Still, linebacker Danny Trevathan didn't exactly find Gronkowski's tweet endearing. He took it as more of a stab at his defense.
This time around, it's the Denver Broncos, who have delivered a few hits through the media — both traditional and social — in a not-so-subtle attempt to get inside the heads of both the Patriots and, quite possibly, the officials who will call Sunday's game.
"Everyone is talking — you can say this, you can say that — but at the end of the day, actions speak louder than words," Davis said. "When it comes to the talking, I stay away from it."
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Gronk pushes off. Brady whines.
Broncos defensive back Bradley Roby finds all the back-and-forth highly entertaining. It's juicy stuff.
"Just talk. Just talk,Alex Iwobi Arsenal Jersey UK," Broncos tight end Vernon Davis said. "I don't think they would say anything to target anyone on the Patriots side."
As for the assertion that Brady lobbies more than most for penalties with the officials,Cheap Anaheim Ducks Hoodies, well, the iconic QB took the high road. He said he's "not sure" if he works the referees more than other quarterbacks around the league.
"I don't even know what Twitter is. What's Twitter?" Harris deadpanned. "Whoever is going to win this game, it's going to be decided on the field this Sunday, not on some social media site, or some quotation that may or may not have been taken out of context."
"We're not worried about the trash talking, just makes it more exciting," Roby said. "Brings more attention to the game."
The biggest pokes have,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, not surprisingly, been directed at Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, with the Broncos suggesting he likes to push off and how it's really best to tackle him by going after his delicate knees. Gronk didn't appreciate that and responded in R-rated fashion on Twitter.
If it's AFC championship week, somebody must be complaining about the New England Patriots.
So is trying to get under a team's skin. Davis experienced the same sort of thing when he was with San Francisco and preparing to face rival Seattle.
The highlights:

— Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall weighed in on Gronkowski, saying he uses his big frame to push off.
Hard to ignore social media barbs, though. Unless, of course, you're offensive lineman Ryan Harris.
Tom Brady took some shots, too, labeled a crybaby for complaining to refs.
These early week doses of trash talk have calmed down now that the real preparation has begun. Still, they've made for a decent story line to go beside the hundreds of different takes on Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, Part 17.
— Defensive lineman Antonio Smith didn't hold back on Brady with his comments: "I've never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady. Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, 'You see him sack me?'"
"I'm glad they feel confident in themselves. I think people are looking for attention," Trevathan said. "It's not my job to give it to them until Sunday. My job is to shut them down when they come here,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, keep his mouth closed as much as I can."
Trevathan insisted the banter stokes the fire.
"I was just having a little fun with it, hoping to get a little laugh, which I think it did," Gronkowski said. "It's just all fun and games with that."
"If the refs want to throw the flag, I love when they throw flags on the defenders,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, absolutely," Brady said. "It advances our team, so that's just part of football."
But the comment that caused Gronk to throw a flag was mention by several Broncos of going after his knees, since he's so hard to bring down. Gronkowski responded with a tweet that let his feelings be known in a comical, yet not exactly fit for print sort of way. He added a few emoji for good measure.