If Broncos go Gronk-hunting Sunday, he’ll be ready

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — From NFL end zones to off-season pool parties with bikini babes. These are some of the places Rob Gronkowski has visited — frequently — over the years.

On Thursday, he boldly went where no Gronk had gone before — the press room podium inside the bowels of Gillette Stadium.

Forget the Super Bowl ring, the TV commercials, the movie cameos. This was the moment that showed the world Gronk finally made it.

“Wow, my first podium,” Gronkowski said, tongue planted firmly in cheek. “I’m big time.” “It’s been a dream. Six years.” While he was living the dream Thursday, come Sunday in Denver during the AFC Championship Game, Gronk will be a coverage nightmare for the host Broncos.

The Broncos know it, too.

Maybe that’s why they’ve been taking shots at him all week. Maybe they’re trying to get under his skin.

Denver’s Brandon Marshall fired a barb at the Patriots’ No. 87, claiming “he pushes off and he gets away with it about 98 per cent of the time.”

Cornerback Chris Harris responded to a question of how to tackle Gronk by saying “you gotta hit him low, man — hit him in his knees ... that’s the best chance you have of hitting him.”

The Patriots’ hulking tight end has a good-natured warning for the Broncos, one suggesting he plans on dishing out more punishment than he’ll absorb.

“Everyone wants to see collisions,” Gronkowski said, “so I’m ready to give some.”

Translation: Buckle up those chinstraps, Broncos, because the 6-foot6, 265-pound steamroller is coming to town. Aim at his knees at your own risk.

Gronkowski is no stranger to low hits. Or being taunted. His response: Bring it on. “They’re not doing anything illegal out there,” he said. “It’s just part of the game. I’ve just got to be aware of it. (I’ve) maybe just got to step up my game a little bit. Maybe throw a juke, I mean I don’t know how many jukes I’ve got, but I’ve just got to be aware.

“It’s football and it’s just part of the game.”