![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ season teetering toward shambles, former tight end Rob Gronkowski voiced his thoughts on what needs to change.
“I would say that someone needs to just step it up,” Gronkowski said on the Locked On Bucs podcast. “Defense has been playing well [the] majority of the year. But on offense, someone just needs to step it up. Say, ‘I’m just going to take over this game.’…go out there put up 150-plus yard games, put up a couple touchdowns…people will feel that energy if one of the players just goes out there and just puts up a massive game…it’ll just trickle down. They’ve got a lot of stars and one of them just needs to step up and go off.”
The Bucs have an offense loaded with underperforming stars right now from wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones to running back Leonard Fournette. None of those players are close to 1,000 yards except for Evans with 805. All of them, except for Fournette, have three or fewer touchdowns.
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady hasn’t succeeded in setting up the team’s playmakers, either. He ranks fourth in the league passing yards with 3,585, but that’s partially from throwing it a league-high 579 times. Brady only has 17 touchdown passes thus far, which puts him in proximity of his lowest total, 23, since 2003.
Tampa Bay’s banged up offensive line has been a big part of it, which Gronkowski acknowledged. The Bucs lost Ryan Jensen, Aaron Stinnie, and Tristan Wirfs to injuries. Ali Marpet retired, Alex Cappa left in free agency, and Donovan Smith has been mired in on-field struggles.
“It’s a tough situation with the offensive line as well,” Gronkowski said. “They’ve had so many injuries there and you’re rotating so many players in and out from the tackle (and) guard position. Just having guys go down, I mean…that’s where a great football team starts…That’s definitely a big challenge and that makes it tough.”
Gronkowski: ‘It’s Definitely a Thought in My Head’
Gronkowski, who retired in the offseason amid rumors of a comeback, admitted in a recent interview that he “could definitely help out” the Bucs. Gronkowski still played at a high level in 2021 amid injuries with 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games — better numbers than almost all of the Bucs pass-catchers this season.
“It’s definitely a thought in my head,” Gronkowski told USA Today’s Mackenzie Salmon. “I definitely could help out more in the red zone, about 35 yards plus outside of that end zone. Could definitely give them a morale boost right there, but, you know, I’m just not playing. That’s not a possibility.”
“But I just like to talk garbage to my friends like ‘oh, if I was still out there, they’d be undefeated; they would have won that game,'” Gronkowski quipped.
Gronkowski Talks Brady Reunion
Gronkowski also talked about a reunion with Brady — just with FOX however. Gronkowski works as an NFL analyst for FOX, and Brady has a $375 million contract waiting for him as a broadcaster when he retires from the NFL.
“That would be a great team to have him here at Fox,” Gronkowski said. “You know, he’s a commentator, I’m an analyst. We’re going back and forth a little bit to each other. That would be a lot of fun.”
0 Comments