NFL Player of the Decade

By Andrew Rosario

 

Due to the violent nature of the game, it is very rare that a player can last and be productive for 10 years. The average shelf life is 3. That’s what makes the New York Beacon NFL player of the decade so special. Rob Gronkowski, tight end for the New England Patriots was as just as big on the team as was the golden boy quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots would not have added three more Super Bowls to their organization if not for the contributions of the man they call “Gronk”.

 

Coming out of the University of Arizona, he established himself after only playing two seasons where he averaged 18.8 yards per catch and 1,1197 receiving yards setting school records. Gronkowski was the 42nd pick by the Patriots in 2010. The following year is when he began going national recognition as he became the first tight end in league history to lead the in receiving touchdowns (17). When he decided to hang up his cleats last year, Gronk set records for most receiving yards (1,327) and no other player at his position has caught more touchdowns in the post season (12). Gronkowski had two seasons where he caught more than 50 passes and more than 11 touchdowns. 

 

injuries were a big part of his career as well. When the Patriots had the epic comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons, Gronkowski was relegated as a spectator after having surgery to repair a herniated disk. He won his last Super Bowl in 2018 after the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams. He announced his retirement last March.

 

Just one look at how the Patriots played this past year and more recently getting eliminated from the playoff in last Sunday’s wild card game against the Tennessee Titans showed just how much Gronkowski was missed. The NFL put him the 100 greatest players of all time. The New York Beacon names Rob Gronkowski the NFL player of the decade.