Mike Freeman's 10-point posture: Rob Gronkowski's retirement in the NFL could be brief | Bleacher's report

We may not have seen the last episode of Gronk, the Steelers might not have finished yet and Robert Kraft's partner for lunch raises his eyebrows. All this and more in the 10-point position this week.

1. Mr. Reliable, Robbie G

Here at Stance headquarters at 10 points, we do not like to say we told you so, but … we told you that Rob Gronkowski might not be retired for good.

This week, the recently retired Patriots coach spent some time at UCLA working with an old friend, Tom Brady.

"Tom needs someone to pitch," Gronkowski told TMZ Sports. "So, you know, he calls Mr. Reliable, Robbie G, the one and only."

(Just once, I want someone call me Mr. Reliable, Mikey F, the one and only one.)

That's not to say that a Gronkowski return is guaranteed to be in the works. But as we have already mentioned, some of his former teammates of the Patriots believe that football will miss him much this fall, he will return for another shot, especially if the Patriots are in contention (and they will be).

The recent actions of Gronkowski only deepen this conviction.

That does not mean that he is officially back. It just means that Gronkowski feels the same call as many players who loves the game so much– from Michael Jordan to Jerry Rice – after retirement.

Despite all he has done and praise, Gronk may not be able to leave football, even if it hurts his body.

The adrenaline rush. The power. The cloakroom The camaraderie.

It's a drug, but it's also just … love.

So, this should not surprise anyone if the number 87 makes a return at the end of the season.

After all, it's Mr. Reliable, Robbie G, the one and only. Football is what it does.

2. Pittsburgh goes to Washington

It may sound a little strange, but stay with me, okay?

I believe that one of the keys to the upcoming Steelers season–as well as the AFC as a whole–This is a man from Abilene, Texas, who grew up playing tennis and who could have done the NBA.

He is called James Washington and could be the second receiver of the Steelers against JuJu Smith-Schuster.

I heard Washington, a second-round pick in 2018 that captured 16 assists for a 217-yard rookie, compared to Dez Bryant. Some members of the team and others outside think that Washington has a chance to be the equal of Smith-Schuster or even surpass it.

Smith-Schuster told ESPN Adam Schefter (h / t NFL.com & # 39; s Jeremy Bergman) to watch Washington this season:

"You talk about a young guy getting ready, it will be James Washington." A guy from Oklahoma State came to the Steelers in his freshman year as a rookie, started slowly but understood everything.

"Last summer's training we had, he did a terrific job, I'm really excited to see how he'll manage this year, that's our guy who's going to sneak in to everybody."

This could make things interesting for a Steelers team that should step back after exchanging Antonio Brown and seeing León Bell leave as a free agent. If Smith-Schuster excels (he will) and Washington declares himself, the Steelers could have something.

3. In the eye of the beholder

There is another theory about Steelers. According to some assistant coaches in the league, Pittsburgh might be better without Bell.

I do not buy it myself, but here's how it goes:

Bell is a star. He can change his game at any time thanks to his explosiveness. James Conner is not a star, but he is stable and this plug-and-play aspect would perhaps be better suited to the Pittsburgh offensive as it is currently being built.

To paraphrase the old adage, "constant wins the race".

For me, this means that I would be a better casting choice for a film than Tom Cruise. After all, my contract would be much cheaper and I would probably make fewer requests, but you would still prefer to see Cruise on the big screen.

Or something like that.

Conner may be better suited to what the Steelers want to do than Bell, but what they do may not be so exciting to watch.

4. That the road you are taking is smooth

One more thing about the Steelers – promised.

Some coaches believe that although the Ravens won the AFC North last year, they could take a temporary step backward this season, opening the door for the Steelers to win the division. It is thought that second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson may have trouble adjusting to a new offense before becoming a future star. And although the Browns are the team "it", they are not quite ready to climb to the top of the rankings.

This leaves Pittsburgh with the stability, experience and talent to take AFC North.

We'll see how it works, but if the Steelers can keep their main players in good health, this theory makes sense.

5. Promises made, promises kept?

Star Falcons receiver Julio Jones is still two years old on a contract he signed in 2015, but he did not hide his desire to reach a new deal as soon as possible.

After jumping OTAs and a minicamp last year, Jones announced to TMZ Sports that he would be in training camp this year, thanks to the promise of owner Arthur Blank to sign a new contract.

"Mr. Blank has given us his word," Jones said. "… it's golden."

This is good news for the Falcons and bad news for the defensive backs of the opponents.

6. Wentz watch

Rumor has it that the Eagles see a different Carson Wentz up to now and think it's going to have a huge year.

Of course, here's what his teammates are supposed to say. However, something looks different with the Eagles players. It's almost as if a Wentz cult was forming in the Philly locker room.

Just look at what the Eagles are attacking at Lane Johnson on the NFL network NFL Full Access:

"I like it every day when I go to the building, all I see, is it before all the others, in rehabilitation, doing everything it can I just think that he is really in a mental state different from the one he 've never been to training and ignoring distractions and really trying to. to be the best player that he is, so I only see this worker and a guy who is about to do great things this season. "

7. A friend in need …

S & # 39; it was question of whether the owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft, was still close to President Donald Trump, the fact that Kraft dinner with him this week should put an end to such speculation.

A 70% black-owned team owner who is so publicly close to a president who has a long history of insensitive remarks about people of color opens his eyes.

Kraft is not the only owner of the NFL to consider Trump as a friend. But he is among the most prominent. And in a league in which many players have publicly declared their dislike for the president, a warm relationship between an owner and the oval office at this time will likely not go unnoticed.

Look closely.

8. From bad to worse

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton ended his NFL career in a car accident this month. If that was not enough, what happened next seems really incredible.

Norton has a GoFundMe page to help him and his family with no other source of income at the moment.

The fact that a player is forced to do this is incredible.

The NFL is a billion dollar league with remarkable resources. And although the league has announced to Norton that it would take care of all its medical expenses, it should be embarrassed that Norton's financial future is in limbo.

This is one of the NFL's own. And yes, the accident was not related to football. But if the league is not willing to take care of its players in case of compelling need, does it care about something meaningful?

I guess the dolphins, league or union will take steps to help Norton financially.

At least, that's what should happen.

9. Live big

I do not know why I found it so amusing. Those of you who are following this exceptional weekly work know that I like weird stuff, and that is certainly permissible.

The analyst NBC Cree Collinsworth … on a yacht … saying something about Game of thrones.

10. Eight weeks

The NFL will be back in another eight Sundays.

Football is near. I can feel it.

I can not wait.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.