Since the New England Patriots' 28-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, the NFL's opening night, much of the talk has been about the Steelers' problems with their headsets.

While the incident is noteworthy, given the Patriots' history of facing cheating allegations, the bigger story in the Steelers' loss was their inability to cover Rob Gronkowski on defense.

Granted, no team has an easy time covering Gronkowski, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound athletic "beast,"as Julian Edelman later called him.

But en route to three touchdowns and 94 receiving yards, Gronkowski exposed a Steelers secondary that was already worrisome. Some of the coverage — or lack thereof — was baffling:

The Steelers' bold move of not covering Gronk didn't work:

After cutting the lead to just one touchdown, the Steelers again tried this strategy. It didn't work:

Not ideal:

As Sports Illustrated's Peter King wrote before the game, the Steelers used the draft to try to improve a secondary that ranked 30th in pass defense in 2014, according to Football Outsiders. The Steelers used a second-round, a fourth-round, and a seventh-round pick in the draft to remake the secondary. Of those players, one is out for the season with shoulder surgery, and the other two were released. The Steelers traded for Eagles nickelback Brandon Boykin in the off-season, and he didn't even play defense Thursday night.

Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler told King the Steelers had a slightly new defensive plan, hoping to put more pressure on quarterbacks instead of letting them sit back and take their time. On Thursday night, though Brady threw for only 281 yards, the throws seemed easy. Even if there were pressure on Brady — the Steelers recorded just two sacks — the secondary put little pressure on the receivers, and pressure on the quarterback won't matter if his targets are open.

The Steelers will catch something of a break for a while, though. Joe Flacco and Philip Rivers are probably the biggest passing threats the Steelers face until Week 12 against the Seahawks. The Steelers' offense looked fine on Thursday, even without Le'Veon Bell or Martavis Bryant.

Down the line, however, the Steelers could be facing major problems on defense, particularly if there are this many breakdowns in communication and overall skill in the secondary.

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Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have always been known to think outside the box when it comes to game-planning, and it seems this year they're already toying with a new idea that could wreak havoc on defenses.

According to Providence Journal's Brian MacPherson, the Patriots are experimenting more with four-tight-end formations on offense, and it could become part of their regular schemes this season.

The Patriots ran this kind of lineup twice in their season opener against the Steelers and scored touchdowns on both occasions. One went to Rob Gronkowski, who finished with two touchdowns on the night, and the other went to tight end Scott Chandler.

The formations, featuring Gronkowski, Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui, and Michael Williams, give the Patriots a giant size advantage on opponents, particularly in the secondary. Hoomanawanui is the smallest of the four tight ends at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. The Patriots could send out three giant wide receivers and a blocker, one giant receiver and three blockers, or any other combination.

Here's the play that got Chandler his touchdown, in which the Patriots lined up three tight ends wide and left Williams as a blocker:

This is where the set can be effective, particularly because Gronkowski is a force of nature. Gronk draws two defenders as he cuts across Chandler, leaving Chandler open for a brief window of time.

On the other side, Hoomanawanui doesn't get open, but given his size, could have been a target if Brady opted to loft it up. Williams also does a solid job protecting Brady on the right side:

Other times, like on Gronkowski's second touchdown, the Patriots used three tight ends for blockers while lining up Gronkowski wide. While it resulted in an easy touchdown, the Steelers' sloppy coverage didn't help matters:

While Belichick downplayed the significance of the formation to MacPherson, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said they like the versatility these formations bring:

"Those guys all have a role in this offense, and they all do different things. We’re happy that we get production from those guys in different ways, whether it be in the run game, protections or receiving, and we’ll try to go forward and find things that they can do to be productive this week."

This may not be as clever as the Patriots' banned formation from the playoffs last year, but this is definitely thinking outside the box. Given the success of the four-tight-end formation in Week 1, plus Gronkowski's dominance, this could become a nightmare for defenses. It'll be interesting to see how often the Patriots got back to it in Week 2.

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In a sport in which the top position players are often debated, Rob Gronkowski has virtually no competition at tight end.

Gronkowski is unmatched by other tight ends in terms of size, speed, and hands, and it certainly helps when he has Tom Brady throwing him the ball.

This year, Gronk already has 40 catches for 646 yards and seven touchdowns, putting him on pace for a 91-catch, 1,477-yard, 16-touchdown season, according to NESN's Doug Kyed.

