Gronkowski: 'Almost isn't enough' on Hail Mary pass
Football Betting Lines
02/06/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took Rob Gronkowski nearly an entire half to make his first catch in the Super Bowl.
Later, the injured Patriots tight end was several tortured inches away from snaring a Hail Mary pass that would have won the game.
"We almost had it," Gronkowski said, sullen after his team's 21-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. "But almost isn't enough."
Gronkowski played despite suffering a high ankle sprain in the AFC title game two weeks ago and had two catches for 26 yards.
But the bigger plays ended up being two catches he couldn't make, including a Tom Brady heave on the second play of the fourth quarter that was intercepted by Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn.
On the game's final play, after the Giants had taken the lead with 57 seconds remaining, Brady let loose from beyond midfield on a pass that tracked toward tight end Aaron Hernandez in the end zone.
Hernandez was socked in, surrounded by three Giants defenders as he leapt for the pass, and Gronkowski was in front of the pack.
"It was a jump ball," Gronkowski said. "Aaron did a good job."
But Gronkowski didn't react quickly enough -- or couldn't react quickly enough -- after the ball was deflected. He stumbled forward and reached, but the ball fell incomplete just out of his grasp.
A picture showed Gronkowski's white-gloved hands tantalizingly close to the football in the middle of the end zone, with a referee nearby ready to make a call.
It could have been an all-time great moment in the NFL. Instead, the ball hit the turf and New York celebrated its second Super Bowl win over the Patriots in five seasons.
"I kind of saw it at the last second and I was close," said Gronkowski. "But that doesn't matter. I didn't get it."
Gronkowski set single-season NFL records for tight ends with 1,327 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. The only real mystery leading up to Sunday's game was how healthy he would be.
His first catch of the game was a 20-yarder for first down during a 96-yard touchdown march near the end of the first half that tied a Super Bowl record for the longest drive.
Later, Gronkowski flashed open and waved his hand to get Brady's attention as three defenders closed on the quarterback. But he just wasn't able to recover in time to get position on Blackburn, who picked the pass off at the Giants' eight-yard line.
"He just made a good play," Gronkowski said. "He backed me up pretty well and went up and made a good play."
Gronkowski, who was wearing a walking boot up until earlier in the week, shook off questions about his injury after the game, saying he was ready to play.
"I was out there," said Gronkowski. "I was 100 percent."
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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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