Rob Gronkowski’s performance Sunday against the Green Bay Packers went a long way toward dispelling the notion he’s washed up.
The tight end’s first touchdown celebration with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, did little to help his case.
Gronkowski, who totaled five catches for 78 yards in the Bucs’ 38-10 win over the Packers, hauled in a TD pass from Tom Brady in the second quarter and marked the occasion by spiking the football.
Vintage Gronk, right? Sure. Only the 31-year-old used his left hand to throw down the pigskin. And apparently, the reviews haven’t been great.
“That was my first left-handed spike in my career,” Gronkowski told reporters Monday during a video conference. “It was kind of weak, from the ratings I’ve been getting. They don’t understand — I thought it was a 10 out of 10 for my left hand.”
Gronkowsk’s touchdown catch was his first since Dec. 9, 2018, a span of 679 days. It’s been a relatively slow start to the season for the four-time All-Pro, who sat out the entire 2019 campaign before joining the Bucs in a trade from the New England Patriots, but Gronk showed life against Green Bay and could be a bigger factor in Tampa Bay’s passing attack moving forward.
“It felt good to get back in the end zone. It’s been quite some time and it just feels real good to get my first with the Buccaneers,” Gronkowski said Monday. “It was just cool to see my teammates excited and my coaches excited for me to get back in the end zone, which was something pretty cool.
“The game plan, you just never know how it’s going to go week in and week out. You prepare to plan for everything in the passing game and in the run game. Some games, you just really never know until the game starts. You may get 10 catches, you may get two catches. A wide receiver may get 10 catches and then two catches the next game. It just depends on how the game goes, but you’ve just got to prepare to the best of your ability that you can week in and week out, and just be ready for any situation any given week.”
Next up for the Bucs is a primetime clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. Maybe Gronk will keep the good times rolling, this time using his right hand for a more classic-looking spike.
