Once again it’s time to go “Gronkowsking.” Get your passports ready, and let’s fill out those customs forms, because we’re about to enter “Gronk Nation.” Former New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski, one of the most colorful NFL personalities of this generation, always makes for good copy.
And Gronkowski opined on the future direction of his former club, expressing a lot of optimism about both rookie franchise quarterback Drake Maye, and their new head coaching hire, Mike Vrabel.
“I think Drake Maye was phenomenal this year,” Gronkowski said in an exclusive interview with RG. “He exceeded expectations. There’s no doubt about that. Just the way he went in and how he handles himself. Just the energy, the aura that he has around him, he’s going to be a special player for quite some time. The way that he just carries himself as well.”
Drake Maye, or “D-Rake, Mah-Ye” as comedian Keegan Michael Key called him while appearing as his “Substitute Teacher Mr. Garvey” character on the Rich Eisen Show (also a big fan of Bucs kicker and former Illini Suh-Ha-Say Mc-Laughing, which reminds me, I need to go to the bank today, and use the ATM at my local Suh-Ha-Say branch), was the third overall pick in this past April’s draft.
Maye finished the season with a 88.1 passer rating, 67% completion rate, 2,276 passing yards, 15 TDs and 10 INTs. These were not All-Pro numbers by any means, but very, very solid. His stats seem much more impressive when you consider that he’s a rookie, taking over a rebuilding franchise, and not having a whole lot around him to work with.
Seeing Maye perform this season in those retro, lobster back, buff Pat the Patriot uniforms evokes Drew Bledsoe in 1991. You probably have to be a “geriatric millenial” or older to remember these unis the first time, but New England should consider going back to this look full time.
While it’s too much to ask right now, to compare Maye to Tom Brady, there is a good chance that he could ultimately be the next Bledsoe like figure for the Pats. Of course, many people said the same thing about the last franchise QB that the Patriots selected, Mac Jones, and obviously that didn’t work out too well.
Jones was a curious selection from the start, as he just didn’t seem like a prospect that was actually worthy of the 15th overall pick.
Mac Jones started out nicely, having a good rookie season, but his sophomore campaign in the NFL saw a big decline. His third year was even worse, and then it was time to start over, again, at the most important position in sports. Speaking of starting over, you always knew that the guy who took over “The Patriot Way” (there are lots of “The Ways” in sports, but the Patriots might just have the most famous one) after Bill Belichick was always going to have a massive challenge on his hands.
Not sure why they thought Jerod Mayo was the answer, but obviously that experiment fizzled quickly.
You really want to be the guy after the guy after the grey hoodie, and we learned this week that Mike Vrabel will indeed be that man.
“Mike Vrabel has got so much experience down there in Tennessee,” Gronkowski said in the same RG interview of the club legend.
“He had the year off and I feel like he’s ready to come in hot and be a head coach again. I feel like Patriots fans will be happy if the team lands either of those two.”
Vrabel is just the 16th head coach in Patriots history, will he be leading a new Patriots dynasty? Like the club enjoyed during the heyday of Gronkowski?
The AFC is more loaded than ever, so plenty of obstacles lie in the way.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.