With a receiving weapon like that, it also makes Brady's job easier. Brady explained to reporters on Wednesday what made Gronkowski so good and such an easy target to throw to:

"Gronk running down the seam, he's such a big target. I think he's got a great catch radius. He's got great speed. I don't know what he was timed when he came out of college, but he gives great body language when he runs. I can really tell when he really starts to accelerate, and he feels like he can run by the guy that is on him.

"Even the throw I made the other night to him, it wasn't even really a great throw. But because he was by him so far, he was able to adjust and make it. He makes a tough play on the defender. The guy's running so hard to catch up, then you throw it a little bit behind Gronk, the guy's really out of control playing him."

Brady added that it was different throwing to Gronkowski — and surely a nice change of pace — than to receivers like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, who are 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11, respectively.

This is an interesting analysis from Brady, as it's somewhat different from what we often hear about the NFL's top receivers. As opposed to quarterbacks who say they can throw wide or high and let their receivers go get it, Brady says he can underthrow the ball, and defenders are trying so hard to keep up with Gronkowski that Gronk can stop and make the catch while defenders are out of control.

It's difficult to tell the difference between a planned route and an adjustment by Gronkowski, but in the past two weeks, as Gronk has racked up 221 yards and two touchdowns, it seems as if there have been a few examples of Brady underthrowing to Gronk:

With Gronk only just hitting his prime and Brady planning on playing for another 10 years, this should remain one of the most dynamic passing duos in the NFL.

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There is growing concern about Rob Gronkowski's health going into the Patriots' AFC divisional round matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

Gronkowski has missed practice two of the last three days. He was held out Tuesday, was a limited participant on Wednesday, then missed practice again on Thursday.

ESPN's Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter reported that Gronkowski spent time in the hospital on Thursday getting treatment on his knee, including an injection.

Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald reported earlier in the day that Gronkowski's right knee was bothering him — the same knee that he injured in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos. Gronkowski missed Week 13, but returned in Week 14 to play the Texans.

Howe said that Gronkowski "aggravated" his knee in Week 15 and limped out of the stadium, and that he also "tweaked" it in Week 17. Gronkowski, however, had not appeared on the injury list over the final three weeks. His current injury hasn't been specified.

Contrasting Weiss and Schefter's report is NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, who earlier in the day tweeted that Gronkowski was expected to play, and also reported that Gronkowski hasn't received shots at the hospital — only treatment:

Prior to Weiss and Schefter's report, the thinking was that the Patriots were just being extra cautious with Gronkowski. As Howe noted, they held Gronk out of the preseason entirely, and given his injury history, they don't want to risk any more aggravations before their first playoff game.

However, the entire situation signals that there's reason to be concerned. ESPN says the Patriots will have to see how Gronk feels on game day. 

This is worrisome news for the Patriots, who have been riddled with injuries this season. Gronkowski tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee in 2013. An already diminished offense can't withstand a serious injury to its top receiver before a big game against the Chiefs.

With just two days before the game, Gronkowski's status will be a major storyline for the Patriots.

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A Denver Broncos defender just admitted to something that New England Patriots fans have feared for a long time: When defenders try to tackle Rob Gronkowski, they intentionally aim for his knees.

During an interview on SportsCenter, Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. was asked point blank, "How do you tackle Rob Gronkowski?" His answer was confirmation of the Patriots' worries and is a huge problem for the NFL.

"You gotta hit him low, man — hit him in his knees," Harris said. "That's the best chance you have of hitting him."

Harris went on to say that Gronk couldn't be brought down by just one player — unless that player took out his legs.

"You gotta take his legs out or hold on and wait for everybody, wait for the gang to come on and gang tackle him," Harris added.

With defenders who hit receivers above the shoulders now being aggressively penalized by the NFL, the new emphasis of hitting low and potentially destroying a player's knee is a big concern for all players catching a pass. But this is an especially big problem for a big receiver like Gronkowski, as defenders often aim at him below the waist.

Gronk had his 2013 season ended early when a Browns defender took out his legs on a pass over the middle.

Then, earlier this season, Gronkowski was injured on another low hit from a different Broncos defender. Gronkowski would miss the following week.

Gronk escaped any serious injury, but needless to say, the Patriots and their fans were holding their collective breath.

