Report: Gronk to take his sweet time coming back from ACL.

I'm not sure if this is quoting the post that quoted mine, still trying to figure out the new format. But as for the timetable I definitely remember last year they were talking PUP and giving time frames that Gronk would be out early on. That sparked alot of debates last offseason.

Brady6 said:

NESN is using far too much Bleacher Report information lately. Gronkowski is fine, he protein loading as we speak, I fully expect him to be a go in week 1 of the regular season. If anything the injury has likely taught him that, it does not matter if you come back early or take your time the risk for injury is still great in the NFL so you play when you can.

Click to expand...

Although it is far too early to put much stock in the report, the Bleacher Report was done by Mike Freeman who is a fairly prominent national guy who worked for CBS for a number of years.

PATSYLICIOUS said:

I'm not sure if this is quoting the post that quoted mine, still trying to figure out the new format. But as for the timetable I definitely remember last year they were talking PUP and giving time frames that Gronk would be out early on. That sparked alot of debates last offseason.

Click to expand...

Yes, I recall many articles about what could happen with Gronk. But I don't remember any of them coming from NE. The point I'm making is, all articles on his timetable will be speculation or rumors just like last year. All you'll hear from Gronk or BB is that he's progressing and working. When he's ready, he'll play.

Pats need him for the playoffs and the last few years he has been hampered or out with an injury. I don't have a problem with him taking his time.

Who the heck are reporters or any of us to judge when and whether Gronkowski can return and at what level of activity? This is is his livelihood, so he has every incentive to be back on the practice and/or playing field in a timely manner.

If BB or his teammates ever say they have a problem with his timing, then I will have a problem; until then, I take the view that I wouldn't last thirty seconds between the lines during an NFL game and I'm willing to let those guys make this kind of determination.

signbabybrady said:

I don't think what week he actually comes back is the problem it's the idea that he isn't going to rush back. He should want to and be doing everything humanly possible to get back as soon as possible. It's not how much time it takes but the idea he will take his time.

Click to expand...

But, aside from some idle speculation, we have no way of knowing whether he "will take his time" vs. come back in the right time. Unless BB or Brady say they have a problem, I'm good.

Brady hinted at it last year, when he told Troy Aikman that Gronk looks great in practice.

PATSYLICIOUS said:

LOL there is a 'dumb' button too. Got to agree with supafly, until we see an actual timetable it's tough to get upset by this.

Click to expand...

Oh good dumb and old buttons.

Recently I've seen a lot of people saying that nowadays ACL's surgeries are usual and players recover well back and forth, I understand that medicine has advanced a lot and it's not career ending injuries like in the past, but it's still no light injury. It does some damage in the internal structure and anatomy of the injured person, take it easy. That said, I think Gronk is more prone to a AP recovery than a RG3, because like AP, he's also a freak of nature and RG3 had previous ACL surgeries.

But the mental process is tough, everyone who has played a game that requires intensity and speed knows that when you go to the court or field lacking confidence, afraid to get injured or re injured, YOU'RE GOING TO GET HURT. When you wreck your car, your driving ability diminishes for a while, it does not mind if you're confident or not, it's instinctive, your brain breaks you for a while. It happens with normal people and even with professional drivers, I used to follow Formula One and Indy very close, I read and watched a lot of interviews, that's the top of the top of racing. It works that way in sports too, some people can "forget" for a moment and play like nothing have ever happened, some take some time. It's to easy to complain siting on the couch.

I can't say at all that Gronk is soft, I wish he was, maybe he would not got his knee blown out. I've said many times here that if he doesn't change his style and intensity, things will not change much, he will play just a few games every season until get IR'd again. The approach from now on should be him playing a la Lloyd.

With that said, this whole situation hurts the team a lot, we definitely need to draft 2 TE next draft since we didn't improve on the FA, we have no depth at all at this position where Brady depends a lot to keep the chains moving.

Brady2Gronk said:

Good for you. Since when is walking in snow comparable to playing NFL level football?

I had my ACL reconstructed a few years ago and I was playing sports again after about 9 months. Took me about 12 months to get back to normal.

Click to expand...

