Gronk Contingency Planning, If Any

[Brady6]

Let's assume that Gronk will NOT be "fine" for the sake of discussion.

Let's further assume that BB will find out in the next week or so that Gronk will not be ready on Day 1 and could be out for a while thereafter.

To be clear, these are just assumptions. They are not predictions. There's no need to debate in this particular thread whether Gronk will, in fact, be OK for all or part of next sesson. Go to the main Gronk thread for that conversation, please.

My focus is on what Bill might do if he knows or has good reason to believe he will not have a lot of Gronk next season.

Specifically, what do you think Bill should and will do under those circumstances? Or will he do anything differently at all? Do you think he should?

Will he augment TE? Will he dig deeper into the wallet at WR? Offer Sanders a contract? Make a trade for a WR? Short Herbalife stock? Fantasize about Kate Upton?

What will he do?????

I think worst case it's an early season situation which I think can be filled by Ballard adequately. I also suspect this is part of the reason Fells was retained and Michael H was tendered. If this was a full season situation it's really tough because unless Detroit cuts Johnson Jr their really isn't another player that offers an undefendable skill set like those guys.

Either way Gronk healthy or not healthy we need to draft at least 1 WR just to be able to put an offense on the field.

 

[tonyto3690]

Not worried at all about losing Gronk for (max) two games because of this. Really, he should be good by mid training camp, let alone preseason and then the regular season.

Even if we were to lose Gronk for significant time, we've shown we can put up points in the regular season without him. As long as he's ready for the playoffs that's all that matters. Brady can carry us through the regular season with Ridley, Hernandez and Branch- and that's not even an issue because TE depth is really not a problem.

Ballard is a borderline top 10 TE in his own right.
Hernandez is top 5.
Fells is capable as a #3 TE
Hooman is a good #3 TE, solid #2 TE.


What worries me is that our only quality receiver is made out of glass.

 

[JackBauer]

Fells is capable as a #3 TE
Hooman is a good #3 TE, solid #2 TE.

I don't know what you saw last year to make you think this.

I had high hopes for Fells, but he sat on the bench behind Hooman...the guy who can't block and isn't a threat at all in the passing game.

 

[tonyto3690]

I don't know what you saw last year to make you think this.

I had high hopes for Fells, but he sat on the bench behind Hooman...the guy who can't block and isn't a threat at all in the passing game.

Fells was definitely a disappointment, but he was extremely underrated as a blocker. Hooman was also very underrated as a pass blocker.

Brady could have thrown to them more, but when you have Welker, Hernandez, and Lloyd, they are going to be your primary options 99% of the time.

 

[edboc]

Would they look at drafting a TE in the 3rd round? Maybe Kelce or Escobar?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Would they look at drafting a TE in the 3rd round? Maybe Kelce or Escobar?

No, just NO!!!!!!


UDFA

 

[Brady6]

Fells was definitely a disappointment, but he was extremely underrated as a blocker. Hooman was also very underrated as a pass blocker.

Brady could have thrown to them more, but when you have Welker, Hernandez, and Lloyd, they are going to be your primary options 99% of the time.

Hoomam was a good blocker IMO too. I think he is good fit for the FB/Blocking TE role. Fells I think struggled with an injury all year at least I hope he did because he was really disappointing.

 

[Brady6]

Would they look at drafting a TE in the 3rd round? Maybe Kelce or Escobar?

No because when Gronk is back your sitting a kid that should be on the field and playing a scrub in a position that you needed to improve but allocated to many resources to one position. You already have $100+ million dollars directed to that position over the next 5 years can't spend draft picks there too. Accept a temporary decline in production from that position and focus on improving the other positions around it to compensate, that way when he is back you're a well rounded team.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

again..we don't even know when ballard will be 100%. no way he can come in and fill gronks shoes. like people saying edelman could come in here and produce the same as welker. he is a good back up for gronk...but still a huge downgrade

2 breaks in 1 bone and an infection. Infections can last months and months. This could linger a while here

 

[Brady6]

again..we don't even know when ballard will be 100%. no way he can come in and fill gronks shoes. like people saying edelman could come in here and produce the same as welker. he is a good back up for gronk...but still a huge downgrade

2 breaks in 1 bone and an infection. Infections can last months and months. This could linger a while here

Brady had an infection issue to with his knee. Maybe Mass General should order hand sanitize.