There was also a hit that effectively ended the career of former Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller. That play led many to argue that they would rather suffer a concussion than a severe injury to a knee.

These are just a few notable examples.

More important for the NFL, there is a huge risk on any given play that one of its marquee players could suffer a serious knee injury. But not only is this is a risk for Gronkowski; with the new emphasis on big receiving tight ends, this is a huge problem for all large receivers whom small defensive backs are afraid to tackle.

Just ask Harris.

Tight ends are especially at risk, as they tend to do their most damage over the middle of the field. The worry is not from the linebacker or nickel back chasing the tight end from behind, but from the safety who is coming at the receiver from the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. The NFL could modify the rule on defenseless receivers to limit the target zone on hits to the area between the waist and the shoulders. But that is a very small window, even on big players, and it will lead to a lot of yellow flags on the field.

Whatever the NFL decides to do, it is clear it needs to do something to protect some of its best receivers.

Here are Harris' comments on ESPN:

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Professional athletes typically don't have much difficulty finding a date.

But social media and dating apps have made it even easier for them, according to ESPN the Magazine's Sam Alipour.

His feature, "When athletes are left to their own digital-dating devices," is a fascinating read that gives a good look at how athletes' dating game has changed over the years.

For those who don't have time to read the whole story, we put together some of the comments that show how athletes are finding women online these days.

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"Swipe right on everything. Get the ball rolling...then make them laugh. Just Google 'Tinder pickup lines.'"—Rob Gronkowski, football player for the New England Patriots

"Twitter and Instagram are basically dating apps now...Every athlete uses them to hook up, and if they say they haven't, they're lying."—Paul Bissonnette, ice-hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings

"It's not like we need help, but social media makes women so accessible...I'll send a comment, and if they reply, you ask for a date. It's easy."—DeSean Jackson, football player for the Washington Redskins

Rob Gronkowski has been something of a non-factor for the Patriots offense so far this year. 

The typically unstoppable New England tight end pulled up with a hamstring injury during training camp in preseason, and it continues to bother him more than a month into the season. He missed his team's first two games , and in the two games that he has played he contributed little more than blocking. Against Buffalo in Week 3, he caught just one pass for 11 yards — his only reception of the season.

Gronk's lagging injury is bad news for Patriots fans. It's also driving those who have him in fantasy football absolutely nuts. 

In a press conference on Wednesday, Gronk was asked if he hears it from fantasy football owners, and had this to say:

Now that Tom Brady is back from suspension, it seems likely that Gronk sees a bigger role as a receiver. On the other hand, if Gronk remains in a limited role as a blocker only, even with Brady under center, it's a worrisome sign that his injury isn't going away.

Still, Gronk certainly sounded happy about having his QB back: 

But let's go back to those fans yelling at him in the grocery store. What the buy-ins for their fantasy football leagues? 

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Good morning! Here are the plays everybody will be talking about on Monday:

The Chicago Cubs are still alive thanks to Aroldis Chapman. The Cubs' dream season nearly came to an end on Sunday. With the Cubs trailing the Cleveland Indians by three games to one in the World Series and up by one run in the seventh inning of Game 5, Joe Maddon turned to Chapman for an eight-out save. Chapman escaped the seventh, leaving the tying run on base. Then, in the eighth inning, the Indians again got the tying run into scoring position but failed to convert when Chapman struck out Francisco Lindor.

Earl Thomas got flagged for hugging an official. Here we go again. The Seahawks jumped out to an early 7-0 lead over the New Orleans Saints when Thomas grabbed a fumble out of the air and returned it for a touchdown. Then, perhaps in a move to mock the NFL's celebration crackdown, Thomas hugged and danced with an official, who immediately threw a flag. Seems silly, but we all knew a flag was coming.

Cam Newton took a low hit, and no flag was thrown. In the third quarter of the Carolina Panthers' 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Newton threw a pass and was then hit in the lower right leg by Calais Campbell. After the game, Newton went off on the NFL and the officials, saying he "doesn't feel safe" and the lack of calls had been taking the fun out of the game (read more here; video via ESPN).

The Brady-Gronk Bonus. The New England Patriots are still rolling, improving to 7-1 with a 41-25 win on the road against the Buffalo Bills. Rob Gronkowski scored his 69th career touchdown, setting the Patriots franchise record, and he did it on a 53-yard strike from Brady. Thanks to some early-season injuries, Gronk has just 22 catches on the season. But a whopping 10 of those have gone for at least 20 yards.

