Was Gronkowski and Hernandez the best TE combo all time?

Panthers had Greg Olsen and Shockey, that's the only one that comes to mind.

Had to have been, also benefitted from catching balls thrown by Tom Brady. Gronk is an absolute specimen, but crazily enough Hernandez was undersized for a TE. 6'1", 245 lbs. I never really paid attention to his play but testament to what an insane athlete he must have been to succeed at that position at his size.

That Tom Flores Raiders team that won the Super Bowl as a Wild Card in 1980 had several talented TEs who played in multiple Pro Bowls - Dave Casper, Todd Christensen, Raymond Chester, Derrick Ramsey. Plus they had FBs Mark van Eighteen and Kenny King who were sort of hybrid players who sometimes took on a TE role.

I don’t think there was an overall better tandem. The fact that Hernandez was undersized but could still block well enough to play in any package was deadly. They could go legitimately run 2 tight or four wide and NEVER substitute. It was insane when that offense was firing on all cylinders.

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Todd Christensen

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He's gotten lost in the shuffle in the Pantheon.

2× Super Bowl champion (XV, XVIII)
3× First-team All-Pro (1983, 1985, 1986)
2× Second-team All-Pro (1984, 1986)
5× Pro Bowl (1983–1987)
2× NFL receptions leader (1983, 1986)

For the era he played, when getting open was a chore, he was a master at precise route running.

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The fact that Hernandez was undersized but could still block well enough to play in any package was deadly. They could go legitimately run 2 tight or four wide and NEVER substitute. It was insane when that offense was firing on all cylinders.

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What they did to the Broncos in that 2011 playoff game was criminal. They combined for 4 TD and 250+ yards of total offense. The Patriots ran a few formations where Brady was in the shotgun with 3 WR and Gronk and Hernandez in the backfield. Those formations were unfair.

I remember Hernandez was the starter and gronk was the back up

Holy shite that’s awful

“Film don’t lie! Kid can play.”

“Give him 100 grand we take him here, we cut him loose for nothing.”

I know what I’m binging this weekend