FOXBORO, Mass. — Sean McDermott either simply is unwilling to give the New England Patriots bulletin-board material, or he’s suffering from severe football denial.
Or, you know, maybe it’s a little bit of both.
During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills head coach claimed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady “looks better than he has in years past.” No matter which way you slice it, that take is as wrong as it is hot.
But when asked whether Rob Gronkowski looks the same as he has in recent seasons, McDermott’s answer was equally head-scratching.
“Certainly does,” the second-year head coach said. “I know he had a couple games where he didn’t play and that’s been the case I think for most years, recently at least. But yeah, he’s as good as he’s been, presents a matchup challenge and a guy that we certainly have to know how we want to handle him.”
It would be extreme to suggest that Gronkowski doesn’t present a “challenge” to opposing defenses, or that the All-Pro tight end doesn’t force teams to account for him at all times.
But “as good as he’s been?” That’s a stretch.
Gronkowski has just 45 catches for 658 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played. His career averages are 59.3 catches, 897.4 yards and 9.5 TDs per season — numbers that account for the many games the 29-year-old has missed due to injuries. But forget the numbers: The eye test alone tells you Gronkowski is a shell of his former self, and most opposing defenses have adjusted by assigning less and less double-coverage to the once-dominant force.
Again, McDermott likely is just pumping his Week 16 opponent. Furthermore, during the Patriots’ Week 8 victory over the Bills, Buffalo elected to single-cover Gronkowski for much of the game and limited the star tight end to just three catches for 43 yards.
Translation: McDermott knew Gronkowski wasn’t the same weeks ago. And, despite his comments Wednesday, we assume McDermott hasn’t changed his mind.
