Despite being the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles have been labeled as underdogs throughout the entire postseason. But they couldn't care less. USA TODAY Sports
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t wait for official word to come down from the New England Patriots about the status of tight end Rob Gronkowski for Sunday’s Super Bowl LII.
The Eagles figured the Patriots’ star tight end would be cleared from the concussion protocol, and they needed two full weeks to figure out a game plan to stop him. And even with an extra week of preparation, the Eagles know there’s no easy solution to stopping Gronkowski, and no true way to replicate the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Gronkowski in practices.
“His size is significant. Most guys who are big are usually kind of slow, they'll try to box you out and use their bodies,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “He can do that, but he's also stretching the field, running vertical routes probably more than he runs anything else.”
Jenkins is most likely to draw the majority of coverage responsibilities on Gronkowski this week, similar to how he’s been asked to cover other elite tight ends like Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Dallas’ Jason Witten or Washington’s Jordan Reid.
But Jenkins said it’s unfair to compare Gronkowski to any other NFL tight end. He’s more like a monster combination of all of them, with the added challenge of how often Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tries to target Gronkowski downfield.
“He's stretching the field, and when all else fails, Tom Brady can throw him open and he catches anything that comes in his wing span. It's going to be a tough matchup, but one I'm looking forward to,” Jenkins said.
Brady was targeting Gronkowski on a deep pass down the right seam in the second quarter of the AFC championship game when Jacksonville safety Barry Church hit his shoulder into Gronkowski’s head and neck area. The blow knocked Gronkowski from that game with a concussion, and he was only fully cleared to play in the Super Bowl on Thursday afternoon.
While Gronkowski said Thursday that Church’s hit (which drew a $24,309 fine from the NFL) wasn’t dirty, it does illustrate the challenge defenders have in guarding Gronkowski, who might have a larger torso than smaller receivers, giving more legal area for defenders to target, but at 265 pounds, those body blows from smaller defensive backs aren’t often enough to stop the massive tight end. Tackling at the legs is seen as dirty, and any shots above the shoulders are illegal.
“We’re put in a position where we have to protect receivers, protect ourselves, protect our pockets, protect the other team,” Jenkins said. “I think we should start fining quarterbacks for putting receivers in these spots.”
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