What are your expectations moving forward with Gronkowski?

everlong said:

With the rule changes and DBs going low it's not a 50\50 proposition especially given his history.

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The injury he got this year would have happened before the rule change. The rule change had nothing to do with that play. When you have a guy who is something like 5'9" trying to hit Gronk, he is going to go low no matter the rules.

I still think people are making too much of this though.

Observer said:

Easy solution for Gronkowski: go down if you are tackled !

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That advice doesn't really help for block on PATs and having DBs lunging at your knees.

The guy is just really unlucky. Time to get him some rabbit foots and 4 leaf clovers.:rocker:

I expect that at some point Gronkowski will take his shirt off and dance again in public.

I feel very strongly about this.

I believe the Patriots need more legitimate threats on the outside at receiver and they need another viable option at the second tight end position. When gronk returned this year, he was targeted way to much for my liking. I just knew that the increase in targets would result in injury and turnovers. In the best situation, gronk should have help at outside receiver to make some tough physical catches as well. A strong running game should help as well. in short, Gronk shouldn't be "THE GUY".

He'll come back, be dominant like he is, and then probably get injured.

His physical stature and playing style is conducive to injuries. But it's also what makes him great.

Someone in another thread don't play him until the playoffs. Lets just do that.

I think all Gronk needs is to give up YAC for his own safety. Hurdle a person, let people bounce off you, but when people are hanging off your back just go down.

Why are people acting like Gronk was carrying four defenders and breaking tackles when he got hurt this year? He had just caught the ball and had his legs taken out by the S. That probably won't be changing. He's huge and will be bigger than any DB he faces; they have to go low to get him to the ground. It's not the broken tackles he has that have caused his injuries:

- ankle injured being tackled by satan, who grabbed him around the waste and corralled him to the ground;
- broken arm happened on an XP while blocking;
- broken arm again landing out of bounds trying to catch a pass;
- and knee shot being hit by a S low right after catching a pass.

If anything, it's just the size and strength of Gronk (save for the freak broken arm) that is his downfall, at the moment. Players just can't tackle the guy like a WR so they have to go low which can cause injuries.

Rob0729 said:

The injury he got this year would have happened before the rule change. The rule change had nothing to do with that play. When you have a guy who is something like 5'9" trying to hit Gronk, he is going to go low no matter the rules.

I still think people are making too much of this though.

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Disagree. In the past guys tried to blow people up high like the Big Bang Clock. Dustin Keller another example. You never saw Lott, Harrison, Atwater, etc going low like that.

Freak injuries, nothing more. Nothing less.

When he is playing..he is the best TE in the game...can he stay healthy? He has been very unlucky...so i don't know

He will be fine. Just a rough patch in his career. He will be doing spikes for 19 games next year.

Like with Bob Sanders, Gronk being hurt stops being an excuse at some point when the guy is always injured. Same with Talib. At this point the Patriots should move forward as if Gronkowski isn't there. If he is, great, but they can't count on him. Apparently this draft is TE-deep, so they should target one or two. Tony Gonzalez would be a great pickup if they could convince him to play.

TonyTucker said:

Like with Bob Sanders, Gronk being hurt stops being an excuse at some point when the guy is always injured. Same with Talib. At this point the Patriots should move forward as if Gronkowski isn't there. If he is, great, but they can't count on him. Apparently this draft is TE-deep, so they should target one or two. Tony Gonzalez would be a great pickup if they could convince him to play.

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Tony wants a ring..he won't get one in ATL with mike smith. Pats offer him a great chance

3 super bowl wins.

Sometimes just going to the ground rather than try to get that extra 3 yards will help keep you healthy.

NE has to get another TE in the draft and there are great prospects, if they don't I think we will see another season like this year.

Ebron
Amaro
Jenkins
Niklas - 6'7" 270

We're supposed to predict whether he gets hit on bones and joints in a violent game of collisions? Wait a minute, let me put on my turban and look in my crystal ball.

You can only assume he will get hit hard and get injured, to think anything else would be naive.

Is he injury prone though? I don't think we can give a fair assessment of that until we see how next year plays out. He was healthy his first two seasons and the last two have just been very unlucky plays with the broken forearm on the extra point and the ACL tear that would have broken any other players leg in half.

Impossible to say at this point. On one hand, his injuries are all of the freak/unavoidable variety. He's not like Talib, where he keeps getting sidelined by the same chronic issue. OTOH, he's had significant injuries in each of the past three seasons, and at some point that's probably a reflection of his style of play.

In short, I dunno.