(SportsNetwork.com) - The modern-day NFL is a quarterback-driven league but if you take away the games most important position, two players stand above everyone else as the most impactful in the league, Houston defensive lineman J.J. Watt and New England tight end Rob Gronkowski. And its no coincidence that Watt and Gronk, who is preparing for Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 1, were the only two unanimous selections to the 2014 All-Pro team. Both of those superstars are matchup nightmares. Down in South Texas, Watt is as versatile as it gets, a player capable of moving up and down the line of scrimmage in an effort to identify lesser offensive linemen. It doesnt matter if you are a guard, tackle or center, if Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel or Watt himself think you are a weak link, youre going to have a 6-foot-6, 300-pound monster, who can somehow bench press a Ford F-150 while staying quicker than a hiccup, in your face. Gronkowski, meanwhile, is the offensive version of Watt, a 6-6, 270-pound traditional Y-back, who can put any linebacker on skates with his pure strength yet still beat them athletically in the passing game. If you try to defend the three-time All-Pro with a defensive back, it becomes a game of basketball where Gronk can use his imposing frame to box out the coverage. Thats why Jeremy Lanes critique of Gronkowski was such as a surprise. I actually dont think hes that good, the Seahawks nickel cornerback said Thursday. Hes OK. OK? A player like Jeremy Lane is OK, Gronkowski is on the fast track to Canton as long as he earns his stripes in the longevity department. You can give Lane credit for adopting the Legion of Boom swagger despite being a junior member of pro footballs best defensive backfield but why poke a bear who has better numbers through five NFL seasons than any other tight end in NFL history? The real stars of the Seahawks secondary are of course All-Pro corner Richard Sherman and star safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. And no one talks more trash than Sherman yet even he deflected questions about stopping Gronkowski. I dont know -- Ill be sitting there with popcorn, Sherman said when asked what will happen when Chancellor, the hard-hitting strong safety who is the one who will be dealing with Gronkowski most of the time, and the Pats Pro-Bowler collide. It will be good football though. Dan Quinn, Seattles highly-respected defensive coordinator who is expected to become the next head coach of Atlanta after the Super Bowl, understands what he and his charges are up against. Hes a terrific tight end, Quinn admitted. I think he?s a unique guy; the run game, the pass game, the catching radius, and I think at the end of it, just great hands to finish on routes. So when hes up in the air, generally hes strong handed to come down with it so those are a few of the things that impress us about him and why we regard him so highly. Lane didnt get that memo, however. He does have a big body, (but) from what Ive seen on tape, he dont like your hands being put on him, Lane said. So if we put our hands on him and shake him up a little bit, he wont catch that many balls as he should. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Gronkowski mused when told about Lanes critique. Did it tick you off? a reporter pressed. It may, Gronkowski responded. Anyone want to take bets on what happens if the 190-pound Lane gets his hands on Gronk? Rafael Devers Red Sox Jersey .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport. Trevor Kelley Jersey . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt and listen on TSN 690. The Canadiens have won three in a row and four of their last five games and recently put the finishing touches on a 3-1-0 road trip. https://www.cheapredsox.com/3061z-mitch-...ey-red-sox.html. Next up, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens In 2014, the 8-8 season that the Baltimore Ravens experienced was to be expected. Brandon Workman Jersey . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. Drew Pomeranz Jersey . - On the night Dirk Nowitzki overtook Dominique Wilkins on the career scoring list, Brandan Wright was a human highlight film all by himself.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Houston Rockets will try to go 3-0 Saturday night when they stage their home opener against the Boston Celtics at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers, both on the road, to start the campaign. Houston won both games by a combined 29 points, marking the first time since the 2007-08 season the Rockets captured the first two games by double digits. Against the Jazz on Wednesday, Dwight Howard scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Rockets to a 104-93 win. James Harden nearly contributed a triple-double, scoring 18 with 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Trevor Ariza finished with 20 points in the win. Kostas Papanikolaou chipped in 12 off the bench. After allowing 50 points to the Jazz in the first half, the Rockets put on the clamps. Utah just managed 43 points over the final 24 minutes and Houston marched to a 2-0 mark. Second half we did a great job of coming out with some defensive intensity, Harden said. Offensively, the Rockets shot 51.9 percent from the field versus Utah and the same percentage from beyond the 3-point arc. Last season, Houston went 26-3 when it shot over 50 percent from the floor, and 25-8 when it converted 10 or more 3-point attempts. The Rockets sttop home will be brief.dddddddddddd They visit the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat next week. The Celtics opened the season in impressive fashion with a 121-105 home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Rajon Rondo woke up from a long nap Wednesday afternoon and decided he was ready to go after he missed the entire preseason with a broken left hand. The decision paid off as Rondo went for 13 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Cs to victory. Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points and Jeff Green had 17 for Boston. Eight Celtics reached double figures, and all 10 that took the floor scored at least six points in a balanced attack. I think we still need to do a better job with weakside defense, said Green. We still have things we need to correct. We have to continue to move forward. The Celtics will have to improve defensively just to match up with the Rockets star duo of Harden and Howard. We have to give them different looks, said Green. I think weve done a great job in todays practice as far as communication as far as what we want to do. The Rockets swept the Celtics last season and have taken six of the last eight meetings. Houston has won three straight at home against the Cs, who had previously won four straight in Houston. ' ' '