 

[RI Patriots fan]

This guy will be filling in....that's who:


Jake Ballard Highlights - YouTube

 

[BradyFTW!]

This is the entire reason why ballard was signed last year.

 

[Avenger]

next man up.

 

[Tunescribe]

I would roll with Ballard and Hernandez at TE. But I'd be more willing to spend and draft at WR than I was before. Make no mistake, I view WR as a huge need regardless of Gronk's health, but him going down just puts a finer point on it.

I don't view the decision to dedicate more resources to WR as a panic move. I view it as a necessary adjustment to the loss of their best all around receiver regardless of position.

Again, this all assumes that BB will know that Gronk is out...which may not happen.

I wouldn't even call Hernandez a tight end at this juncture; he's simply a receiver who lines up at that position. He can't/won't block effectively on either passing or running plays.

 

[Joker]

It's April...if the past 13 years have taught us anything it's that anything associated with the Patriots is going to be blown up sky high and "it's all BAD BAD BAD!!!!!!!!" will reverberate from millions of TV's as ESPN goes nutso berzerko with their over the top hatred agenda and constant negativity when the topic is anything Patriots.

The Patriots are a TEAM...not one player...and as much as the pinheaded media morons want to rejoice and scream out all their "real bad!!!!!!!" fantasies, the reality is Gronkowski and the Patriots will handle his return to the field in their own proven way.The staff will build the roster as they see fit and we'll see what happens.

There is not one media idiot that knows a dyam thing...not one...they are all ultimately only interested in their own ultra important "careers"...I neither need nor want any of their gaggling geese in the dark honkings to interfere with the enjoyment I get from OUR sport. I mean, if Skip Bayless got crushed by a girder on the a NYC street, my life would not be affected in any way...the same goes for Cowherd, Plaschke,Wilbon, Kornheiser..and on and on...they are just fake sports personalities...Kornheiser has about as much in common with any "sport" as a one legged drunk has in an azz kicking contest.

The sad fact is that they DO infect our lives with their vacuous opinions....constantly...it's like a cottage industry....I look at what they sell from the point of view that Macbeth does...




"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing."

 

[Brady2Moss]

It's April...if the past 13 years have taught us anything it's that anything associated with the Patriots is going to be blown up sky high and "it's all BAD BAD BAD!!!!!!!!" will reverberate from millions of TV's as ESPN goes nutso berzerko with their over the top hatred agenda and constant negativity when the topic is anything Patriots.

The Patriots are a TEAM...not one player...and as much as the pinheaded media morons want to rejoice and scream out all their "real bad!!!!!!!" fantasies, the reality is Gronkowski and the Patriots will handle his return to the field in their own proven way.The staff will build the roster as they see fit and we'll see what happens.

There is not one media idiot that knows a dyam thing...not one...they are all ultimately only interested in their own ultra important "careers"...I neither need nor want any of their gaggling geese in the dark honkings to interfere with the enjoyment I get from OUR sport. I mean, if Skip Bayless got crushed by a girder on the a NYC street, my life would not be affected in any way...the same goes for Cowherd, Plaschke,Wilbon, Kornheiser..and on and on...they are just fake sports personalities...Kornheiser has about as much in common with any "sport" as a one legged drunk has in an azz kicking contest.

The sad fact is that they DO infect our lives with their vacuous opinions....constantly...it's like a cottage industry....I look at what they sell from the point of view that Macbeth does...




"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing."