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Good morning! Here are the plays everybody will be talking about on Monday:

The Saints lost because the Broncos wear white shoes. With less than 90 seconds to go, the Saints scored what appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown against the Broncos. But the extra point was blocked, seeming for a moment to have left the game tied. The Broncos scooped up the ball, however, and ran it all the way back for a two-point conversion that gave them a dramatic two-point lead. But wait. It sure looked as if Will Parks inexplicably stepped out of bounds during the return. Several replays appear to show half of his right foot on the line. But when officials looked at the replay they could not find definitive proof, in large part because his shoe and the sideline were both white. So the 25-23 score was upheld (read more here).

Ezekiel Elliott blitzed the Steelers for a winning run in the closing seconds. The Cowboys and the Steelers combined to score three touchdowns in the final two minutes, including two touchdown runs by Elliott and a perfectly executed fake spike by Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh's score left too much time on the clock, as the Cowboys came back down and got the 35-30 win on Elliott's 32-yard touchdown run right up the middle with just nine seconds to play (read more here).

Jameis Winston scrambled for his life before hitting a long bomb. The Buccaneers blew out the Bears, 36-10. But early in the third quarter, when the game was still in doubt, Winston had a scramble for the ages. On a play that began at the 23-yard line, Winston scrambled all the way back to his own end zone, avoided several tackles, and eventually found Mike Evans streaking down the middle of the field for a 39-yard pass. The Bucs would score a touchdown on the next play, and they never looked back (read more here).

The Gronk no-call bonus. The Seahawks and the Patriots had another memorable finish. With the Patriots down by seven, they worked the ball down to the 1-yard line in the final minute. After Tom Brady fumbled the snap attempting a quarterback sneak on third down, the Pats were down to their final play on fourth down. Brady tried to hit Rob Gronkowski in the corner, but despite a lot of contact and both Gronk and Seahawks defender Kam Chancellor falling to the ground, no flag was thrown, and it was game over, with the Seahawks winning, 31-24. Did Chancellor hold? Maybe. But it also looks as if Gronk initiates the contact to begin with. Announcer Cris Collinsworth thought it was a good no-call.

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski may be missing some more time this season.

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots believe Gronkowski may have suffered a punctured lung after taking a huge hit from Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas during Week 10.

It's believed that Gronkowski may only miss one game.

The hit, which Gronkowski later called, "probably one of the hardest I've got hit in my career," occurred in the second quarter after Gronkowski attempted to catch a pass while going across the middle of the field.

While going for the ball, Thomas nailed Gronkowski in his chest, sending both players flying to the ground. Gronkowski appeared woozy after the hit and was taken to the sideline to be checked for concussion. He later checked back in after sitting for five plays and played the rest of the game.

Gronkowski continued after the game, saying, "It was a good, clean hit. Nothing against it. ...It's a little tough to breathe, but once it comes back, you're good."

The Patriots will be in okay hands if Gronkowski does miss time, with tight end Martellus Bennett also on the roster. It would be the third time in five seasons that Gronkowski has missed at least three games in a season (he missed the first two games this season with a hamstring injury).

Watch the hit below:

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski reportedly ruptured a disc in his back and will undergo surgery on Friday, according to reports.

Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reports that Gronkowski is expected to be back in eight weeks, which would be the AFC Championship game.

It's a brutal blow for the Patriots as they round into the final stretch of the regular season.

Though the Patriots at 9-2 seem to have the AFC East locked up, playing without Gronkowski, Brady's top weapon, significantly reduces the potency of their offense. There's no guarantee that the Patriots will make it to the AFC Championship game, meaning if Gronkowski takes the full eight weeks to recover, he could be out for the season.

It's been an injury-riddled season for Gronkowski. He missed the first two games of the season with hamstring troubles and was limited the following two weeks. In Week 10 Gronkowski took what he called "one of the hardest hits" of his career against the Seahawks and injured his lungs, missing the following week. He returned in Week 12 and injured his back diving for a deep catch and did not return. Though he's played 15 games in back-to-back seasons, Gronkowski has only managed the full 16 games twice in his seven-year career.

