Ex-Patriots defender Rob Ninkovich thinks that Chiefs tight end

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Travis Kelce is “just a bigger receiver” that “doesn’t want to block” The
upcoming game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs offers
plenty of intrigue. One of the most talked about battles is one that does not
even take place simultaneously: the one between tight ends Rob Gronkowski and
Travis Kelce. The two Pro Bowlers are arguably the two best players in the NFL
at their position – but there is little doubt about who is number one http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/phillip-dorsett-jersey , at least when you ask Rob Ninkovich.The former Patriots defender, who retired
last offseason, recently joined XTRA 1360 in San Diego to talk about Gronkowski
and Kelce. For Ninkovich, however, it isn’t much of a debate about who is the
better tight end between the two: “I would take Gronk,” the two-time world
champion told hosts Nick Hardwick and Judson Richards. “I’ve played against
Kelce, and I’ve thrown him around like he’s a little doll.”Ninkovich continued
criticizing Kelce’s abilities as a blocker: “The guy doesn’t want to block. When
you’re a tight end and you don’t want to block, you’re not really a tight end.”
But despite the alleged deficiencies when it comes to blocking – and those
allegations have some merit –, Kelce has been a productive player. Last regular
season alone, he caught 83 passes for 1,038 and eight touchdowns.Catching passes
is only one part of a tight end’s profile, though, as Ninkovich pointed out
during his radio appearance. “I would take Rob based on the fact that he can
block,” the ex-linebacker said. “You see him running wham blocks, and you see
him running all the different types of route combinations, plus motioning in to
crack people. He’s willing and able to do a lot of things that a true tight end
does well, and he does it exceptionally well.”Ninkovich continued by calling
Gronkowski the best tight end to ever play the game – and his blocking abilities
were a big reason for the defender feeling this way. Kelce, meanwhile, was
labeled differently. “Kelce is just a bigger receiver. That guy doesn’t want to
block Authentic Stephon Gilmore Jersey ,” Ninkovich said before adding that despite not playing in over a year, he still felt as if he could easily beat the Chiefs’
tight end in a run block situation right now.But no matter Kelce’s blocking
abilities or the name of his position, one thing still remains unchanged: he is
a dangerous player in the passing game, and one Kansas City knows how to use.
The Patriots defense will need to find a way to slow him down on Sunday – no
matter if he is treated as a tight end or a wide receiver. A day after their
first win of the season, the change in the mood of the previously winless
Detroit Lions was evident.In one corner of the locker room, linebacker Marquis
Flowers and running back LeGarrette Blount engaged in a heated debate over
whether Kobe Bryant or LeBron James was the greater basketball player."Just
coming in today, it was a little bit different," Lions wide receiver Golden Tate
said. "It's kind of a sigh of relief."Winning has a way of lifting the tension.
Especially considering the quality of the opponent that the Lions beat.Sunday's
decisive 26-10 victory over the New England Patriots was fashioned by a
smothering performance from the Lions defense.The Lions held the Patriots to 209
yards, the fewest they've allowed since holding the New York Giants to 197 yards
on Sept. 8, 2014."To finally get our first win, against a team like that, that's
a yearly contender for the Super Bowl, it's a pretty big deal," Tate said.It was
only the third time since 2007 that the Patriots produced fewer than 210
yards.Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who led the NFL with 4,577 yards passing
last season, was limited to 133 yards."That is amazing," Lions cornerback Darius
Slay said. "That is really amazing."In the first quarter, Detroit held a 126-5
edge in yards and a 12:30-2:30 advantage in time of possession. The first three
drives of the game saw Detroit outgain the Patriots 196-13 and hold a 14-0 edge
in first downs. The Lions outgained the Patriots 231-70 in the first half."We
couldn't execute anything http://www.newenglandpatriotsteamonline.com/elandon-roberts-jersey ," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.Lions running back Kerryon Johnson, who
finished with 16 carries for 101 yards and became the first Lions running back
to record a 100-yard rushing game since Reggie Bush against Green Bay on Nov.
28, 2013, felt the defensive performance was what keyed the win."I think the
defense was a lot more impressive than we were," Johnson said. "They had to shut
down Tom Brady."Slay preferred to view their success story as a team
effort."This was really all about the offense controlling the ball and keeping
us rested," Slay said. "The best game plan against Tom Brady is keeping him off
the field, and the offense kept putting up long drives."The Lions also handed
much of the credit to coach Matt Patricia, the former Patriots defensive
coordinator who earned his first win as an NFL head coach."He made everything
smooth this week," Slay said. "He knows everything about that team and he made
sure we knew it as well."Patricia wasn't about to take the pat on the back
without returning it to his players."A week ago, the story was completely
different as I stood here," Patricia said. "It was a good collective team
effort. I think everybody that had a significant role, I thought they did a good
job."Improving to 1-2 on the season while handing the defending AFC champion
Patriots (1-2) their second straight loss, the Lions said it won't matter if
they don't carry the momentum into Sunday's game at Dallas against the
Cowboys."Now that we have this win, it means nothing if we don't come back this
week and have a great week of practice and go out there and handle business on
the road against another good opponent," Tate said."We're happy we got that
first win, but now we've got to put that game to bed. Now we've got to prepare
like we did last week for the Dallas Cowboys on the road. Try to hit restart and
go do it again."
Posted 24 Dec 2018

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