One of the major matchups in Super Bowl XLIX will pit Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor against Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski had 82 catches for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns over the 16 regular season games. In the playoffs, 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Gronkowski has scored 59 touchdowns over the past five seasons.
“When we play man-to-man, certainly will have linebackers and safeties featured on him,” Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “That’s where Kam’s at his best when he’s down closer to the line of scrimmage.”
Gronkowski has the Seahawks attention along with quarterback Tom Brady.
“Brady can get those guys going,” Chancellor said. “He’s a great competitor. He plays with a lot of fire and a lot of edge to him. He’s a great leader for them.”
Seattle was able to intimidate Denver’s receivers with some physical tackling in their 43-8 win in the Super Bowl last year. Gronkowski is expecting a hard-hitting game.
“You’ve got two sides of the ball just wanting to go at each other and just wanting to collide with each other and get the extra yards, push the guy out of the way,” Gronkowski said. “We know it’s going to be a physical game, and we have to go out and we have to be just as tough. We have to be just as physical.”
