Rob Gronkowski is a difficult man to stop.Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs.The latest example was Sunday night
Kansas City Chiefs Hoodie , when the Patriots tight end had two key catches in the fourth quarter as New England edged the Chiefs 43-40.He has caught 76 TD passes from Tom Brady in his career."He made a big play. He's been making a lot of those his career," Brady said. "I'll keep throwing to him in the biggest moments."Because of his knack for coming through when needed most, Gronkowski was the runaway choice as the NFL's top tight end by a panel of 10 football writers for The Associated Press. The All-Pro received eight first-place votes in balloting released Friday."He hasn't played in all 16 games since 2011, but when he's on the field he's still essentially unstoppable," said Minnesota-based AP Football Writer Dave Campbell.Kansas City's Travis Kelce was second. He has 33 catches for 468 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs, who are off to a 5-1 start entering Sunday night's matchup against Cincinnati."Kelce is already just a notch behind Gronkowski and could top this list soon while playing in Kansas City's high-flying offense with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball," said New York-based AP Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr.Zach Ertz of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles was third. He leads tight ends with 48 catches for 480 yards."One wonders if Wentz-Ertz will be a household combo along the lines of Brady-Gronk five years from now," said Dallas-based AP Football Writer Schuyler Dixon. "It's lofty company, but the pieces are in place."Green Bay's Jimmy Graham was fourth. He has 27 catches for 349 yards and a touchdown in his first season with the Packers."Aaron Rodgers sure knows what to do with a tight end like Graham," said Nashville-based AP Football Writer Teresa Walker.Graham edged out Carolina's Greg Olsen, who has been dealing with injuries the past two seasons. After Olsen, Minnesota's Kyle Rudolph finished sixth.Tennessee's Delanie Walker, who is also hurt and out for the season with a broken leg
Cheap Customized Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , still managed to finish seventh."It's a shame he is injured, and the flop of the Titans' offense has a lot to do with his absence," said New York-based AP Football Writer Barry Wilner.Eric Ebron, who has six touchdowns, has been a bright spot for the Colts in his first season in Indianapolis. He finished eighth."He's become a go-to guy in the red zone for Andrew Luck," Philadelphia-based AP Football Writer Rob Maaddi said.Veteran Jared Cook, who's third among tight ends with 32 receptions, was ninth."Might be the only bright spot in Oakland right now," said Denver-based AP Football Writer Arnie Stapleton of the one-win Raiders.Rounding out the top 10 was San Francisco's George Kittle. The 2017 fifth-round pick is tied for sixth among tight ends with 27 catches."Kittle has emerged from being primarily a blocking tight end in college at Iowa to a real dual threat for the 49ers," Bay Area-based AP Football Writer Josh Dubow said.The rankings:1. Rob Gronkowski, New England2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia4. Jimmy Graham
www.thechiefsfootballauthentic.com , Green Bay5. Greg Olsen, Carolina6. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota7. Delanie Walker, Tennessee8. Eric Ebron, Indianapolis9. Jared Cook, Oakland10. George Kittle, San Francisco The Kansas City Chiefs didn't have much time between the moment Kareem Hunt walked off the practice field to the moment they boarded an airplane without him for their trip to Oakland.It was about 24 hours in all.Yet the stunning downfall of their top running back hardly set the Chiefs back when they ultimately took the field against the Raiders on Sunday.Spencer Ware performed well starting in Hunt's place, the Chiefs piled up 178 yards rushing 鈥?their second most all season 鈥?and Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense had another big game in a 40-33 victory that was never that close."In this league it moves fast. You have to make sure you're ready for every single week," Mahomes said. "I was glad to get back on the football field. We had been on a bye week after a loss, so to get out here and get a win against a team that you've had a historic rivalry with is always a good win."Especially given the circumstances.The Chiefs had just concluded their final practice Friday when TMZ Sports posted the video of Hunt shoving and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February. In short order, Hunt was sent home from the facility, placed on the NFL's exempt list, summoned back to the facility and ultimately released.The move was as swift as it was stunning. And for many teams preparing to face a rival on the road
Kansas City Chiefs T-Shirt , even one that has struggled as much as the Raiders, it could have been difficult to overcome.Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he never considered that an option."You guys know me well enough that I'm not going to let certain things slide. I'm going to address them when they need to be addressed," Reid said during a conference call Monday. "And then I bank on my locker room and the strength of my locker room, and they really stepped up on this."The Chiefs (10-2) didn't have time to alter their game plan, so they basically stuck with it with Ware in the backfield. The only problem is that Ware only took about 10 percent of the first-team reps in practice last week, and backups Damien Williams and Darrel Williams took precisely none.Yet with an assist from Mahomes, who scrambled for 52 yards, the Chiefs still did enough on the ground to keep the Oakland defense honest. That in turn allowed for Mahomes to throw for 295 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, his seventh game with at least four TD passes this season."I mean, that's my brother," Ware said of Hunt, "but the men in this circle, the men in the locker room
Kansas City Chiefs Hats , the organization, we all have one goal. That's to win a Super Bowl. So we have to stay distraction-free and I don't have anything else to say about that."Reid acknowledged Monday that general manager Brett Veach had brought in a couple of running backs to provide depth. They ended up signing Charcandrick West, who is familiar with the system having spent several seasons with the Chiefs before getting cut in training camp.Yet the bulk of the carries will belong to Ware, who was supposed to be the starter last year before a knee injury in the preseason landed him on injured reserve.And lest anyone think there will be a major drop-off, consider that Ware's career average of 4.6 yards per carry is only a tenth-of-a-yard less than that of Hunt, and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is just as potent."He's been doing it for a while now," said tight end Travis Kelce, who had 168 yards receiving and two TD catches against Oakland."He's been a staple of this organization since he's been here. He's worked his tail off to be in the position that he is in. And he got back from an injury last year that set him back. He wasn't allowed to be a part of what we were doing last year."He figures to be a big part of what the Chiefs hope is a Super Bowl push this year."The mindset of this team is whenever you get your opportunity, you make the most of it," Mahomes said. "I feel like every single game someone else steps up. We kept our mind on that and playing football, the game we have loved since we were little kids, to keep this season going."
