Rob Gronkowski: Superhero tight end’s retirement deprives Tom Brady of his partner in crime

The New England Patriots always cope, defying conventional wisdom to extract just enough from the pieces around Tom Brady to plot their way back to the Super Bowl every year.

But this time it could be different after the loss of Rob Gronkowski, who walked into the sunset to call time on a nine-year NFL career. The greatest tight end there ever was and a pioneer of the position, even Bill Belichick will struggle to replace his productivity.

A sheer force of nature, Gronkowski redefined what a tight end could be, presenting mismatches galore to perhaps represent the single most reason for extending the prime of Brady.

He ends his career with the most yards per game of all time (68.4) for a tight end, and when Brady called No 87, as he eloquently stated in his tribute to his team-mate, the Patriots were “almost unbeatable.” Over the nine years together, Brady’s quarterback rating was an astonishing 129.6 when combining with his beloved tight end.

Gronkowski, after safely securing the ball, represented a bumper car at a fairground, leaving onlookers gobsmacked as players either bounced off him or were dragged along for the ride on his march towards the end zone.

A superhero on the field and a playful party goer off it, his selflessness meant the Patriots always had an ace up their sleeve: a transformer, capable of shining in multiple roles to help diversify Belichick’s scheme.

Even as his body began to betray him, limiting the ‘wow’ moments, his willingness to suit up and bear the pain provided the Pats with a decoy to unnerve opponents. Most of the time he could merely become the ‘sixth offensive lineman’ with his selfless blocking. But then, when the opposition least expected it, just like it would unfold in Hollywood, Gronk would leap into action for a crucial first down or a touchdown.

“Sacrifice” appears to be a theme among the litany of tributes from team-mates, including Patrick Chung, which is especially commendable given the infectious smile he wore almost permanently. Gronk simply “made football fun,” Chung added.

Many define this era as the evil empire of the Patriots, yet there was rarely any animosity towards Gronkowski. He became synonymous with his spike celebration: a gesture that saw his emotions pour out to remind everybody about the seriousness of the task in hand and just how much succeeding on the field meant to him beneath the clown-like persona.

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With Super Bowl 53 a damp squib at three apiece deep into the four quarter, in a game devoid of inspiration, step forward Gronk for the game-defining moment. Brady, discarding ingenuity and trickery, tossed the ball 34 yards into Gronk’s vicinity.

Double coverage was never going to be enough for the Rams, who desperately scrambled back in hope of tearing up the script. But Gronk, with his six foot, six inch and 265 pound body fully outstretched, grasped the ball, setting up the game-winning two-yard score from Sony Michel.

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Brady and Belichick are now left to conjure up a new plan, yet Gronk making a dramatic return is not out of the question, as his agent Drew Rosenhaus put it: “If the team was struggling or they needed him at some point next year, and let’s just say hypothetically Tom Brady gave him a call and said ‘Rob, I need you.’ I wouldn’t be shocked if he came back to play a few games.”

For now though, Gronk walks away a titan of the game: adored, heralded for his selflessness and dedication and one of the very few players who helped to make Brady almost as much as the other way around.