USA TODAY International Edition
Tight end tandem trouble for others
Patriots’ Bennett and Gronkowski tough to defend
“We’ve been waiting for this moment since we got together to both get out on the field together.” Rob Gronkowski, on playing with Martellus Bennett
Just one game with Tom Brady, and Martellus Bennett winds up with three touchdowns in one afternoon for the first time in his nine- year NFL career. Funny how that happens. The New England Patriots’ identity is restored around the league’s best quarterback, and the team’s new tight end reaps a bundle of rewards.
But the primary tight end, Rob Gronkowski, had much to do with Bennett’s big day in the rout of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, too. On one score, Bennett was wide open in the flat after Gronkowski cleared space by drawing multiple defenders as he bolted up the field.
Uh- oh, NFL defenses. The Patriots have this two- tight- end thing flowing again.
“The coaches did a good job of moving me and Rob around to get the matchups that we wanted and we needed,” Bennett told USA TODAY Sports. “Sometimes they doubled me, sometimes they doubled Rob. Tom did a good job finding the open man.”
With Gronkowski demonstrating Sunday that he’s close to being himself again after dealing with a hamstring injury and, of course, with Brady back, the vision that coach Bill Belichick surely embraced after obtaining Bennett from the Chicago Bears in an offseason trade can finally come to fruition. New England is poised to field the most lethal double- tight- end option since, well, the Patriots tore up the NFL when they paired Gronkowski with since- imprisoned Aaron Hernandez from 2010 to 2012.
Here comes another two- head- ed beast. Maybe that’s why Gronkowski seemed as amped as anyone when asked about Bennett’s performance.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment since we got together to both get out on the field together,” said Gronkowski, who, by the way, torched the Browns in the middle of the field with seam routes and one big, tackle- breaking crossing route in posting his first 100- yard game of the season.
In an NFL game that has evolved to feature spread offenses and read- option schemes, the Patriots’ reliance on two- tight end formations isn’t merely a smashmouth throwback — not with the versatility of their huge, athletic targets. Like Bennett, Gronkow- ski’s skill at the line of scrimmage as a run blocker and a pass protector has typically been overshadowed by his prowess as a receiving weapon. But having a duo with dual skill sets is why it is so difficult for defenses to scheme against them. They can flip from a jumbo formation for a power run to a four- receiver look at the drop of a hat without making a substitution, which can be quite an advantage while running uptempo plays.
Sunday, the Patriots provided another glimpse of what likely will be standard procedure as they aligned their tight ends all across the formations — in tight as blockers, flanked wide as part of four- receiver looks or with one or the other in the slot. And then some. The possibilities seem endless. Factor in their size ( Gronkowski is 6- 6, 265 pounds; Bennett is 6- 6, 273), and covering them in the passing game is another type of challenge. Yet if defenses counter with an extra pass defender, it leaves them vulnerable against New England’s fourthranked rushing attack. But fielding a base defense that is stout against the run allows a matchup advantage for the tight ends in the passing game.
It’s another of the pick- your-poison dilemmas that often define matchup strategies in the NFL.
“Some teams choose to treat them and defend them more as receivers,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, preparing for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, said during a conference call. “Some teams are concerned about the running game and the impact they can make in the running game. We’ve seen both approaches so far this year.”
No team ran as many snaps out of double- tight- end formations last season as the Patriots, when Gronkowski was complemented by since- departed Scott Chandler. Bennett is a smoother receiver than Chandler, better capable of stretching the field as Gronk does. In closer quarters, such as the red zone, they compensate for the lack of the stature that the Patriots have with smallish receivers Julian Edleman, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola. In the open field, they are constant threats to break tackles.
Just don’t consider them clones — especially given their colorful personalities — even though they share a certain synergy. Bennett maintains that Gronkowski has been an ideal model for learning the offense, while Gronk notes how he’s learning from a veteran.
“There are some routes that I try to run just like Rob,” said Bennett, who in 2014 led NFL tight ends with 90 receptions. “But we’re different types. We do different things.”
Which is exactly why they are such headaches for defenses to deal with.