Patriots WR Julian Edelman Asks For Rating on ‘Gronk Spike’

New England Patriots Julian Edelman may be the reigning Super Bowl MVP, but he is trying to fill a very different role in the team’s current offense. He wants to be the man that continues the proud tradition of the “Gronk Spike” after scoring a touchdown. However, he needs retired tight end Rob Gronkowski to step in and provide some quality control.

Sunday afternoon, Edelman scored an early touchdown on a three-yard pass against the New York Jets. This play gave the Patriots a 20-0 lead and set the stage for the celebration.

Instead of breaking out a dance, however, Edelman paid tribute to his former teammate by spiking the football into the turf. Of course, Edelman wanted to make sure that it was done correctly, so he asked for Gronk’s input on Instagram.

As of Monday, Gronkowski hasn’t provided any feedback in the comments section, but there are plenty of other prominent figures weighing in on his form. The Patriots gave the Gronk Spike a 10/10 while plenty of fans said it was a 10 or an 11.

Actor and diehard Patriots fan, Mark Wahlberg, simply dropped in the smiling face in sunglasses emoji. It’s unclear what the conversion rate is with this, but it’s likely that The Departed actor was a big fan. After all, he did appear in the Julian Edelman documentary on Showtime.

If Edelman does truly want to become the next Gronk Spike connoisseur in New England, he will have some big shoes to fill. Gronkowski only played for nine seasons, but he scored 79 touchdowns on passing plays and another on a run. He had plenty of opportunities to perfect the Gronk Spike, especially after the move earned the nickname.

Of course, what actually defines the signature celebration? Hundreds of players spike the football after scoring a touchdown, so why was Gronk’s special? According to ESPN and Gronkowski himself, there are multiple factors that must be taken into account. There is the grip on the ball, the way he moves his feet, the number of teammates involved (zero), and the context of the game. He isn’t going to break out a Gronk Spike when the Patriots are losing badly.

“So when you follow through, you can hit the belly of the ball right onto the ground, and it gives you the most power and the most explosiveness that you can get and generate,” Gronkowski said when explaining why he grips the tip of the football during the Gronk Spike.

Considering that Gronkowski used his signature spike on 88 percent of his touchdowns, including the postseason, it’s no surprise that he perfected the Gronk Spike. Achieving this same level will not be easy for Edelman. Fortunately, he should be able to get some pointers from the former Patriots tight end.