During Jalen Ramsey's non-stop offseason feature blitz, the Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback took aim at the best tight end in the game.
In an article published last month, Ramsey said of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to ESPN's Mina Kimes,"I don't think Gronk's good. Let me say -- I don't think Gronk is as great as people think he is."
The corner elaborated: "Any time Gronk has been matched up with a corner, he's had a very bad game -- and that corner has had a very good game."
Gronkowski had the chance on Wednesday to respond with shots of his own, but the tight end let Ramsey's barbs die on the vine.
"If that's how he feels, that's how he feels," Gronkowski told reporters. "It's a big game this Sunday. I'm sure I'm going to have opportunities to go versus him. I'm sure he's going to have opportunities to go versus me. I'm just preparing like I always prepare. I just got to do my job out on the field and just worry about that."
Asked on Wednesday's edition of NFL Total Access why he chooses to stay out of this wannabe war of words, Gronkowski said, "The game isn't won during the week."
"Just talking trash all week, I mean, it's really not my focus. It's really not this team's focus," Gronkowski added. "Being here throughout the nine years, being under coach Belichick's wing throughout the years, learning from him, learning from the other veteran players here, we really don't get into talks like that.
"I feel like that talking right there, going out preparing and showing what we can do Sunday is louder than just talking trash all week. It makes it fun, though."
Gronk wasn't the only Patriot to brush off Ramsey's comments. The corner told GQ this offseason that Gronk's quarterback Tom Brady "doesn't suck." (Hot take, for sure.) Brady responded Wednesday, "I never want to suck, so I don't want to be in that category."
The last time Ramsey saw Gronkowski up close, the tight end was held to one catch in the AFC Championship Game before Gronk exited with a concussion. The one reception came with Ramsey in the vicinity, but the corner was not locked on the tight end for the whole play.
Will that change much on Sunday?
"I definitely expect him to be covered up on me at least a couple times throughout the game," Gronkowski predicted. "I won't be surprised if it was the whole game. I won't be surprised if it never even happens due to the way they play their defense with zone coverages, the way he plays outside. But he can come inside. He's a good player and whatever the opportunities are, I just got to take advantage of them and play hard and whatever it is.
"If it's one-on-one with him, if it's one-on-one versus anybody else, I've got to bring my game."
For a deeper analysis into whether Ramsey has a point about Gronk's success against cornerbacks, check out NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund dive into the tight end's splits. (Spoiler alert: Ramsey's not wrong, but he's not right either.)
