Tag: Rob Ninkovich

Rob Gronkowski credits Patriots legend for career development

Rob Gronkowski claims Rob Ninkovich played a major role in his development as a player

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski credited one teammate in particular for his development. That player is former longtime Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich.

When speaking with reporters, via NESN’s Tim Crowley, Gronkowski explained why he chose Ninkovich to introduce him for his football legacy award at “The Tradition” event.

“It was definitely a no-brainer,” Gronkowski said. “It was really cool they let me choose something as well. Ninkovich, we go way back. Without Ninkovich, I wouldn’t have been the player that I was. I’m being serious. We used to go at it in the run game, 1-on-1’s. … It is like this. We make the best of it. That’s what we were like on the practice field. Just back-and-forth all the time, passing game and running game.”

Ninkovich was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and a former defensive leader. He’s also a member of New England’s All-Dynasty Team.

It’s no surprise that his hard work rubbed off on other players on the roster, including Gronkowski, who went on to become arguably the greatest tight end of all time.

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Patriots legend ruthlessly roasts Mac Jones, says he’d ‘smack’ him

Mac Jones gets roasted by a two-time Patriots Super Bowl champion

If Mac Jones isn’t a fan of Rob Ninkovich, the former New England Patriots defensive legend made it clear he isn’t a fan of Jones, either.

During a segment on “The Dan and Ninko Show,” Ninkovich relentlessly roasted the former Patriots starting quarterback when presented with the possibility that Jones doesn’t like him.

“I don’t give a [expletive]. I’ll smack the [expletive] out of [expletive] Mac Jones,” said Ninkovich. “I don’t care. …[Expletive] him. I hope he has a great career as a backup and makes a ton of money.”

Ninkovich even went as far as imitating Jones’ voice during press conferences, expressing that he prefers Drake Maye as quarterback for the team.

“I’d rather listen to Drake Maye talk than, ‘Yeah, my modeling career didn’t work out. So now, I’m back down here in Jacksonville,'” said Ninkovich. “I’m a nice guy, too. I’m a nice guy. I’m in a bike club. I needed some more nuts.”

Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason, and he ended up winning the top backup job behind Trevor Lawrence. He looked nothing like the quarterback who went 2-9 on the season in 2023 with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Hopefully, a more stable situation can help the former first-round draft pick turn his career around. One thing is certain: Ninkovich won’t miss him.

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Former Patriots Super Bowl champ has high praise for LB Jahlani Tavai

Former Super Bowl champ praised the Jahlani Tavai contract extension

Former New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich praised Jahlani Tavai and his recent contract extension, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Ninkovich approved of the move to keep Tavai, who has become a staple of the Patriots defense.

Tavai had a solid season last year for New England. He recorded 110 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles. He was a dynamic playmaker on the Patriots’ linebackers unit and had two games with at least 10 tackles. One of them was a 15-tackle effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers last December.

Ninkovich knows the value of a strong defensive player, and he is pleased with the linebacker’s career trajectory to this point.

“I love his energy. He plays hard. You need a guy like that who can do multiple things, but also get everyone in the right spots,” said Ninkovich, via Reiss. “He’s been in this system long enough where he understands his role so well that he can help others.

“…Him and Bent [Ja’Whaun Bentley] having played together for the last three years, that’s a good thing to keep that going. I think he has a higher ceiling and that could soon become an undervalued contract.”

The contract itself could indeed have a lot of value considering Tavai has already proven himself to be a strong fit in the Patriots’ defensive system.

Continued production will be important with the team still trying to figure things out on the offensive side of the football.

Panthers great Cam Newton looks back on his legendary MNF run vs. Patriots

Cam Newton was roasting New England Patriots well before it was cool and airing on Netflix.

Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton just took a stroll—or perhaps a run—down memory lane.

As a branch-off to last week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the former MVP quarterback was asked about one of the most legendary scrambles of his career. The year was 2013, the setting was Monday night and the opponent was the New England Patriots.

Take it away, Cam . . .

That remarkable 14-yard run helped propel a 24-20 win for Carolina. Newton finished the memorable outing with a game-high 62 rushing yards and three passing touchdowns—one of which wound up as the game-winner to his favorite wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.

The primetime victory over one of the league’s premier juggernauts also proved to be a coming-out party of sorts for the ascending Panthers—who moved to 7-3 that night. They’d go on to clinch the NFC South later that season, marking their first of three consecutive division crowns.

And yeah, it looks as though Cam was roasting Patriots a decade before it was cool and airing on Netflix.

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These two plays angered Jonathan Kraft in Patriots loss vs Colts

According to Rob Ninkovich, Jonathan Kraft was enraged by these two plays in particular in the Patriots’ loss to the Colts.

New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft clearly didn’t have a good time watching his team lose 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt. There were at least two plays that bothered him in particular, according to former Patriots defensive standout Rob Ninkovich.

“Jonathan gets very vocal, very vocal. He was just not happy,” Ninkovich said on “The Dan and Ninko Show.” “So, he was very mad two times. He was very mad. They didn’t have a returner on one of the punt rushes. They were trying to block the punt. So, he was pissed. He was like, ‘Why the [expletive] don’t we have a returner back there? This is stupid. The ball’s going to get pinned down there and we’re going to be on the one-yard line.’ He was so pissed. He was so pissed. …Mr. [Robert] Kraft is pretty even-keeled, though.”

