Alge Crumpler may have been one of the first to realize how talented Rob Gronkowski was ... as a blocker.
Crumpler played his final NFL season with the New England Patriots in 2010, which was also Gronkowski's rookie year.
Crumpler, a four-time Pro Bowler and 10-year NFL veteran, had been around the block a few times. But after watching Gronkowski during the 2010 preseason, he had a feeling the 6-foot-6 tight end would be a serious problem for opponents.
"Very special," Crumpler said of Gronkowski during an appearance Monday on Bleacher Report's "The Lefkoe Show." "I remember scrimmaging the New Orleans Saints, they came to our practice facility and he’s a rookie just destroying some of the eight-, nine-, 10-year veterans. And they are yelling at me like, ‘Crump, get your boy! Get your boy! He ain’t supposed to be doing all that.' It didn’t phase Gronk. Gronk was going after those guys."
Incredibly relentless and overwhelmingly physical? That sounds like the Gronk we know.
Gronkowski's prowess as a blocker is a bit harder to quantify than, say, his 7,681 receiving yards and 80 total touchdowns in just nine NFL seasons. But he clearly was in the right system, because Patriots head coach Bill Belichick found ways to spotlight Gronk's contributions.
New England Patriots
"People hear about the blocking, but they never highlight his blocking," Crumpler said. "I have never seem them highlight Gronk pancake a guy. But I’ve seen Bill Belichick highlight it every single week on a Monday when we’re reviewing film."
So, does Gronkowski's résumé as a blocker and catcher make him the best tight end of all time? Crumpler pleaded the fifth on that question.
"I don’t believe in the argument," Crumpler said. "I feel like when you have that argument there’s people chipping away at you. It’s like, he’s great."
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