Luckily, for the Patriots, they do boast a deep roster on offense. Martellus Bennett, who they traded for in the offseason, is a more-than-capable tight end to replace Gronkowski. However, without Gronkowski, the Patriots' path to the Super Bowl just became more difficult.

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Rob Gronkowski is a man of many talents.

He is an historically great tight end for the New England Patriots, virtually unguardable in the open field when fully healthy. He is also a party cruise entrepreneur, a published author, and — as of this year — a budding star of the silver screen. 

Gronkowski has roles in two forthcoming films: "American Violence" and "You Can't Have It." 

Now, Gronkowski has technically appeared in films before, most notably his beer-funneling cameo in the 2015 cinematic achievement "Entourage". But 2017 marks the year in which Gronk will appear not as himself, but in character.

In "American Violence", which stars Bruce Dern and Denise Richards, Gronkowski plays a man named Brad. In the trailer, Brad kicks the gun out of someone's hand, throws a man into the side of a van, fires a gun, and screams.

In "You Can't Have It", a steamy thriller that appears to take place exclusively in a bar called Mr. Phil's, Gronk plays Officer Weadon. In the trailer, Officer Weadon inquires: "Someone needs to do some explaining what's going on."

Warning: this trailer contains mature content.

While the Boston Herald pessimistically speculates that both films will "most likely going pretty straight to video in February and March," as of this publication the distribution specifics of the two pictures are not yet know. 

That said, mark your calendars for March 17, when "You Can't Have It" is set to be released.

The Patriots, meanwhile, will be without Gronkowski for the duration of the playoffs. He had back surgery in early December and won't play until next season.

New England fans and film fanatics alike wish Gronk a speedy recovery. 

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Tom Brady has his Super Bowl jersey back, but maybe not for long.

After the jersey was stolen and found in possession of a member of the international media, Brady showed off the returned jersey in front of the Boston Red Sox crowd on opening day.

That is, until Rob Gronkowski ran up behind him and snatched it, in an obvious nod toward the strange scandal.

Luckily, for Brady, he was able to chase Gronk down and get it back.

It doesn't seem that this incident will require poring over hours of security video.

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New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski crashed the White House press briefing on Wednesday and offered press secretary Sean Spicer help.

"Sean, need some help?" he said as he peeled back the door to Spicer's right.

Spicer, surprised at Gronkowski's appearance, said, "I think I got this, but thank you."

The press secretary, who is from New England and an avowed Patriots fan, said, "That was cool," after Gronkowski disappeared.

Gronkowski was at the White House on Wednesday for the Patriots' visit to commemorate the team's Super Bowl victory earlier this year.

President Donald Trump is also closely tied to several members of the organization, including owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady, who all supported the president in last year's election.

Here's footage of the moment:

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On Friday it was announced that Tom Brady would be on the cover of EA Sports' "Madden NFL 18," the latest version of the popular video-game franchise.

Much like the popular Sports Illustrated-cover curse, the Madden video game has its own eyebrow-raising history: the "Madden Curse."

Ever since athletes began appearing on the cover of Madden in the late '90s, they seem to almost immediately lose significant amounts of playing time because of injuries, run-ins with the law, or other reasons.

Below we document the long history of the "Madden Curse," with some help from NFL.com and DigitalTrends.com.

Early years of the Madden video-game franchise

In the early years of the Madden franchise, players occasionally appeared on the cover with John Madden, typically in the background. However, more often, Madden appeared on the cover by himself.

Madden 99 — Garrison Hearst

EA Sports tried something new for Madden 99 (released in 1998). While John Madden appeared on covers in North America, Garrison Hearst of the San Francisco 49ers appeared on the cover of the PAL version released in other parts of the world. In 1998, Hearst had his best season as a pro, rushing for 1,570 yards. However, on his first carry of the divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, he severely broke his ankle and he would miss the next two seasons. This is considered the beginning of the curse.

Madden 2000 — Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders is not always considered part of the curse, but we include him here for you to decide. Shortly after it was announced that he would be on the cover (behind John Madden in the background), he announced he was retiring from the NFL and would never play again. 

The New England Patriots and Rob Gronkowski have agreed to a restructured contract that could make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, according to reports.

Gronkowski is set to make $5.25 million this season, but could make up to $10.75 million, passing Seattle's Jimmy Graham, if he hits certain goals.

