Rob Gronkowski makes presence felt in Super Bowl XLIX

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The last time Rob Gronkowski played in a Super Bowl, he was a shell of himself.

Gronkowski was bothered by a bad ankle sprain in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants, and the Patriots will always wonder if a healthy Gronkowski would have made a difference. They won’t have the same questions about Super Bowl XLIX.

Gronkowski made one of the biggest plays of the first half of the Super Bowl against the Seahawks, going up for a 22-yard touchdown catch with 31 seconds left in the first half to give New England a 14-7 lead.

[Super Bowl XLIX: Rookie receiver continues dream run for Seahawks]

Gronkowski entered the 2014 campaign coming off a major knee injury suffered late in 2013, but he started to get fully healthy after September. The Patriots were 2-2 when Gronkowski was working his way back, and were almost unbeatable when he was right. New England went 12-2 in their 14 games leading up to the Super Bowl, and one of the losses Gronkowski sat out because it was a meaningless Week 17 game. It’s no coincidence that his rise coincided with the rise of the Patriots. He showed off his incredible skills on the touchdown. He beat Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, who is tremendous in coverage, off the line with a great shoulder fake and maintained the catch as Wright dragged him down in the end zone.

Gronkowski had just two catches for 26 yards in his first Super Bowl, which the Patriots lost on a late Giants touchdown. He surpassed that in the first half of Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle, with three catches for 28 yards, including a touchdown that showed what an impact he can have on the game when he's feeling right.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab