Gronkowski, Lewis Receive Kudos This Week, But Brady Does Not
By Gregory Hunt
Even though the New England Patriots defense is currently ranked 29th in the NFL going into the third week of the 2015 season, it's the Patriots offense that has been making most of the headlines this week. In spite of an outstanding performance in Week Two against the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Tom Brady was not named AFC Offensive Player of the Week; fans may not think of tight end Rob Gronkowski as a team leader, but coaches and teammates consider him to be one; and despite losing a fumble against the Buffalo Bills, running back Dion Lewis is developing into an important cog in New England's offensive machine.
Brady snubbed for AFC Offensive Player of the Week
Wednesday, the NFL selected Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to receive its AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for Week Two. Roethlisberger had an outstanding game in leading the Steelers to a 43-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers; he completed 21-of-27 passes for 369 yards with three touchdown and no interceptions. But Brady, in passing for a whopping 466 yards against Buffalo, broke a 54-year-old franchise record for the most passing yards ever given up by a Bills team. Additionally, Brady's performance was done on the road while Roethlisberger's performance came at home.
Brady's week may have been downgraded due to one turnover, a fumble, he committed during his game (Roethlisberger had no turnovers), but Washington Post reporter Cindy Boren suggested that the NFL may still be miffed over the Deflategate scandal in which Brady's four-game suspension was overturned by a federal judge. This comes on the heels of another apparent snub earlier this month, in which the NFL tweeted a Super Bowl 50 graphic that featured seven marquee NFL quarterbacks, but not Tom Brady. The tweet has since been deleted.
Belichick calls Gronkowski an "underrated" leader
Gronkowski has a reputation for being a bit of a party dude, but according to head coach Bill Belichick at his Wednesday morning press conference at Foxboro, Gronkowski has leadership abilities that aren't always noticed by people outside of the team.
"His work ethic, his ability to work with his teammates, whether it's the quarterback, the offensive tackles, the other tight ends or even with the defensive players is good, "said Belichick. "Forget about the talent and all that, but just as the way he goes about his job, the way he works, trains in the weight room, his physical conditioning, his mental concentration and focus and desire to do well and improve, I mean, very, very good."
Defensive end and co-captain Rob Nincovich agrees.
"Just the way he goes about his business. He's working hard in the weight room, working hard on the practice field. You know, he never takes a play off," said Nincovich. "On game days, he goes out there and performs on a very high level. Anytime you have a guy like that, you respect him, no matter what."
Lewis proving to be a potent offensive weapon
Last season, whenever now-departed Patriots running back Stevan Ridley fumbled the ball, he usually found himself on the bench for a quarter or two, or even an entire game. But on Sunday against the Bills, after current starting running back Dion Lewis lost a fumble in Buffalo territory, he was back in the New England backfield on the very next possession. That speaks to how much confidence the team has in Lewis.
"Dion's been very productive with the ball in his hands," said Belichick. "He's been very dependable when he hasn't had the ball. That's really the bottom line — in the passing game, being able to protect, run routes, catch. In the running game, read blocks and make good decisions and make yards on his own."
Lewis wasn't even in the league last season, but this year he has already accumulated 258 yards of total offense in only two games, making him an early contender for NFL Comeback Player of the Year. His ability to make plays in both the running game and the passing game makes him the team's best dual-threat running back since Kevin Faulk. At 5-foot-8, he's the same height as Faulk, and he even wears Faulk's old number, 33.
Brady also praised Lewis during a radio interview on Monday.
"He's gained the confidence of everybody through his work ethic in practice, training camp, what he's done in all these games," said Brady. "I knows he's fumbled, but running backs fumble. You've got to be able to bounce back from it, and he did (against Buffalo). He came up with some huge plays there, later in the game. He was just kind of a really all-purpose player for us -- running the ball, catching the ball, spreading them out, being in the backfield, making guys miss. I thought he played a great game."
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
