"He doesn't even block" - Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce? NFL fans engage in heated debate over battle of elite TEs
Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce are arguably the most outstanding tight ends in NFL history. Both are 32 years old, but Gronkowski came into the league three years before Kelce. In their respective tenures in the NFL, they've revolutionized their position with receiving abilities almost unseen before in tight ends.
Both players are still contributors to their teams and had excellent 2021 campaigns. But with both players creeping up in age, NFLUK's Twitter account posed a question in a tweet on Thursday that sparked debate amongst NFL fans. They asked which of Gronkowski and Kelce was better in their prime.
One fan's vote was majorly in favor of Rob Gronkowski. They believe a tight end requires receiving and blocking, and Gronkowski excels at both. Meanwhile, Kelce is better known for his receiving prowess than his blocking.
The fan also said that Tony Gonzales is ahead of Kelce. Gonzales was a spectacular blocker in addition to his receiving abilities.
"KELCE CAN NOT BLOCK... Therefore, not a top TE. Great pase catcher, but only does half the TE job well... How much stats did Gronk sacrifice by blocking? ...Besides, Tony Gonzalez is definitely ahead of Kelce as well," the fan wrote.
@NFLUK KELCE CAN NOT BLOCK
Therefore, not a top TE. Great pase catcher, but only does half the TE job well
How much stats did Gronk sacrifice by blocking?
Besides, Tony Gonzalez is definitely ahead of Kelce as well
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman sees the question from multiple angles. Kelce's played just 16 games less than Gronkowski despite coming into the league three years later. That gave Kelce the edge in durability.
But Kleiman sided with the New England Patriots legend as peak Gronkowski made four first-team All-Pro selections.
Age: 32
This question would've made more sense if it was "Who you got for a career"
Because obviously Kelce has been way more durable so he makes sense to be the pick.
But in their prime? it's always going to be Gronk. twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1…
Scott Mahurin sided with Kelce in this debate. Mahurin brought up the fact that Kelce's rookie season ended in the first game with an injury. They believe Kelce's rookie season could've been impressive had he not suffered a hairline fracture.
@NFLUK Kelce. I can imagine what his first year would have been if he hadn't had the hairline fracture. Dude had speed, moves, and power. He outran the entire Bengals secondary for 40 yards.
Another fan gave Kelce his respect for being a great slot receiver. But they sided with Rob Gronkowski's versatility and lack of flaws in his game when he was in his prime.
That's an understandable take, given Gronkowski scored double-digit touchdowns in five of his first six seasons.
Kelce fans will take offense to this but Gronk is a real tight end. Kelce is a huge slot receiver. He's a damn good one, but he doesn't block and isn't any good when he does. Gronk is his prime was elite at blocking and receiving. It's just not a good comparison. twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1…
Gronkowski received another vote from a user who believes Kelce's lack of blocking is the deciding factor in the debate.
I mean blocking makes this obvious
And don’t give me “Kelce can block too” … fact of the matter is Gronk had all the production WHILE blocking like a monster.
Hypotheticals are the tools of those debating the losing side twitter.com/nfluk/status/1…
Rob Gronkowski continued to receive love from fans in this debate. One Twitter user said that while Gronkowski was healthy, he was the best tight end they'd ever seen.
His durability is one of the few knocks against him, as he missed 29 games in his 20s. But that wasn't enough for this user to side with Kelce.
Prime Gronk. Healthy Gronk. Is the best TE I’ve ever watched play. But if you’re looking for durability and still a badass player. Kelce. Gronk would go down as the best TE ever if he would of stayed healthy. twitter.com/nfluk/status/1…
An important thing to consider is the quarterbacks the tight ends have played for in their careers. Kelce played for Matt Cassell and Alex Smith before Patrick Mahomes took over in 2018.
Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski played with Tom Brady every season of his career. Kelce was able to have 1,000-yard seasons before Mahomes was his quarterback. That fact helped Janely Joey side with Kelce in this debate.
@NFLUK Kelce is the only right answer. Kelce played with Matt Cassel & Alex Smith for the better part of his career. He played on a losing team. Gronk has only had Brady. Kelce is the better player.
Bernard Oliver cited Kelce's deficit in career touchdowns in comparison to Gronkowski. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end has lost just three fumbles in his career, compared to Kelce's 11. Oliver voted for Gronkowski.
Travis Kelce plays with one of the greatest offensive minds in the history of football and one of the best QBs in the NFL and has 35 less TDs than Gronk. Rob has 92, Travis has 57. Also, Rob has lost only THREE fumbles in his 11 year career. So I'm taking Gronkowski. twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1…
Both tight ends revolutionized the game of football. But one Twitter user believes Kelce fits this generation's model of a tight end better and is more responsible for revolutionizing the game than Rob Gronkowski.
@NFLUK Kelce has modernized the position to be much more versatile than it has ever been. Him, Kittle, Waller, Pitts and the next generation will all be faster than Gronk because of him. Gronk is the perfect embodiment of another era’s TE, but it’s much more limiting
In the end, Brad Jennings was neutral in the debate but brought up a good point not many else shared online. He notes that Kelce's scheme under Andy Reid causes him to be a receiver more than a blocker.
He claims that just because Kelce's strengths are receiving doesn't mean he's unable to block if needed.
@kieranb81 @NFLUK Kelce is a good blocker, he’s just a ridiculous receiver/route runner that his “blocking” is sometimes running routes to clear players out.
Using strengths to your advantage doesn’t mean your unable to do other things
Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce transformed the NFL
The debate over who between Rob Gronkowski and Kelce was better in his prime will be debated for decades to come. Both sides will have their supporters, but there's no question both players will be in the Hall of Fame someday.
Tony Gonzales was the first to put the idea of tight ends being used regularly in the receiving game on the map. Both Gronkowski and Kelce took the ball and ran with it.
It's hard to imagine the NFL without these influential players. While the debate is healthy and fair, we should be grateful to have witnessed their greatness.