Esiason On Patriots-Broncos: Gronkowski Lucky To Escape Without Injury
BOSTON (CBS) - CBS Sports football analyst and WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason called in to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich Monday morning to talk about the Sunday that was in the NFL, starting with New England's 43-21 win over Denver.
With the win, the Patriots earned sole possession of the AFC and now stand at 7-2 heading into the bye week -- quite the turnaround from the Monday night Kansas City debacle six weeks ago.
Since that blowout loss to the Chiefs, the Patriots are averaging 40.2 points per game and are beating their opponents by an average margin of 18.6 points. In that five-game span we've seen the offensive line become a cohesive, and at times dominant unit, concurrent with a tight end in Rob Gronkowski looking healthy as can be.
We know how important No. 87 is to the success of the Patriots, which is why fans cringe every time a tackler gets close to his knees.
"I do [fear for him getting injured], especially when T.J. Ward is in the secondary, because Ward likes to go low below the knee to take down the 6-foot-7 behemoth," Esiason said to start the discussion.
In 2013 Ward, then a member of the Browns, ended Rob Gronkowski's season early after delivering a hit to the All Pro's right knee.
"There is no question in my mind that if you are a safety and you are 6-foot-or-under you feel like that's the way you gotta take the big man down, unfortunately for Gronk. I think he's learned, over the last year or so, how to protect himself. But yesterday when he got hit by T.J. Ward again, I thought, 'Oh boy here we go.' I thought it was going to be a reincarnation of what happened last year. Luckily for him he protected his knees and did not get hurt."
We learned a lot about both the Patriots and Broncos yesterday, but what Boomer learned above all else is that the NFL is an unpredictable place.
"I picked the Patriots to win, but I didn't think they would win by that margin."
Besides Gronkowski, another player that stood out for the Patriots to Boomer was Julian Edelman.
"I thought Julian Edelman played a whale of a football game. The first half he was the best player on the field for both teams. That guy does not get the credit he deserves. In my estimation he's an All Pro wide receiver -- not a Pro Bowl wide receiver, but an All Pro wide receiver," Esiason said in praise of Edelman. "The plays that he makes, and how important those plays are, and just how adept that he is at playing the position as well as punt returner, I think he's a great football player. He showed up yesterday in so many big spots."
Esiason also spoke glowingly about Rob Ninkovich, someone he compared favorably to a Patriots player of yesteryear in Mike Vrabel.
"[Ninkovich] just always seems to come up with a big sack or big play," Esiason said of the sixth-year Patriot. "He duped Peyton Manning into throwing that interception. It always seems like the Patriots do that every year."
It was the biggest game of the year so far on the calendar for the Patriots, but it was still just a win in November. Boomer adds that he wouldn't be surprised to see the two teams meet in January, and he wouldn't be surprised if that game was in Denver just based on how tough a schedule lies ahead for New England.
Esiason also weighed in on the surging Dolphins, the Cowboys quarterback situation and Jerry Jones being Jerry Jones.
Listen below to the full interview!
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