Dallas Goedert and Travis Kelce will be important parts of Sunday’s Super Bowl. They also embody the changing nature of their position
. Just above him in second place with nine more catches was big-play wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who left the Chiefs last year for the Miami Dolphins. Most figured that taking away Patrick Mahomes’s top receiver would hurt the Chiefs quarterback. But with Kelce, he hasn’t missed a beat.
In short order, the tight end emerged as a matchup nightmare – too big for a defensive back to bring down, and too quick for a linebacker to catch. For some offenses, a double team on the tight end was easily defeated by throwing to the open man. For New Orleans’s Jimmy Graham, another hardcourt hustler turned tight end, it was an invitation to throw the ball to a height only his leaping 6ft 7in frame could reach.
At 6ft 6in, Gronk was nearly as tall as Graham. Unlike Graham, who was mostly deployed as a receiver, Gronk was also an asset as a blocker and took immense pride in his work. And on the many occasions he caught passes from Tom Brady, teams knew that even if they brought at least two men to bring him down he might stillWhy most premium tight ends now are white is a riddle wrapped in Riddell.
Why Gronk, Kelce, Kittle et al have become such big off-field stars – despite the fact that tight ends are still not as valued on the field as star wide receivers, quarterbacks or pass rushers – is less of a mystery. As more Black quarterbacks take over as the face of their franchises, the bro tight end has become the player whose real chemistry may well be with large sections of white football fans. And advertisers value players who look like their audience.
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