For Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, losing Austin Seferian-Jenkins, one of his top receiving targets, last week was tough. The third-year tight end and former second-round pick was arrested for DUI early Friday morning, 48 hours prior to the team’s home opener against the Rams.
In Seferian-Jenkins’ absence Sunday, tight end Cameron Brate caught two touchdown passes in the Bucs’ 37-32 loss to the Rams.
“I can’t wait until I’m going crazy out there again,” he said Wednesday.
But being smart trumps that type of approach, as Gronkowski noted hamstring injuries aren’t the type of thing to push too hard.
“You’ve got to be careful with any injury, but I mean, if you research hamstrings, if you know anything about hamstrings, you’ve definitely got to be careful,” he said at the interview podium, where he was filling in for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. “You’ve got to progress. You can’t just hop back in and be full-go 100 percent. I wish it was like that.”
Gronkowski reported that there were “no setbacks” after his return Thursday. He probably would have played more if the Patriots weren’t in such control, as he was limited to just three snaps in the second half.
Overall, he was only sent on just two pass routes, and rookie Jacoby Brissett fired the ball over his head in the end zone on one of them, so it was mostly blocking for Gronkowski and he didn’t hold anything back.
“Whenever I’m out on the field, I love to go full-go, but they put me in the plays where they felt more comfortable and when I was in those plays, I felt like I was ready to roll,” he said.
On Michael’s 41-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the game, offensive linemen Justin Britt, Mark Glowinski and Bradley Sowell did a great job. And wide receiver Tanner McEvoy helped spring Michael at the second level.
Michael is also doing the little things. He did a good job picking up a blitzer on Russell Wilson’s touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham in the second quarter.
The Seahawks now face a tough challenge against the Jets’ defensive line and a unit that ranks sixth against the run so far this season.