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It is no secret the New England Patriots are the thorn in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ side, but there is one player who is/was a constant source of frustration for the black-and-gold — and it isn’t Tom Brady.
While Brady has carved up the Steelers on more than one occasion in his career, the man who he has targeted might be even more prolific. If you haven’t figured out who it is by the picture attached to this article, or the fact he likely won’t be in the lineup Week 1, Pro Football Focus (PFF) is talking about none other than “Gronk”, Rob Gronkowski.
Just check out the statistic in the tweet below from PFF’s Steelers’ specific account:
Hey Gronk! If you do decide to come out of retirement...let's make sure it is after Week 1
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 8, 2019
Against Pittsburgh, Rob Gronkowski's most impressive stat is his passer rating when targeted – a perfect 158.3. https://t.co/fgnk3XC0bW
Steelers fans can remember all those tremendous Gronk catches. It didn’t matter who was lined up across from him. Cortez Allen, Sean Davis, Artie Burns. All tried, and all failed. A perfect passer rating is a perfect passer rating, and the fact Gronkowski, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2018 season, should miss the Week 1 prime time matchup between these two AFC foes is certainly noteworthy.
Not that Gronkowski was the only target who burned the Steelers, who can forget Chris Hogan in the AFC Championship game, but when Gronkowski was in the lineup, and healthy, the Steelers failed to ever take him out of the game.
If Gronkowski does come out of retirement in 2019, like many are predicting, if he waits until after Week 1 it would be a huge bonus for the Steelers as they head to Foxborough in Week 1.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold news as the team prepares for training camp in just a few short weeks.