While I am on your side of this discussion (this thread is nothing but uninformed and at times laughable speculation on what someone anonymous said about what he thought Gronkowski said when none of us can know anything about Gronk's actual condition or what he actually did say, if indeed he said anything like it), I think the other poster's comment that he trudged through two feet of snow at a young age "uphill both ways" is a tip off that he was kidding on that particular point.

I don't blame him for taking his time coming back from his 3rd major injury in as many years. But frankly, I've pretty much given up on Gronk. If he comes back and can stay healthy, great - gravy. But if I am the Pats, I am planning this year (and my team) as if he isn't going to be there. They should be looking for another spectacular tight end as, in my opinion, we've lost the two we had.

PatsDeb said:

I don't blame him for taking his time coming back from his 3rd major injury in as many years. But frankly, I've pretty much given up on Gronk. If he comes back and can stay healthy, great - gravy. But if I am the Pats, I am planning this year (and my team) as if he isn't going to be there. They should be looking for another spectacular tight end as, in my opinion, we've lost the two we had.

Click to expand...

My thoughts as well. I see him as a luxury at this stage, not someone to build the offense around.

2000army said:

and how long did it really take for him to get back into form?

Click to expand...

you tell me? I don't know what you mean by "form"

SB39 said:

Correct if I'm wrong, but we're not talking aobut Wes Welker, are we?

Click to expand...

Nope, were talking about Rob Gronkowski. What does that have to do with anything? Are you saying that Gronk is a significantly slower healer than Welker and other NFL players to the point where he won't be ready to play week 1 or are you saying Gronk is worried about Gronk above all else and will come back when he feels he's ready (Drose)?

Tunescribe said:

My thoughts as well. I see him as a luxury at this stage, not someone to build the offense around.

Click to expand...

Tune,

I actually disagree with you and Deb simply because I firmly believe Gronk has been snakebit with the arm fiasco and then the fluke knee slam. He will IMO make up for this lost time going forward.

I wonder what Bill would do if a team made a legitimate offer for Gronk. I think he'd at least listen now. Not because his timetable for a return more so because he's been banged up.

Raymond said:

Tune,

I actually disagree with you and Deb simply because I firmly believe Gronk has been snakebit with the arm fiasco and then the fluke knee slam. He will IMO make up for this lost time going forward.

Click to expand...

If he doesn't make up for it...this will be his only big and final contract he gets. People question about him wanting to play...he should know that he has to start playing a lot of games in order to get ANOTHER big pay day..or it's done in terms of pay days. He will want to be back soon enough

Patsbacker said:

I wonder what Bill would do if a team made a legitimate offer for Gronk. I think he'd at least listen now. Not because his timetable for a return more so because he's been banged up.

Click to expand...

I hear you.. and the little Madden GM in me would strongly consider a legitimate offer as well.. but I'd anguish and grow old over it.

Look at what Brady was doing with a healthy Gronk.. He put up 55 on the Steelers.

Also Belichick has been trying to put the right pieces together for his TE offense since he got here. Gronk is literally and figuratively a HUGE part of that.

Here's wishing Gronk a healthy and productive year, all year, every year.

ensoul said:

Pats need him for the playoffs and the last few years he has been hampered or out with an injury. I don't have a problem with him taking his time.

Click to expand...

I agree but really the faster he gets back the better we will all be. Definitely take you time coming back but don't go crazy slow. I don't want Gronk to take till week 8 to come back I want him back a soon, so he can get a full summer of practice and be better then ever when the season starts.

A source close to Gronkowski told me that "he does not want to retire and wants to play football again"

I really think we could do without the armchair psychology in this thread. Nobody has any actual insight to offer on that front.

Maybe, rather than trying to analyze the innermost fears of someone that nobody here has actually met, we should just take it for what it is. If any of this is even true, it just means that he wants to be sure that he's healthy before he comes back. Which... sounds like a good idea.

Even if you want to take it out to the extreme, the most damning possible interpretation of this is that maybe he just doesn't trust the Pats and their medical staff, and if that's the case I really can't blame him, considering that in the past two seasons he, Wilfork, and Dobson have all suffered major injuries while playing through smaller injuries that they debatably shouldn't have been playing through.