It was a frustrating day for the Patriots overall, as they dropped to 2-8 on the season. They currently hold the third overall pick in the NFL draft, which has been the only silver lining in a disappointing year.

Along with the punt play, Ninkovich also noted that the younger Kraft was “pissed” about the interception that quarterback Mac Jones threw late in the game.

The loss to the Colts was frustrating for everybody involved. Now, the Patriots are stuck on the outside of postseason contention and thinking up ways to salvage what’s left of the season.

At this point, it might be better for them to look towards the inevitable future rebuild through the draft and free agency.

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Rob Ninkovich working with Broncos’ OLBs at practice

In addition to Jared Allen, the Broncos also have Rob Ninkovich doing some work with their outside linebackers.

Jared Allen isn’t the only retired pass rusher serving as a part-time guest coach with the Denver Broncos this season.

Rob Ninkovich, who started his NFL career under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints and later won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, was at a Broncos practice session earlier this week.

Payton was asked about Ninkovich after Wednesday’s practice and the coach confirmed that the former pass rusher was helping coach up Denver’s outside linebackers. Payton also expressed regret for cutting Ninkovich early in his career.

“I don’t know that I brought him here to remind us of a good player leaving the building,” Payton joked. “… We didn’t have a really good vision [for him in New Orleans]. What I mean by that is we were an even front team. I don’t know if the defensive coaches saw it the same as the scouts. It was a classic mistake that we didn’t really have a clean vision. … We released Rob. He went to Miami and came back to the Saints a year later.

“He always reminds me —  I had a meeting with him, and I told him I thought he was going to have to be a long snapper to play in this league. Then, the right team, New England  — I think [Bill] Belichick referenced this yesterday when he was talking to the media because it would’ve been this waiver wire. They had a vision. It was clearer than ours. He went on to play.

“He made an all-century team and won two Super Bowls as an outside linebacker. He came in just to spend some time with our OLBs and spend some time with [OLBs coach] Michael Wilhoite and defensive coaches. He’s done media. You hope that over sixty years, there’s only a couple of those, but he’s one that got away, and obviously played well afterwards.”

During his 11-year career in the NFL (including one season with the Saints), Ninkovich totaled 460 tackles (55 for losses), 88 quarterback hits, 46 sacks, 22 pass breakups, 14 fumble recoveries, 12 forced fumbles, five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.

As a player, Ninkovich was one that got away for Payton. As a potential future coach prospect, perhaps Ninkovich will get his first opportunity under the coach that was the first to cut him in the NFL.

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50 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 50 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 50 jersey number

There are 50 days left until the New England Patriots take the field for the first time to kick-start their 2023 regular season.

So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 50 jersey.

The number currently belongs to linebacker Raekwon McMillan, but longtime Patriots standouts like Rob Ninkovich and Mike Vrabel have also worn it.

Ninkovich is a member of the Patriots’ All-Dynasty Team after winning two Super Bowls with the franchise. Meanwhile, Vrabel has three Super Bowl wins with New England and an All-Pro nod, along with an All-Dynasty Team spot.

There are a total of 16 players that have worn No. 50 throughout franchise history, Here’s every player on that list (via Pro Football Reference):

Former Patriots look back on ridiculously stacked 2014 defense

Defensive lineups don’t get much scarier than this

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It’s easy to forget how ridiculously stacked the New England Patriots were defensively in their 2014 Super Bowl-winning season.

A Twitter post looking back on the unit got a retweet from multiple former Patriots players that were on the roster at that time, including Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Patrick Chung and James White.

Other standouts included Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Chandler Jones, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Logan Ryan, Brandon Browner and Rob Ninkovich.

It’s one of the most imposing defensive lineups on paper in franchise history. Some of the greatest players that have ever suited up in a Patriots uniform were on the roster.

It’s an incredible stroll down memory lane that former Patriots players decided to chime in on.

The Patriots went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX that season.

After Tom Brady and the offense engineered another one of their improbable comebacks, Malcolm Butler, who was an undrafted rookie cornerback at the time, secured a goal line interception on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to help the defense seal the victory.

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Former Patriots great Rob Ninkovich reportedly out at ESPN

Rob Ninkovich’s ESPN contract reportedly isn’t being renewed

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Former New England Patriots defensive great Rob Ninkovich is reportedly out at ESPN, according to Front Office Sports.

The two-time Super Bowl champion’s contract was set to expire this summer, and it was reported that ESPN would not be renewing it.

Ninkovich made a seamless transition into media after stepping away from football. He has appeared on a multitude of ESPN shows to break down NFL stories and match-ups.

With that experience, he should be able to take what he’s learned at ESPN and find success elsewhere, assuming he plans on continuing in his media journey. You would be hard-pressed to find someone more knowledegable than an All-Dynasty Team member for the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

When one door closes, another is sure to open for Ninkovich.

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Breaking down every Round 5 Saints draft pick since 2002

Breaking down every Round 5 Saints draft pick since 2002, from Mike Karney and Rob Ninkovich to Thomas Morstead and Kenny Stills:

We’re continuing our trek through New Orleans Saints draft history with a look at their picks in the fifth round under general manager Mickey Loomis, who has held his post since 2002 — making him the longest-tenured GM in the game.

And the Saints have a spotty track record in Round 5 under Loomis. Of the 20 players he’s picked in this round, only two of them have earned Pro Bowl recognition. Hopefully they can begin to reverse that trend: