GronkNation

10.18.18

Patriots vs. Bears Preview: Why Brady Is 'So Proud' of Gronk as They Face the Monsters of Midway

Posted by: Gronkowski

After last week’s offensive shootout against the Chiefs that knocked up a whopping total of 83 points, the Patriots head to Chicago this weekend to take on the Bears.

While they’re not quite the legendary status of the 1985-era defense, the modern-day Monsters of Midway have been packing quite a punch since the Raiders fumbled Khalil Mack's deal.

While the Bears currently have one of the best defenses in the league – they still let a Brock Osweiler-led Miami Dolphins score a game-winning 31 points last Sunday. 

And Bill Belichick made it very clear this week that there shouldn’t be any comparisons to legendary Lawrence Taylor just yet. 

"Wait a minute, we're talking about Lawrence Taylor now," Belichick told reporters Wednesday. "Yeah, I'm not putting anybody in Lawrence Taylor's class. So, you can put everybody down below that. With a lot of respect to a lot of good players now, but we're talking about Lawrence Taylor.

"He's [Mack] already had a huge impact on the Bears' defense in the first five games," added Belichick, who was Taylor's position coach and then defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. "So, I'm not taking anything away from him. You're talking about Lawrence Taylor, you're talking about probably the greatest defensive player in the history of the game."

Taylor, for one, really like that glowing compliment from the impenetrable Belichick. 

Mack is coming off an ankle injury but is expected to play, and the Bears also have Akiem Hicks ready to take on his former team. The defensive end had fond recollections of his time in New England in 2015 earlier this week.

“I loved it, absolutely loved it and I loved how the organization ran,” Hicks said, according to the Boston Herald. “Great coaching and I have nothing but phenomenal things to say about that organization as a whole from the top down. I fondly remember morning meetings at 8 (a.m.) and getting there at about 7:30. Mr. (Robert) Kraft would come into the meeting room with his sneakers on and it was great experience for me.”

Of course, the Bears defense has to get past the Patriots offence – which has been on fire since a slow September, scoring over 30 points in the past three games.  

Brady continued to heap praise on Gronk after his dominating stiff arm in the waning minutes of the Pats-Chiefs game on Sunday, saying in the aftermath “I'll keep throwing it to him in the biggest moments."

In his weekly sports radio WEEI interview, Tom told listeners that Rob is hands down the best tight end in the league. "I'd vote for Gronk 100 [times] out of 100. He's a spectacular player, made some huge plays when we needed them [Sunday].”

(That sentiment was reiterated by ESPN’s Mike Golic Jr. on “Golic and Wingo” Thursday in a segment when they weren’t even talking about Gronk … or tight ends.)

"He's getting punt-viced on some of his routes -- literally just running into two bodies. They make it tough for him,” Brady continued. “He's doing a great job. I'm just so proud of him."

Sunday will mark Gronk’s first time playing in Soldier Field since 2010 when he was a rookie. That game he has five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in a 36-7 victory, with his 7-yard touchdown catch opened the scoring and sparked what quickly turned into a rout, according to ESPN.

The Pats are 3 point favorites heading into the Windy City. 

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