It's a matter of severity and those comparing it to Pouncey or Roethlisberger are mistaken because Pouncey arrived at the Super Bowl on crutches and stayed that way, whereas Roethlisberger was limping badly between games down the stretch and I doubt he was ever walking as easily Gronkowski was coming off that plane.
This is exactly the point that I can't believe everyone is missing. I've asked several times for these experts to clarify what they are saying, because they appear to be so far off-base.
First, can someone please explain to me how his injury would be WORSE now than it was upon injuring it initially? The swelling has certainly subsided right now, so how is it that his ligaments are in worse shape than they were a week ago, when he was running past defenders on that terrible Brady INT? Please explain how this is possible, seriously.
Further on this point is what you said about Roethlisberger and Pouncey. Pouncey needed to be taken off the field on a car. Why? Because obviously his ligament tear was so bad that he couldn't walk. So, it's not surprising that he was on crutches two weeks later and couldn't play in the Super Bowl. As for Roethlisberger? He immediately began limping around all gimpy, obviously favoring one leg. For the rest of the game, he hopped all over the place because his ankle was obviously bothering him severely.
Gronk? We've now seen him twice since his injury. First, he was inserted back into the game, jumping up and down and celebrating, running what seemed like 80%+ speed, and then celebrating at the ceremony. We then saw him a week later walking in a boot (which the media called a
large walking boot, really!) He did not gimpy, limpy, or in pain.
So, we are tortured over the next week on whether we should believe our initial reaction, our eyes, and that we've seen a guy who is obviously going to play and be effective, or if we should instead believe a bunch of media members who, exactly like us, have no other information other than previous injuries, wikipedia entries about high ankle sprains, and some quack doctor in New York. By the way, in the article by Clark Judge, where he puts plenty of gloom and doom into Gronk's prospects, he mentions Pouncey about 10 times without mentioning the clear difference in severity, and the fact Pouncey was on crutches.