However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, some of the goals are quite lofty. Schefter broke down the tiers of a contract raise on his Facebook page.

"‪1st tier, which gets him to $10.75M either 90 percent play time or 80 catches or 1200 receiving yards or All Pro -- and he's made all pro four times.‬

‪"2nd tier to $8.75M: he has to get 80 percent play time or 70 catches or 1000 receiving yards or 12 Tds.‬

‪"3rd tier takes him to $6.75M is 70 percent playtime, 60 receptions, 800 receiving yards or 10 TDs.‬"

The lower tiers shouldn't be much of a problem for Gronkowski, but if he wants to become the highest-paid tight end, he's going to need to overcome his biggest weakness — health. Gronkowski has played all 16 games just twice in his seven-year career and 15 games or more four total. Gronkowski missed the last eight games of the regular season and all of the playoffs with a back injury in 2016.

If healthy, Gronkowski should be able to play 90% of snaps and make All-Pro, which would get him into the first tier. The counting stats may be tough, however. Gronkowski has only totaled 8o or more catches — 90 in 2011 and 82 in 2014. He's only topped 1,200 yards once with 1,327 yards in 2011. It's worth noting that he played 16 games in 2011 and 15 in 2015.

Gronkowski is Tom Brady's favorite weapon, but with the Patriots' stacked offense, including new wide receiver addition Brandin Cooks, Gronkowski could potentially see fewer targets.

He shouldn't have a problem hitting the lower tiers and still earning a raise, but if he wants to become the highest-paid tight end in the league, his chances will undoubtedly come down to health. 

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On Thursday David Ortiz hosted a roast of himself in order to raise money for his charity, the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which does work to help children in both New England and the Dominican Republic gain access to vital pediatric services.

The roast was scheduled to be broadcast later on local sports network NESN, but was later pulled from the schedule due to the offensive nature of many of the jokes made at the expense of those on the dais, according to the Boston Globe.

Those onstage with Ortiz included comedians Bill Burr, Sarah Tiana, and Lenny Clarke, actor Anthony Mackie, and fellow Boston athletic royalty Dustin Pedroia and Rob Gronkowski. The jokes don't read well, but as far as roasts go most of them are what you might expect — crossing lines but with everyone on stage appearing to laugh together at each other, knowing their turn will come. If this were originally scheduled to air on Comedy Central, it's easy to imagine the show going on with a few well-placed bleeps.

That said, there are definitely lines crossed that some would not be able to forgive, and don't belong on local television networks by any measure — notably a joke made about former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez who committed suicide in prison earlier this year. This, along with other jokes made at the roast, left much of the audience groaning, according to the Boston Globe.

While the audience had been warned by ESPN's Jonathan Coachman that some jokes would be rough, there were still a few moments that left people more nervous with the comedy than delighted by it. Gronk delivered a few clunkers extremely poorly, including a "Jewish/quarterback" pun that was particularly cringe-worthy, and a "third base" line reeking of sexism and slut-shaming that definitely made him laugh harder than anyone else in the room.

Other jokes skewed closer to what you might expect from a roast of these sorts, with Bill Burr calling fellow Boston-based comedian Lenny Clarke, "A Boston institution — like gout and racism." Burr also got in a solid burn on Ortiz, with the Boston.com reporting him saying, "I can't believe they're retiring this guy’s number. He's a [expletive] DH. Retiring a DH's number is like putting a vice president on Mount Rushmore."

Dustin Pedroia got some of the most well-earned laughs of the night, recounting stories of his playing days with Ortiz, including an adorable and extremely believable anecdote about Ortiz not knowing his name even after close to a decade of baseball together.

While the show won't make it to air, you can watch Gronk and Pedroia's sets as recorded by Boston.com below and judge their content for yourself, and if you feel so inclined, donate to the David Ortiz Children's Fund.

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After missing the last five games of the 2016 regular season and all of the New England Patriots' postseason run, Rob Gronkowski is focused on staying on the field in 2017.

To help his cause, he turned to the man who's defined longevity on the football field — Tom Brady.

According to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, Gronkowski has been working with Brady and his trainer Alex Guerrero this offseason to improve his diet and incorporate more stretching into his workouts.

Guerrero, as noted by Guregian, has been the subject of some controversy — he was investigated by the Federal Trade Commission, sued by the federal government, and banned by the FTC from selling certain products. Chris Sweeney of Boston Magazine once called him a "snake oil" salesman. Still, Gronk, like many other Patriots has bought into his practices.