The past 2 years its been about 1 player being unavailable for the final game of the season, resulting in losses that probably don't happen if said player is there. Don't need ESPN to tell you that.

 

[supafly]

This is the entire reason why ballard was signed last year.

This guy will be filling in....that's who:


Jake Ballard Highlights - YouTube

That's a mighty big and very optimistic assumption right there, considering the fact that he isn't even currently healthy himself and is still trying to rehab back from a very major injury.

Not meaning to be negative, but yesterday's comments from Reiss didn't make me feel like Jake Ballard was going to be anywhere near a sure thing. He claimed that he was in the process of rehabbing and "may be in the mix for a role in the 2013 season." That doesn't sound like someone who's going to be able to replace Rob Gronkowski on any level, but you never know.

Ballard has a career total of 38 catches in his three year career, and wasn't good enough to see any action at all in his rookie year. On top of that he's not even healthy. What is it about this guy that screams "replacement" to Gronkowski anymore than last year's projections of stealing away Denver's #1 TE in Fells, or making Schiancoe our only roster exemption on IR? Weren't they both supposed to do the same thing?

I'll pull the old "cautiously optimistic" card out on this one. In the meantime, I just hope he gets healthy enough to see the field and that his knee holds up to provide us some depth. The truth is that NO ONE is going to be anything of a contingency plan for Rob Gronkowski, as we already have seen. They'd have to go back to 3 wide sets and hope that our running game and Hernandez can carry us.

 

[Nehalem]

Not meaning to be negative, but yesterday's comments from Reiss didn't make me feel like Jake Ballard was going to be anywhere near a sure thing. He claimed that he was in the process of rehabbing and "may be in the mix for a role in the 2013 season." That doesn't sound like someone who's going to be able to replace Rob Gronkowski on any level, but you never know.

Which sounds exactly like what Bill Belichick wants everyone to think

Ballard has a career total of 38 catches in his three year career, and wasn't good enough to see any action at all in his rookie year. On top of that he's not even healthy. What is it about this guy that screams "replacement" to Gronkowski anymore than last year's projections of stealing away Denver's #1 TE in Fells, or making Schiancoe our only roster exemption on IR? Weren't they both supposed to do the same thing?

Ballard's one season of real action is better than any season Fells has ever had. In fact it compares favorably with Gronk's rookie year.

I think IF Ballard is healthy there is reason to be optimistic he could be a passable Gronk fill in.

 

[Kontradiction]

That's a mighty big and very optimistic assumption right there, considering the fact that he isn't even currently healthy himself and is still trying to rehab back from a very major injury.

Not meaning to be negative, but yesterday's comments from Reiss didn't make me feel like Jake Ballard was going to be anywhere near a sure thing. He claimed that he was in the process of rehabbing and "may be in the mix for a role in the 2013 season." That doesn't sound like someone who's going to be able to replace Rob Gronkowski on any level, but you never know.

Ballard has a career total of 38 catches in his three year career, and wasn't good enough to see any action at all in his rookie year. On top of that he's not even healthy. What is it about this guy that screams "replacement" to Gronkowski anymore than last year's projections of stealing away Denver's #1 TE in Fells, or making Schiancoe our only roster exemption on IR? Weren't they both supposed to do the same thing?

I'll pull the old "cautiously optimistic" card out on this one. In the meantime, I just hope he gets healthy enough to see the field and that his knee holds up to provide us some depth. The truth is that NO ONE is going to be anything of a contingency plan for Rob Gronkowski, as we already have seen. They'd have to go back to 3 wide sets and hope that our running game and Hernandez can carry us.

Reiss sounded like he was guessing at best. It might be an informed guess but it's still a guess. Anybody can look at a guy with a major knee injury and state, "well, he might be in the mix this season".

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

This guy will be filling in....that's who:


Jake Ballard Highlights - YouTube

guy with 35 catches in 3 years? Defiantly up to the challenge....