By Tim Graham
You might think that when brothers Chris and Rob Gronkowski talk about football they compare notes about what it's like to play with legendary quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
You'd be wrong. What they talk about is crushing each other.
Amherst's famous NFL family -- with three brothers in the league -- will experience their first intra-familial matchup Sunday, when Chris' Denver Broncos visit Rob's New England Patriots.
Because Rob is a tight end and Chris is a fullback, they could be together on the field only on special teams. But it's possible.
"It's going to be crazy when we finally step on the field together," Chris Gronkowski told me by phone last week. "I might get a chance to go against him on kickoff.
"We always talk about how I'm going to drill him. He says he's going to lay me out. What's really going to happen is we're probably not even going to have the chance to block each other.
"But I'll still try to light him up if I get a chance."
Chris and Rob were scheduled to play last year, when Chris was with the Indianapolis Colts. But Chris Gronkowski was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.
Chris Gronkowski also is looking forward to playing his first game in Orchard Park to find out if there's enough Gronkowski magic to spread around. Rob Gronkowski has been dominant against the Bills, never failing to score at least one touchdown in his five career games.
"Tell them I'll be back one day, too," said Chris Gronkowski, a Williamsville North grad. "But tell them not to boo me. It's not my fault the Bills never wanted me."
