As the Lions prepare to face Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on Sunday, they know expecting any one player -- linebacker, safety or cornerback -- to stop him is unrealistic.
“It’s a team effort,” Lions free safety Glover Quin said, via Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News. “Everybody chips in. Obviously, when we get him in situations where he’s having to block, our defensive ends, we’ve got to rough him up. When we get him in situations where he catches the ball, we’ve got to make sure we’re hitting him. When we’ve got him in situations where we’re covering him, we’ve got to make sure we’re covering him. Hopefully, we get some pressure on the quarterback and that forces bad throws. There’s a lot that goes into stopping somebody.”
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said that keeping tabs on Gronkowski will be one of the primary concerns of everyone on Detroit’s defense.
“He’s an exceptional player,” Austin said. “He’s a big man and he can do so many things. He’s outside, he’s inside, he blocks, he runs, he catches the ball well, and he runs after the catch. You have to account for where he is because he such a dynamic player.”
In the last three games, Gronkowski has 22 catches for 325 yards and five touchdowns. Stopping Gronkowski won’t be easy, but it may be necessary if the Lions want to pull an upset in New England.