Tucson Citizen.com
AG's Wildcat Report - Dispatches on the Wildcats, from Anthony Gimino

Posts Tagged ‘Rob Gronkowski’

Ex-Cats in the NFL: Firsts for Foles, Criner; injury for Gronkowski

Monday, November 19th, 2012
Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski was injured while blocking on an extra-point attempt. Photo by Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

It was the most eventful Sunday of the season for former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL.

Let’s start with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The All-Pro, near the end of a brilliant game in which he had seven catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a broken left forearm while blocking for an extra point.

He is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks, which should put him back in time for the playoffs, at the latest.

Gronkowski has 53 receptions for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games this season.

(more…)

Ex-Cats in the NFL: Where are they now?

Monday, July 30th, 2012
Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski had a good time on the ESPYs red carpet with tennis player Daniela Hantuchova. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

NFL camps have started … do you know where your former Arizona Wildcats are?

Offseason news has been dominated by ex-UA tight end Rob Gronkowski, who followed up his record-setting second season with the New England Patriots with what is widely referred to as the “Summer of Gronk.”

Let the Boston Globe describe it:

“Gronkowski, in no particular order, won a celebrity home run derby at the Triple-A All-Star Game (reportedly hitting one 325 feet), appeared on The Choice, a dating show, co-hosted Access Hollywood Live, judged a celebrity bikini contest in Las Vegas and walked the ESPY’s red carpet. He also attended the premier of the movie “Ted,” hung out with Kim Kardashian, was one of the naked cover boys for ESPN The Magazine, and ran a viral video campaign trying to land on the cover of the Madden video game.

Oh, and he also signed a six-year contract extension worth $54 million – the richest deal ever given to a tight end. It includes $18.17 million in guaranteed money.”

Oh, to be Gronk.

Gronk is the headliner among the former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL, with 22 players on camp rosters.

Here is a look at who is where:

(more…)

Ex-Arizona Wildcat Rob Gronkowski comes up just short of history

Sunday, February 5th, 2012
Rob Gronkowski

If Rob Gronkowski had only been a step closer ... Photo by Richard Mackson, US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcat tight end Rob Gronkowski almost made what would have been something like, oh, the greatest play in the history of football.

A Hail Mary to win the Super Bowl?

Nearly.

On third-and-Super Bowl from the New England 49-yard line, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady unleashed a pass into the end zone. Tight end Aaron Hernandez was there — as was a trio of New York Giants defenders — and the ball was batted into the air and slightly back toward the goal line.

(more…)

SI.com: The Fabulous Life of Rob Gronkowski

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Rob Gronkowski spikes the ball after one of his three TD catches in a playoff game vs. Denver last weekend. Photo by David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Just going to throw you a link here to a slideshow on SI.com that goes a long way to showing that it’s Rob Gronkowski’s world; we just live in it. Included are a couple of shots from his too-brief days at Arizona.

The Fabulous Life of Rob Gronkowski

A major honor for former Arizona Wildcat tight end Rob Gronkowski

Friday, January 6th, 2012
Rob Gronkowski

With 17 receiving touchdowns, Rob Gronkowski has done a lot of spiking this season. Photo by Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The honors keep rolling in, deservedly so, for former Arizona Wildcats tight end Rob Gronkowski. He made the prestigious NFL All-Pro team, as selected by the AP.

Gronkowski, earlier selected to the Pro Bowl game, set NFL records for receiving yards for a tight end (1,327) and touchdowns for a tight end (17) in his second season with the New England Patriots.

“I don’t even care about that anymore,” he told reporters on Wednesday, talking about the regular season.

“It’s a one-game season now. All that kind of stuff, whatever we did, our records, our win-loss column, that doesn’t matter anymore. That’s all in the past. It’s a one-game season now and that’s all we’re worried about.”

Gronkowski and the Patriots have a bye this week while awaiting their first postseason foe.

Other former Wildcats in the playoffs are defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and outside linebacker Brooks Reed (Houston, vs. Cincinnati on Saturday), and fullback Spencer Larsen (Denver, vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday).

