Rob Gronkowski Will Prove Harder to Defend Than Seahawks Think

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has terrorized uncountable football fields and dance clubs over his four seasons in the NFL. Running over defenders, spiking footballs and making surreal catches has all become part of the expected experience when watching No. 87.

However, per Terry Blount of ESPN.com (h/t CBSSports.com's John Breech), Seattle Seahawks second-string cornerback Jeremy Lane doesn't believe the hype:

"I actually don't think he's that good. He's okay. He does have a big body. But from what I've seen on tape, he doesn't like you putting your hands on him. So if we put our hands on him and shake him up a little bit, he won't catch that many balls."

Lane calling Gronkowski "okay" is somewhat amusing. Gronkowski's 54 career touchdown catches surpass Lane's 53 career tackles. As Seahawks coach Pete Carroll remarked to reporters, "Jeremy just hasn't watched film yet."

Anthony Gulizia from The Boston Globe had Gronkowski's reaction to Lane:

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'Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. They've got a great defense overall. We have to be worried about their whole defense,' Gronkowski said. 'We've got to be sure we practice hard.'

But does it bother Gronkowski that Lane, who is 6 feet and 190 pounds, thinks he can get the better of the 6-6, 265-pound tight end just by getting his hands on him at the line?

'It may,' Gronkowski shrugged.

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Once the Seahawks conclude their film study of Gronkowski, they'll certainly need to create a game plan to minimize the damage he can do. Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen has an idea on how Seattle—and safety Kam Chancellor, specifically—can limit his presence.

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With Chancellor, I'm looking for the safety to walk down over Gronkowski in both the Seahawks' base and nickel fronts to get hands on the tight end at the release. Given his size (6'3", 232 lbs) and physical style of play, Chancellor has the ability to attack Gronkowski's chest plate, slide his feet and stay square. Shut down the release, win at the point of attack and tell Brady to go somewhere else with the ball.

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If Chancellor is able to get a good jam on Gronkowski, that theory could very well work.

However, putting theory into practice isn't always that easy.

If Gronkowski can fight through the jam, Chancellor won't likely have help over the top. Trying to take him out of the game could lead to some big plays. Chancellor will also have a tough time with Gronkowski in the red zone. Defending against the slant and the fade is tough for anyone to accomplish.

John Froschauer/Associated Press

Bowen also mentions playing Cover 3 Buzz and Cover 1 Robber to help contain Gronkowski.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen will be instrumental in beating those strategies.

A standard Cover 3 beater is the Wheel/Post combination. It puts the single high safety into conflict and will give Tom Brady multiple options down the field.

If offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can get Vereen matched up on a linebacker, shutting down Gronkowski won't matter.

Regardless of Lane's opinion on Gronkowski, the Seahawks will be taking him very seriously. If they don't, he will be seen dancing the night away as confetti falls from the sky.

Stats and figures courtesy of NFL.com.