Rex on Gronk: One Man Coverage Better Than None

He’s only into his second week of meaningful football as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but fan favourite Rex Ryan is already in midseason form when it comes to throwing shade on his opponents.

Ryan was questioned on how he plans to stifle arguably the league’s most dangerous offensive weapon, Rob Gronkowski, as he prepares for another grudge match with the New England Patriots. “I will say this,” Ryan responded, according to a tweet by ESPN reporter Mike Reiss, “It is better to put one guy on him than no guy on him.”

He is of course referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the dismal attempt their defense made to cover Gronk last week. Gronkowski hauled in 5 catches for 94 receiving yards in the season opener; a modest stat line until you realise that three of those receptions went for touchdowns.

On at least one of those scores, the Steelers left Gronk completely exposed just outside the red zone. By the time Tom Brady fed him the ball, Gronk bounded into the end zone, absorbing the “force” of an Antwon Blake tackle the way a bullet train takes the impact of a half-inflated beach ball.

Known for his sense of humour, Ryan’s comments shouldn’t be taken maliciously, not least of which from a team still licking its wounds after boasting a top-tier defense for so many years.

Ryan’s Bills, on the other hand, have just begun to set the standard for dominant D in 2015. Their rampaging front seven and opportunistic secondary rattled Andrew Luck last week. In a home game before a raucous Buffalo crowd cursing Brady with all their might, the stage is set for another destructive display.