Gronkowski said of his new plan: "I wanted to find a way to make me feel good all the time and not worry. Coming here has definitely put me in that right direction ... I’m getting massage therapy, I’m learning about hydration, I’m learning about nutrition. It’s helping me expand my game."

Brady has even been involved, according to Guregian. Once a day, Brady cooks Gronkowski one of his favorite plant-based meals.

"Tom’s my chef," Gronkowski said. "I told him I’m only eating them if you have them ready for me. And he said, 'Deal.'"

However, Gronkowski hasn't fully bought in. He isn't eating avocado ice cream yet, and there is reportedly a protocol if he breaks the rules and has off-limit beverages like alcohol or coffee. According to Guregian, for every drink Gronkowski consumes that's not on the diet plan, he has to have three glasses of water to make up for it. It's not a tough punishment so much as a laborious one — Gronk's Super Bowl parade performance would have resulted in a lot of glasses of water.

Gronkowski is reportedly 12 weeks into the program and says he can already feel the effects. He told reporters, "I feel looser. I feel my mobility has increased a lot. I feel way more pliable."

For as often as Gronkowski has wowed on the field, he's also had to spend time off of it dealing with injuries. If Brady and Guerrero's methods work on one of the most oft-injured stars in the league, the benefits may be hard to deny.

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Rob Gronkowski, in an effort to extend his NFL career, spent this past offseason working on a new training program.

To do that, he turned to two people who know a thing or two about a long NFL career — Tom Brady and his fitness guru, Alex Guerrero.

In addition to resistance bands to strengthen Gronk's core, and deep-tissue massages to help with blood flow, Gronk has incorporated elements of Brady's strict diet, according to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.

One of the key elements for the famous party boy was an alcohol diet that lets you keep drinking, but with a big catch.

We tried the plan, and it worked. But it was also a lot harder than we ever imagined.

Here's how it works:

Guerrero runs Brady's "TB12 Sports Therapy Center at Patriot Place" and the pair are behind Brady's new book, "The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance," a book that is being described "the athletes' bible."

READ MORE: Tom Brady's first book is being described as 'The athletes' Bible' and is expected to outline Brady's formula for success

While Gronk incorporated elements of Brady's strict diet, he was not quite to Brady's level. So no avocado ice cream yet.

Source: Boston Herald

One twist to the regimen was that Brady does not drink alcohol, so they had to come up with a plan that would allow Gronk to keep drinking.

• The New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski on Sunday dove onto Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, hitting White in the back of the head while White was lying on the ground.
• White was helped off the field and sent into concussion protocol.
• Several Bills players and members of the media called Gronkowski's hit "dirty," while Patriots coach Bill Belichick said it was "bulls---."

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was widely criticized around the NFL world for a late hit on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White that the Bills called "dirty."

In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, White intercepted a pass from Tom Brady. While lying face-down on the sideline, Gronkowski came up from behind White and dove onto him, sending his forearm and shoulder into the back of White's head.

White was helped off the field by an assistant and placed in the concussion protocol.

Here's the hit: 

After the game, Bills safety Micah Hyde said he thought Gronkowski should have been ejected.

"That's a dirty play, man," Hyde said. "That's not cool. It's amazing to me that you don't get ejected for something like that. It's crazy. He obviously saw him on the ground. It's like a wrestling move. I don't know — elbow, shoulder — I don't know what it was. I saw on the replay it was just a dirty play, man. That's something the NFL talks about all the time about not wanting."

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he was "not happy" about the play, adding that such plays have no place in the NFL. Several other Bills players expressed similar sentiments.

While Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game that he didn't see much of the play that it wasn't something he could control, cameras caught him telling McDermott immediately after the game that Gronkowski's hit was "bulls---" and apologizing.

Gronkowski also apologized after the game and said he was frustrated by the officiating.

Several others in the NFL world also chastised Gronkowski for the play.

Dean Blandino, a former NFL vice president of officiating, said on Fox that he thought Gronkowski should have been ejected.

Whether Gronkowski will be punished remains to be seen, but his hit on White is almost exactly what the NFL is trying to avoid: hits to the head on defenseless players. If White has a concussion, it may strengthen the case for Gronkowski to be suspended.

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