And here I was just thinking my post about whether or not the Pats should worry about their injury situations was dumb because Edelman only missed practice for the birth of his kid and Brady was suiting up for practice, when one of those tweets that instantly makes you sick came across my timeline…
More on Gronk from #NFL sources: Suffered a ruptured disk vs. #Seahawks, surgery in L.A. Expected to be out eight weeks.
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) December 1, 2016
First things first. You have to feel terrible for Gronk. We can get into what it means for the Patriots Super Bowl chances, but this is a guy who’s had at least three back surgeries, multiple forearm surgeries, an ACL reconstruction and high ankle surgery all before he turns 30. This is too much for any human body to take, and yes, we all hope he comes back and plays football for the team we love, but let’s remember Gronk’s gotta live with this body well past his football playing days.
So yes, I’m sick for Gronk and can only hope that he somehow bounces back from this and is okay and isn’t, you know, in a wheelchair before he’s 40.
Okay, now let’s talk how this affects the Patriots. Of course it’s a blow but before everyone jumps off the bridge (as they’re already doing), let’s remember that the Patriots have the best Gronk backup in their history this season. I know Martellus Bennett is battling injuries himself, but when he’s a full-go he’s just about as close as you can get to Gronk. This is why they got him and if he can get over his ankle and shoulder problems, the Patriots offense is still the deepest and most talented in the NFL. Even without Gronk. So chill.
Last year, the Patriots should’ve gone to overtime in Denver playing with one-footed Edelman, one-legged Amendola, Gronk still recovering from a knee injury, no Lewis, almost-retired Steven Jackson, an ineffective Brandon LaFell and an out-of-the-league Keshawn Martin. Now you’ve got Bennett, Dion Lewis, Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Hogan in the mix and there’s really no comparison.
And it’s not like there are all these other uber-talented offenses that the Patriots just won’t be able to keep up with just because they don’t have Rob Gronkowski. They will be fine.
There’s still five games to go. More injuries could happen. But right now, if you’re closing the book on the 2016 Patriots, you’re seriously lacking any sense of perspective on how good the Patriots are no matter what personnel they roll out and how not that good the rest of the NFL is this year.
And let’s not forget, Gronk could very well be back!
Typical disc surgery return can be as fast as 6-8 weeks.
Hope @RobGronkowski @Patriots returns by late playoffs. https://t.co/4EbLb4Mvvn— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) December 1, 2016
Yes, the trade of AJ Derby certainly looks bad now. You’d love to be able to sit Marty against the Rams and prepare for the critical games against Baltimore and Denver, but I don’t think Matt Lengel is the guy to roll out there as the solo tight end. And really, would Derby even be that guy?
As for those who think it’s time for the Patriots to part ways with Gronkowski, I wouldn’t rush to anything just yet. You do have to wonder how much more punishment his body can continue to take and whether the Patriots think they can ever again rely on him for a full 16 game season.
I wouldn’t rule out Gronk deciding to retire. He’s already set records and has plenty of other off field interests to keep him busy. Though I’m just not sure if he could be truly satisfied at this point in his life without football. Those are decision to be made after the season and I’d expect there will be some jiggering on Gronk’s contract.
For now, the Patriots have likely eight possible games left. This is a blow, but that’s what the NFL is now, a battle of attrition as much as anything else. There could be more of these kind of hits coming. They just have to keep fighting, and no one keeps fighting harder. Overcoming obstacles like this can bring a team even closer together.
They’ve overcome worse and still have enough weapons to take down any defense in the NFL. If Gronk does return this season, it will be a spectacular and exciting boost at the most critical time of year, and if he doesn’t the Pats will still go down swinging with everything they’ve got, which is still a lot.
Thanks for the level-headed take here, Mike. First and foremost, I am primarily concerned about Gronk’s health going forward and how this injury may affect his mindset going forward in regards to approaching his life & football. I can’t help but feel so, so sorry for the guy and how he has yet another surgery and brutal injury to overcome at such a young age. He’s obviously in great physical shape overall, and that will always help him going forward, but at some point all the scar tissue, all the rehab, all the physical punishment and toll from football he’s absorbed — it’s hard not to imagine it will catch up with him at some point, and thinking about that is truly heartbreaking. I remember Gronk said he was crying when he tore his ACL and wondered if he’d ever be able to play again, and I can’t help but wonder what he must be thinking and going through now.
As far as the Patriots are concerned, I do think they are more capable of overcoming not having him on the field than in years past, as they showed when they were able to play well without Gronk AND Brady earlier in the season. Brady will undoubtedly have to continue to rely on guys like Malcolm Mitchell, Edelman, Hogan, and James White, all of whom made major plays on the game-winning drive against the Jets this past Sunday, and hopefully, Dion Lewis, Bennett, Amendola, Blount, et. al can make sizeable contributions as well. At the moment, I’m very torn on whether or not Gronk is better off being placed on IR now, but perhaps the Patriots are better off waiting and taking things one week at a time. When the divisional round of the playoffs approaches, they’ll probably have a better idea of the probability of Gronk coming back any time soon, and they can cross that bridge then if they are fortunate enough to reach it.
Tough blow but they just keep chugging. Thoughts and prayers to Gronk!
Great read. As you mentioned after the Seahawks and repeated again above… the Patriots with Brady will always be swinging to the very end. They don’t go down easily. The margin for error has definitely decreased dramatically, especially with regards to further injuries. But we’ll most probably have no wild-card game to play and then the divisional game at home.
The only thing I really have to say is what you mentioned regarding AJ Derby… I’m not saying it was a mistake to trade him but the depth around tight end has been really, really thin the entire season. That’s entirely on BB and it now puts Bennett’s health in jeopardy as well. Only having two tight ends was a gamble and if Marty injury can’t heal until the playoffs because we can’t afford to rest him… it’s a gamble by BB that cost us dearly.