Rookie free agent offensive tackle Adam Grant is on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Gronk’s world: Ex-Arizona Wildcat sets NFL record

Sunday, December 11th, 2011
Rob Gronkowski

With this catch in the end zone, Rob Gronkowski sets the NFL record for TD receptions in a season by a tight end. Photo by Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcats tight end Rob Gronkowski spiked the ball and instantly realized his mistake. That was one football he wanted to keep.

He searched the sky for the bouncing football and then located it in the back of the end zone, marking the 14th time he scored on a reception this season, an NFL record for a tight end. Gronkowski, a second-year player for the New England Patriots, went on to catch another touchdown pass Sunday, part of an afternoon in which he had a career-high 160 yards on six receptions.

“It’s cool to get a record and everything, but it really (doesn’t) matter. We got the team victory,” he told reporters after a 34-27 victory at Washington.

He joked he would use the keepsake football in order to practice his spikes in the offseason.

(more…)

Arizona football: The All-Stoops team

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Rob Gronkowski running after the catch was one of the best parts of the Mike Stoops era. Tucson Citizen photo

Mike Stoops was the football coach of the Arizona Wildcats for 7 1/2 seasons, during which time he brought in some of the program’s all-time brightest stars.

Cornerback Antoine Cason won the 2007 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back and was a late first-round pick in 2008.

Wide receiver Mike Thomas is the Pac-12 career leader in receptions.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski was a beast — albeit, all too briefly at Arizona — before quickly becoming a star with the New England Patriots.

Senior quarterback Nick Foles is on pace to rewrite several school season and career passing records in the next six week.

There definitely were some high notes, but in putting together an All-Stoops team, a couple of issues emerge — the dearth of standouts on the offensive line and a lack of explosive playmakers at linebacker.

Here is a look at the best who played for Stoops — the All-Stoops team:

(more…)

Ex-Cats in NFL: Baxter to start, Gronkowski with more TDs

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Colin Baxter was with the Chargers in the preseason but didn't survive the final cut. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Former Arizona Wildcats center Colin Baxter has gone from being waived in the preseason by the San Diego Chargers to starting for the New York Jets.

The Jets picked up Baxter as insurance on a banged-up offensive line, and then had to turn to the undrafted rookie free agent last week when All-Pro center Nick Mangold left with a sprained ankle in the first quarter of a win over Jacksonville.

Baxter finished the game at center and is likely to start this week as the Jets look to go 3-0 in Sunday’s game at Oakland.

“I think Baxter did a great job considering how he was thrown in there,” coach Rex Ryan said at his Monday news conference. “He had a couple of mental mistakes, but I was proud of the way he jumped in there.”

(more…)

After Combine, Brooks Reed looks to continue Arizona’s draft success

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Brooks Reed is earning potential second-round consideration.
Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Former Arizona Wildcats defensive end Brooks Reed, coming off impressive workouts at the Senior Bowl in January, earned more positive reviews at the NFL Combine on Monday.

He told me in an interview a couple of weeks ago that his goal was to “show them I can run fast at 260.”

Well, he checked in at 6-2 1/2 and 263 pounds … and he ran fast.

Reed ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash Monday, which was tied for third among defensive ends. Lacking ideal size for the position, he also is being looked at as a pass-rushing outside linebacker, so that 40 time was critical to how scouts project him.

(more…)

Yet another first for former Wildcat Rob Gronkowski

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

Rob Gronkowski celebrates a touchdown Sunday, his 10th of the season.
Photo by Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcat tight end Rob Gronkowski wrapped up his first regular season with his first 100-yard game for the New England Patriots.

Gronkowski had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 38-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

The touchdown reception gave him 10 for the season, setting a franchise mark for a rookie. He is just the fourth Patriots player to reach double-digit touchdown receptions, joining Randy Moss, Stanley Morgan and Jim Colclough.

As mentioned here last week, Gronkowski has the most touchdown receptions in a season for any former Arizona Wildcat.

That’s nice … but, for Arizona fans, does anybody other than this guy on the WildcatSportsReport.com message board have the “Rob Gronkowski blues?”