under him and has the playbook down to second nature.
September 27th, 2020 at 11:50 am
He’s F-in had a year off football!! Players coming back from the previous year have to condition to get back to game shape.
He is not in game shape, but I expect him to be improving each and every game. If he peaks at mid-season or late season and contributes to a Bucs playoff push, who cares what he did or didn’t do in Week 1-4.