It’s not easy to stop New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, but the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to use a physical strategy to disrupt the All-Pro.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, linebacker Ryan Shazier said the defense will jam Gronkowski at the line of scrimmage in hopes of messing with his timing with quarterback Tom Brady. Shazier said:
“You just have to jam him up a little bit, mess with his timing. If you mess up their timing, they are really time-oriented. You have to mess up their timing and get in his face with pressure, then I feel we can slow him down a little bit.”
The Steelers must have learned a valuable lesson from the 2014 Chicago Bears, who elected to place their trust in outmatched safeties—Chris Conte and Ryan Mundy—to contain Gronk.
Long story short, it didn’t work.
Chicago surrendered nine receptions, 149 yards and three touchdowns to the 6’6″, 265-pound tight end.
Gronkowski is the ideal pass-catcher, since he’s too physical for defensive backs and athletically dominates linebackers. Love him or hate him, Gronk is the perfect menace.
Pittsburgh, like Chicago, doesn’t have someone in the secondary capable of matching up with Gronkowski. Unlike former Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker—yeah, he’s the former DC for a reason—the Steelers have acknowledged their weakness and hope not to avoid Chicago’s drastic mistake.
The Steelers and Patriots open the 2015 NFL season with a Thursday night showcase. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC.