Patriots teammate on Gronk: I want him to look out for No. 1

Patriots Teammate on Gronkowski: 'I Want Him to Look out for No. 1.' | Bleacher Report

Interestingly, it was just last year when Gronkowski, according to ESPN's Ed Werder, was criticized anonymously by teammates for what they perceived as Gronkowski taking his sweet time to return after yet another surgery. Now I'm hearing the opposite from players. They want him to take his time, even if doing so hurts the team overall.

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Who is getting/sending these txts? Freeman? Grain of salt IMO

This is obviously fabricated news. I'm not even going to click in this link.

Brady_to_Moss said:

Who is getting/sending these txts? Freeman? Grain of salt IMO

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Freeman is a pretty reliable and respected writer, so I believe this carries some weight. I'm glad that there are players in that locker room that want him to look out for his personal health and well-being.

Right, as opposed to those players who want their teammates to disregard their health & well being!

Not sure if the story is fabricated or not, but there's a layer of truth to it. If Gronk keeps playing and getting injured as he has, his NFL career will be a very short one.

PatsWickedPissah said:

Right, as opposed to those players who want their teammates to disregard their health & well being!

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Fair point. But this does represent a bit of a shift in thinking among his teammates. There were reports last year, such as the one by Ed Werder, that certain teammates resented Gronk for not coming back earlier last year. Football players are basically programmed to win at all costs without regard to their future health or well being.

Scott Fujita sums up that mentality well in the article,

"Every player should do what's in the best interests of his long-term health," he told me. "But weighing that against what you're innately programmed to do is the challenge. How many times did I actually do what was ultimately in my best interests, from a health standpoint? Maybe once or twice in 25 years of playing this game. And that was only when I was in my 30s, married with three kids, and finally cared about the big picture.

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"It is true that without a threat like Gronkowski, the Patriots won't reach the Super Bowl."

I understand the sentiment but they were one game away last year

primetime said:

"It is true that without a threat like Gronkowski, the Patriots won't reach the Super Bowl."

I understand the sentiment but they were one game away last year

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And they got demolished in that one game. Last year's team had a lot of issues. I'm not sure if they beat Denver @ Denver with a healthy Gronk but I do certainly believe that they wouldn't have lost to Miami in Week 15 last year (the game right after they lost Gronk). If they win that game, they finish 13-3 and would have had home field advantage throughout the playoffs - thus, they would have played in Foxboro against the Broncos in the playoffs and not in 60 degree weather at Mile High.


In my opinion, Gronk not being healthy in the 2012 SB vs the Giants (ankle) and again in the postseason vs. the Texans/Ravens (forearm) is the biggest reason why the Patriots don't have another SB title. If Gronk were healthy in the SB against the Giants, they win. Likewise, if he were healthy against the Ravens in 2013 conf. championship I think the Pats win that game and play against the 49ers in New Orleans

primetime said:

"It is true that without a threat like Gronkowski, the Patriots won't reach the Super Bowl."

I understand the sentiment but they were one game away last year

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True. They were exactly one game away from the privilege of getting totally annihilated and embarrassed on national television by the Seahawks. That they were in the AFCCG was only a testament to just how bad the AFC was compared to the NFC.

Gronk's theme:

'My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—It gives a lovely light!' -- Edna St. Vincent Millay

NE_PATS_FAN_54 said:

And they got demolished in that one game. Last year's team had a lot of issues. I'm not sure if they beat Denver @ Denver with a healthy Gronk but I do certainly believe that they wouldn't have lost to Miami in Week 15 last year (the game right after they lost Gronk). If they win that game, they finish 13-3 and would have had home field advantage throughout the playoffs - thus, they would have played in Foxboro against the Broncos in the playoffs and not in 60 degree weather at Mile High.
s

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That season came down to either a BS pushing penalty that we will probably never see again, which was a joke and cost them home field, or the non-call on the Gronk hug (more BS). Yeah, they could have won that Miami game. A ball went of DAs fingertips that would have sealed it.

But the bottom line is, regardless of Gronk, if; Mayo ,Kelly,Vollmer, Vilfork weren't on IR, and Talib and DA gimping even that game in Denver could have gone different.

There were lots of factors leading up to that AFCGG loss. Gronk was only one of them and not the main reason. I think the Pats healthy without Gronk would have had a much better chance at home against Denver.

Bruins29 said:

There were lots of factors leading up to that AFCGG loss. Gronk was only one of them and not the main reason. I think the Pats healthy without Gronk would have had a much better chance at home against Denver.

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I gotta disagree with this tremendously.

The offense was middle of the pack without Gronk, and #1 with Gronk. It's that clear-cut. If one guy takes your offense from average to best in the league, then the health of that guy is going to dictate the outcome of your season. Same goes for Brady. These are game-changing players whose value over replacement is astronomically high.

We are a different team with Gronk, and with players like that, players that make one side of the ball THAT much better, you can handle a few weak spots on the rosters, or a few bad calls, or playing on the road, etc..

BradyManny said:

I gotta disagree with this tremendously.

The offense was middle of the pack without Gronk, and #1 with Gronk. It's that clear-cut. If one guy takes your offense from average to best in the league, then the health of that guy is going to dictate the outcome of your season. Same goes for Brady. These are game-changing players whose value over replacement is astronomically high.

We are a different team with Gronk, and with players like that, players that make one side of the ball THAT much better, you can handle a few weak spots on the rosters, or a few bad calls, or playing on the road, etc..

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You can disagree all you want. I think its hard to disagree with this logic. These factors lead up to that loss:

1. Pushing call - costing us home field
2. Miami loss by inches - cost us home field
3. Non-PI call on Gronk AFTER flag was thrown - cost us home field.
4. Mayo on IR
5. Willfork on IR
6. Soldier on IR
7. Gronk on IR
8. Kelly on IR
9. Amendola injured all season
10. Talib injured most of the season.

If we were at home, we may have had a better shot. If we were at home without several star players injured we would have had a better shot, if we were at home without 4 pro bowl players on IR we would have had a better shot.

While Gronk is a game changer he is not the only reason we lost. would he have helped? Sure, but perhaps not as much as home field, with a healthier team.

NE_PATS_FAN_54 said:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2163060-patriots-teammate-on-gronkowski-i-want-him-to-look-out-for-no-1

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... unless he has to go #2.

Bruins29 said:

1. Pushing call - costing us home field
2. Miami loss by inches - cost us home field
3. Non-PI call on Gronk AFTER flag was thrown - cost us home field.
4. Mayo on IR
5. Willfork on IR
6. Soldier on IR
7. Gronk on IR
8. Kelly on IR
9. Amendola injured all season
10. Talib injured most of the season.

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Bad calls and losing key players happens every season and it happened to Denver, too. The point is, if specifically #7 on that list doesn't happen, we probably win the AFCCG, and items #1-6 & #7-10 are moot.

The Talib injury being the possible exception, since his injury was almost on par with Gronk's in terms of how much it hurt the team.

But yes, I do think we win the AFCCG with a healthy Gronk, even in Denver, even without all those guys. The guy is worth 10-12 points.

Spiral said:

Gronk's theme:

'My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—It gives a lovely light!' -- Edna St. Vincent Millay

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As a Babylon 5 fan, I imagine that sung to the melody "The Yellow Rose of Texas", and misattributed to Emily ****inson.

As for Gronk -- I'm guessing last year's story was bad reporting, and what's now being reported have mainly been the views all along. Actually, Freeman sort of says that, before sort of saying the opposite by acknowledging last year's reporting.

While many have long been disappointed that Gronk wasn't on the field, or wasn't on the field predictably, probably only a smallish minority of those disappointed have truly thought it was due to lack of toughness on his part.

If he has another severe season ending injury, i hope he ponders retirement tbh. He already has a bunch of money, no reason to keep destroying your body.