Ex-Patriots defender Rob Ninkovich thinks that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is

“just a bigger receiver” that “doesn’t want to block” The upcoming game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs offers plenty of intrigue. One of the most talked about battles is one that does not even take place simultaneously: the one between tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce. The two Pro Bowlers are arguably the two best players in the NFL at their position – but there is little doubt about who is number one James White Jersey , at least when you ask Rob Ninkovich.The former Patriots defender, who retired last offseason, recently joined XTRA 1360 in San Diego to talk about Gronkowski and Kelce. For Ninkovich, however, it isn’t much of a debate about who is the better tight end between the two: “I would take Gronk,” the two-time world champion told hosts Nick Hardwick and Judson Richards. “I’ve played against Kelce, and I’ve thrown him around like he’s a little doll.”Ninkovich continued criticizing Kelce’s abilities as a blocker: “The guy doesn’t want to block. When you’re a tight end and you don’t want to block, you’re not really a tight end.” But despite the alleged deficiencies when it comes to blocking – and those allegations have some merit –, Kelce has been a productive player. Last regular season alone, he caught 83 passes for 1,038 and eight touchdowns.Catching passes is only one part of a tight end’s profile, though, as Ninkovich pointed out during his radio appearance. “I would take Rob based on the fact that he can block,” the ex-linebacker said. “You see him running wham blocks Authentic Stephen Gostkowski Jersey , and you see him running all the different types of route combinations, plus motioning in to crack people. He’s willing and able to do a lot of things that a true tight end does well, and he does it exceptionally well.”Ninkovich continued by calling Gronkowski the best tight end to ever play the game – and his blocking abilities were a big reason for the defender feeling this way. Kelce, meanwhile, was labeled differently. “Kelce is just a bigger receiver. That guy doesn’t want to block,” Ninkovich said before adding that despite not playing in over a year, he still felt as if he could easily beat the Chiefs’ tight end in a run block situation right now.But no matter Kelce’s blocking abilities or the name of his position, one thing still remains unchanged: he is a dangerous player in the passing game, and one Kansas City knows how to use. The Patriots defense will need to find a way to slow him down on Sunday – no matter if he is treated as a tight end or a wide receiver.Instant Analysis from the Patriots 27-20 victory over the Texans The New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 27-20 to start the 2018 regular season 1-0. The game wasn’t pretty and there’s a lot for Bill Belichick to evaluate and criticize, but the outcome is in the books.Here’s what we learned.Tom Brady still looks greatThe reigning MVP might be 41 years old, but he easily outplayed the 22-year-old on the other sideline. Brady finished the day 26 of 39 (66.7%) for 277 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception for a passer rating of 102.2. That interception was the result of a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, too Youth Ryan Allen Jersey , so it wasn’t directly his fault.Brady was efficient and he moved well in the pocket. He spread the ball around with nine players seeing targets and four recorded four or more receptions. There is a glaring concern about the lack of connection between Brady and Chris Hogan (1 catch for 11 yards on 5 targets), but Brady proved that Father Time is going to have to wait a little bit longer.Rob Gronkowski is a beastGronkowski was a huge receiving threat up the seam and picked up 123 yards and a touchdown on 7 receptions. Sure, he fumbled one of his receptions, but not all fumbles are the same and Bill Belichick tends to cut a player some slack if the fumble is the result of a player in transition (like Gronkowski) or where the defender is unseen (like Gronkowski). With Edelman out and Hogan not producing, Gronkowski will need to replicate this production in each of the next three games if the Patriots are going to emerge from the first quarter of the season with a strong record.Phillip Dorsett is more than hypeDorsett was fantastic in his first real game in the spotlight for New England. He collected all 7 of his targets for 66 yards and a touchdown and he was running many of the same routes that Brandin Cooks ran in 2017. While Brady and Dorsett didn’t connect on a deep ball (Dorsett’s long was 14 yards), that can come later and the fact that Dorsett’s producing on short targets is probably a better indicator that the receiver will be a part of the Patriots game plan beyond Edelman’s suspension.I’m going to be the first on the hype train that expects a Dorsett extension by the end of the regular season. There’s no facts or rumors behind this, but it seems like a Patriots thing to do, especially with the Patriots receiving corps lacking any continuity beyond this year.The Patriots pass rush looks fierceTrey Flowers and Deatrich Wise looked outstanding as they picked up 1.5 sacks and 3 quarterback hits, while Adrian Clayborn added 2 quarterback hits of his own. Keionta Davis, as the fourth man in the rotation, hit the quarterback, too. This quartet had an extremely promising first game, especially after how last year’s lack of a pass rush was crucial to the team’s defeat in the Super Bowl.We have to add Lawrence Guy into the mix, too http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-patrick-chung-jersey , because he generated a fair amount of pressure up the middle, too. He was the best defensive tackle on the roster today because... The Patriots interior run defense is concerningMalcom Brown, Danny Shelton, and Adam Butler all had ugly missed tackles against the run on Sunday and the Texans gashed the run defense on a regular basis. This wasn’t an intentional decision to prevent Deshaun Watson from throwing the football, like the choice they’ve made against Peyton Manning in the past. The Texans just had an easy time running the ball up the middle. Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue combined for 124 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, for nearly 5 yards per carry. Deshaun Watson added in 40 yards on 8 carries, too. The Patriots edge defenders did an okay job of stopping runs to the outside, but the consistency at which the Texans gained yards up the gut is concerning.The issue goes beyond the defensive tackles as Ja’Whaun Bentley, Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Elandon Roberts didn’t win the necessary battles to stop the rushing attack. The Patriots were really bad against the run in 2017 so any struggles this season should be flagged for concern.