The New England Patriots made a wide decision this past April to add two players to their roster from the 2010 NFL Draft's deepest, most talented position: tight end. They took Arizona junior Rob Gronkowski in the second round, and then added Florida junior Aaron Hernandez - who'd have gone much earlier were it not for his admitting to marijuana use at Florida.
After New England traded Randy Moss and acquired Deion Branch, the Patriots' offense changed dramatically - and their two rookie tight ends are at the center of that change. Combined this season, Gronkowski and Hernandez have caught 77 passes for 953 yards and 13 touchdowns.
These two players gave the Bills fits all the way back in Week 3, when Moss was still a part of a much simpler Patriots offensive attack. Hernandez caught six passes for 65 yards, and also chipped in to his team's 200-yard rushing effort with a 13-yard reverse - proof of his unusual athleticism. Gronkowski, meanwhile, had a quieter performance, catching three passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Buffalo struggled mightily defending tight ends early in the season, but have been much better of late. After allowing Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler to combine for seven catches and 81 yards in a Week 10 win over Detroit, the Bills have not allowed more than 52 receiving yards to opposing tight ends over their past five games. They'll have their work cut out for them this week.