The Broncos and Patriots will square off on Sunday in what should be an exciting AFC Championship Game, and Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall has wasted no time kicking off the trash talk.
During an appearance on PFT Live Monday, Marshall was asked why Rob Gronkowski is so difficult to cover. Gronk probably won’t appreciate Marshall’s response.
“I say ’cause he pushes off,” Marshall said. “I mean, he pushes off and he gets away with it about 98 percent of the time.
“I think he’s a great tight end. He’s big, he’s fast. He’s faster than what you would think. And he has great hands.”
NFL officials have made it a point to flag Gronkowski for offensive pass interference this season. Marshall obviously knows this, and this is his way of trying to set the stage for Sunday’s refs to pay close attention to Gronk.
Earlier this season, Gronkowski broke Patriots protocol when he complained on Twitter about being called for offensive pass interference. It’s probably not a coincidence that the subject came up after New England lost to the Broncos.
There was one particular play in that game where it didn’t seem like Gronkowski did much, but he was flagged anyway. You can see a video of the play here.
Marshall is hoping for some more home cooking with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
