As part of our weekly series, Get More Sports recently caught up with former NFL player Glenn Gronkowski. Every week during the 2018 season, we’ll produce an exclusive Q&A interview with Glenn, whose experience, familiarity and connections within the league, its coaches and its players allow him to provide unparalleled insight and analysis.
The information provided in this series can be incredibly valuable to any sports bettor, which is why this is must-read material every week.
In this week’s edition (NFL Week 2), Glenn discusses Week 1, his expectations for Week 2 and more. You can read Glenn Gronkowski’s weekly Q&A here.
All odds are subject to change and courtesy of BetDSI.com, which is open to U.S. players and accepts credit cards.
GMS: Hurricane Florence has obviously impacted much of this football weekend, and totals are dropping for games touched by the storm. We know that high winds can hinder scoring, but how much does rain impact offensive efficiency?
Gronk: Wind and rain are going to play a huge part in any game. I know for a fact I’ll be checking the games and seeing how bad it si at the start of the game. When playing in a situation like that where you are in part of hurricane winds and rain, the offensive side of the ball is going to struggle. If there are any games like that this week I would definitely take the unders because throwing the ball, catching the ball, and holding on to the ball without fumbling is going to be tough. Usually the only way teams score in these situations is if the defensive side has a turnover in the opponent’s territory. Even kicking field goals in this situation is sometimes second-guessed since the kicker can’t plant their foot correctly. I definitely recommend monitoring these games closely and taking the under if possible.
GMS: The Chiefs are underdogs for a second straight week and they are pretty good in that spot (won both games in 2016 last time this happened). You took them as your Bulletproof Pick of the Week in The Gronkcast Episode 6, tell us what you like about K.C. in this matchup and what you don’t like about Pittsburgh.
Gronk: I loved the way the offense played for KC. Mahomes looked like he’s already a veteran quarterback and that he’s on the same page with his all his teammates. Putting up 38 points in your first season under center shows that he’s going to do something special this year. Although their defense struggled, I really love San Diego’s offense and think that KC defense will perform better down the road. Although Pittsburgh has been a great franchise for a long time, they struggled against Cleveland and I thought Cleveland’s offense looked abysmal during that game. Therefore, I absolutely love this game and think KC will actually come out with the W.
Related: Q&A with Chris Gronkowski
GMS: Let’s give Bills Mafia something to think about going into the week where their team is a 7.5-point home dog to the Chargers. How bad is this Buffalo squad, and looking at the schedule how many games do you realistically think they can win in 2018?
Gronk: This is going to be a couple of years before Buffalo gets it together. I think they’re on the right path, but it will just take some time. They are getting the players they are going to need and just need to get a couple more key players. However, I think they will struggle, especially this year. The offensive line does not look good and although Josh Allen is getting the start this week, I don’t think they will be able to put it together as a team. They have more struggles to worry about then just the quarterback position. Anything can happen in any week of the NFL and I think the Bills will still pull a couple wins off, and probably win around four games this year. Especially now that tables can’t be broken in Buffalo, I think Bills Mafia won’t be as crazy during games as well!
GMS: There is some talk that Matt Patricia has already drawn the ire of some Detroit players and is losing the locker room. You were in New England with Patricia, albeit on the other side of the ball, can he succeed as a head coach with his style or is he better suited as a right-hand coordinator position?
Gronk: I think he can succeed. Patricia has the experience of coaching under one of the best head coaches to ever coach the game. He is clearly very knowledgeable in all aspects of football and is going to help Detroit win games. NFL coaches who debuted last week went 0-7 so Patricia is not the only coach going through this. Taking over a struggling NFL franchise is going to take time to turn around. It is very difficult to win in the NFL and going in and being around new players as a first time head coach is going to take some time to adjust to. I think Patricia does just fine as a head coach and that Detroit just needs to be patient because the turn around is not just going to happen right away.
GMS: Green Bay is a top 5 team in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers under center. Where do you rank them when he’s not on the field? Also, is he going to play against the Vikings in Week 2? And should he play if he’s not 100 percent?
Gronk: I think he plays this week. Aaron Rodgers is a fighter as he obviously showed last week. Based on his performance last week, I think he should play even if he isn’t 100 percent. He was able to move around and make plays still and without him out there the Packers had no chance. Although he couldn’t plant his foot and move outside the pocket, he is just such a dominant player that he can battle through injuries and that’s what the best players in the league do. With such a big game against rival Minnesota, he knows they need him out there and I think he will be out there on Sunday. Without Rodgers, I don’t think the Packers are even a playoff team at this point.
GMS: Looking at current BetDSI.com lines, three teams are favored by more than a touchdown in Week 2 (Rams -13 vs. Cardinals, Saints -8.5 vs. Browns, Chargers -7.5 at Bills). If you had to pick one of these teams to lose outright, which is it and why?
Gronk: I would take the Browns if I had to pick one of those teams. Cardinals and Bills are really struggling and might be the two worst teams in the league. However, the Browns have some hope even after being the worst team in the league for a while. They were able to tie a great franchise in the Steelers last week and that gave them the confidence boost that they needed. Even though I don’t think they looked that good, I do think they have the potential to get there. I think they were overhyped by the media in the preseason, but now that they have actually played a game and shown they can play with the elite teams, I think they could have a chance against the Saints this year.
The Gronkcast Episodes:
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 9: Inside The NFL: Featuring Rob Gronkowski’s bodyguard Bobby Goons
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 8: Inside The NFL: Inside A Players Life in the NFL
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 7: Inside The NFL: An Interview with WWE superstar Mojo Rawley
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 6: Inside The NFL: NFL Week 2, BulletProof Picks, NFL Head Coaches
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 5: Inside The NFL: A Day In The Life of An NFL Player, NFL Week 1
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 4: Inside The NFL: NFL Betting Strategies, The Best NFL Prop Bets
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 3: Inside The NFL: What It’s Like To Be A Rookie In The NFL
