T.J. Hockenson Admits Severity of Ankle Injury Last Season
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During his Tuesday media session with Detroit reporters, T.J. Hockenson revealed the severity of his ankle injury that he suffered on Thanksgiving Day of his rookie season.
Hockenson spoke on being named to the 2020 Pro Bowl this season, despite having to overcome a severe leg injury last Thanksgiving, during which he broke his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle.
The ex-Iowa Hawkeyes tight end finished his rookie season with 32 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.
"Obviously, the beginning of the season was tough, you know, just breaking my leg and then tore a few ligaments in my ankle. It was definitely a tough situation. Just being able to rehab from that and having some great physical therapists that helped me along the way to come back from that," Hockenson said.
He added, "And then being able to go down and still have an offseason. It truly means a lot to all the people that voted. Obviously, the city of Detroit -- just being able to play for this city means a lot. It's really something like this is not just one person. I think a lot of people go into it. I'm just really grateful."
Admiration for Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski
During his time at Iowa, Hockenson and Brian Ferentz would watch game film of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski to try and glean as much they could, in an effort to model the productivity of the then-Patriots tight end.
"Brian Ferentz was my my my coach at Iowa, my tight ends coach and obviously the offensive coordinator. He actually got the chance to coach Gronkowski in New England, early in his career. So, we watched a lot of clips of him, and watched what he was able to do as a tight end," Hockenson said.
In their film study, Gronkowski's joy of playing the game of football left an impression on Detroit's talented tight end.
"Brian told me many stories of 'Gronk,' and just how he works and how he loves the game and just the the kid in him and how much fun that is to be around," Hockenson said. "I try to have fun playing this game, because it really is a kid's game. And that's something that hearing from Brian, you know, that Gronk did and (in) watching what he's able to do on film and just having fun and the way he uses his body. All the catches that he has."
When the Lions play the Buccaneers on Saturday, Hockenson is looking forward to meeting up with Gronkowski postgame and potentially snagging a jersey.
"That is something that I've tried to translate into my game and just being able to use my body in different situations. He's such a great player, someone that I looked up to for sure growing up and throughout my career. It's going to be fun to be able to talk to him," Hockenson said.
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