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Guarding Gronkowski: ‘He’s a Matchup Nightmare’ for Colts

By Luke Schultheis

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It won’t be just New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who the Indianapolis Colts defense will have their hands full defending come Sunday night. Specifically, it’s Brady’s favorite target as well in All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The 6’6″, 265 pound big bodied tight end runs like a wide receiver and has soft hands to match. He’s too fast for linebackers and simply too big for safeties in coverage, which makes him a major mismatch for opposing defenses.

The Colts defense will have to have to account for him at all times, as he looks to inflict some serious damage upon them. Something that head coach Chuck Pagano already knows all too well:

"“It’s all hands on deck,” said Pagano regarding defending Gronkowski. “He is a matchup nightmare. You’ve got to pick and choose and try to change up, and he’s not the only one is the problem.”“If there was just one guy that you have to deal with, then you could devote half your defense to him, but unfortunately, they’ve got more,” added Pagano. “Based on what you present them, how you’re going to defend them, utilizing all of their personnel.”"

Not only did Gronkowski infamously throw ex-safety Sergio Brown “out of the club” in last year’s regular season matchup, but he did some fairly significant damage to the Colts defense all things considered.

Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Mike Adams (29) tackles New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

In 2 games against the Colts last season, Gronkowski combined for 7 receptions for 99 total receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Not necessarily earth-shattering, but this is in addition to the Colts getting utterly dominated against the run in both matchups.

Look for Colts shutdown cornerback Vontae Davis to spend some time on Gronkowski when he lines out wide Sunday night. Otherwise, he should see a regular mix of the defense’s inside linebackers and safeties alike in coverage.

One potential intriguing matchup on Gronkowski will be rookie safety Clayton Geathers, who the Colts have utilized as a hybrid coverage linebacker early this season in nickel packages. At 6’2″, 215 pounds, Geathers is the biggest safety on the team’s roster and theoretically should have additional strength to better handle Gronkowski.

Currently, Gronkowski has 20 receptions for total 375 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns on the season. Even with the Patriots already having had their bye week, his 375 total receiving yards lead all tight ends and he also ranks 2nd in touchdown receptions at the position.

According to ProFootballFocus (subscription), Gronkowski has received a +12.7 overall advanced grade, which is the best among all tight ends. To put that in perspective, their 2nd best rated tight end in the Cincinnati Bengals Tyler Eifert has received a +7.8 grade overall.

Simply put, he’s the best tight end in football right now and a matchup problem for opposing defenses. The Colts defense will definitely have their work cut out for them in guarding Gronk, who’s nothing short of a nightmare:

"“But he is a nightmare,” concluded Pagano. “Unique, unique, unique player. He’s got an unbelievable skillset for a big, big guy.”"

Next: Colts vs Patriots Injury Report: Luck Limited

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