Report: Gronkowski May Require Back Surgery

[Oswlek]

Yes, I saw the play many times. How much critical thinking does one need to catch a pass? What about a juke?

systema rolling 2 closer to the ground - YouTube

How much critical thinking is this guy doing?

They're physical skills that one trains, do it enough and there is no thinking, you simply react. I've seen other Patriots players put their arm out to try to break falls with bad results, Brandon Tate almost cost Brady a TD at 2:36 by putting his arm out.

Brandon Tate Highlights - YouTube

I think the Pats coaching staff should bring in people to better train the players on this skill but I still have to place blame on Gronk for trying to absorb a ton of impact with the bodypart he just broke.

Great, but you are still discounting the fact that 99.9% of humanity would put their arm out, it is just what people naturally do. Even more so when the other arm is busy trying to hold onto the ball.

You are making this out to be poor judgement of some sort on Gronk, either by the action or failing to train, but both are misguided.

 

[Brady2Moss]

Honestly, and I mean this, you make me laugh more than any poster on this board, and that covers 5+ years. You have a spectacular sense of humor. Don't ever lose it !

Your crap post filled with useless hyperbole gets deconstructed and your response is to act like a child. Good job.

 

[Jackson 2]

Your crap post filled with useless hyperbole gets deconstructed and your response is to act like a child. Good job.

Thank you. I was afraid I might have gotten under your skin a bit. Glad I didn't. Your opinions are important to those of us on this board and I'm gratified we'll continue to receive them. Keep up the good work!

 

[Brady2Moss]

Thank you. I was afraid I might have gotten under your skin a bit. Glad I didn't. Your opinions are important to those of us on this board and I'm gratified we'll continue to receive them. Keep up the good work!

But you didn't get under my skin, it appears I have gotten under yours since you are going off topic and ignoring the fact that your post amounted to a bunch of unsubstantiated hyperbole.

You seem very confused right now so I'll let you have your moment.

 

[JMC00]

Winning the superbowl is hard. Winning without one of the best players in the league is harder. I don't think your example proves what you think it does, without Brady they missed the playoffs, losing to every single playoff team they faced that year. Without Gronk, they lost a super bowl by a hair and made it to another AFCCG.

Sure, we'd like to think the Patriots should be so loaded that they could lose elite players left and right and still dominate the NFL every year, but it just doesn't work that way.

I just don't buy into this Gronk is the reason. The reason the Pats lost these last two years is because their defense let them down.

 

[serifyn]

In the playoffs their offense has been the letdown, the defense played good in both the Superbowl and AFC championship games, whereas our #1 ranked offense has scored under 20 each game.

 

[Jackson 2]

But you didn't get under my skin, it appears I have gotten under yours since you are going off topic and ignoring the fact that your post amounted to a bunch of unsubstantiated hyperbole.

You seem very confused right now so I'll let you have your moment.

Have a nice evening, and remember we're only writing about football here. I do worry about your inclination toward darkness and pessimism, but hopefully the "good aspirin" and a first-rate therapist will help! Once again, good evening!

 

[Brady2Moss]

In the playoffs their offense has been the letdown, the defense played good in both the Superbowl and AFC championship games, whereas our #1 ranked offense has scored under 20 each game.

It was more of a total team failure in both games, offense and defense sucked.

Despite how bad the offense was in the Super Bowl after the 1st drive of the 3rd quarter and how the defense never got off the field giving the offense terrible field position throughout I think both sides of the ball played good enough to win, but neither was clutch in their final opportunities to win the game.

AFC Championship was a disaster defense was not good enough and the offense was terrible.

 

[Oswlek]

I just don't buy into this Gronk is the reason. The reason the Pats lost these last two years is because their defense let them down.

Go ahead. I look at a defense that allowed 13 points prior to the offense crapping the bed and an offense that scored only 17 points against a mediocre defense and see things differently. Hell, they wouldn't have even been in the SB had the defense not stepped up in a big way two weeks prior.

Not sure why you think that a healthy Gronk wouldn't have made a difference in a game that NE lost in the final minutes. I'll grant you that the AFCCG loss to the Ravens was more of a total team meltdown, though, again, the offense was by far the biggest reason why Baltimore was even in the game in the second half. The D held a good offense to one successful drive and set up Brady and co. countless times with great field position. If the offense even played a marginal game, they would have been in command 20-7. The second half wasn't their finest hour, though losing Love and Talib didn't help things.

All told, the offense is at least as culpable for all the playoff losses going back to 2007, and arguing that missing an elite player didn't make a difference in nonsensical.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The only things I have to say on the subject:

(1) The Patriots built insurance into his contract with the option due in 2016.

(2) A lot of skeptics had Welker missing part, if not all, of the 2010 season.

(3) I refuse to get worked up about this now. I'll start worrying about GRONK in training camp, if then.

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

You have to take any prognosis about minor "back surgery" with a full beachfront of salt as accompaniment. Initial reports are typically the "wishful thinking" of the players' representatives. Recovering from a 4th arm operation alongside a "minor" back surgery ain't no picnic. There is the physical recovery time followed by conditioning and training. Finally, there is getting in football shape. The Pats would be wise to start contingency planning with Gronk on the PUP list to begin the season.

The Ballard pickup last year looms bigger and bigger. No one really can replace Gronk. Hooman is a blocking TE and Daniel Fells was disappointing last year. Unless of course, Brandon Ford or Zach Sudfeld somehow end up surprising us all.

A word on Gronk's off season. I respect his youthful zest and his pursuit of happiness. However, for a man who has a "chronic" back condition and an arm in a cast -- you do have to question his judgment in his lifting a professional wrestler and dumping him on canvass. Don't know a single medical text that lists such activity as having any therapeutic value. It may gain you notoriety but it destroys your long term value. Hopefully, it is not too late for him to evaluate how he wishes to express his enthusiasm while consciously respecting his physical well-being.

Here's hoping we see a healthy Gronk playing for the Pats in the stretch run from Thanksgiving through February.

 

[Modest]

great news...this kid is better off taking an entire year off to heal..talk about glass

 

[captain insano]

The word "may" was used this certainly is nothing to worry about!

keep whistling past the grave yard.

 

[Brady2Moss]

keep whistling past the grave yard.

Sarcasm meter = broken

 

[belichick010405]

LOL....well put.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Great, but you are still discounting the fact that 99.9% of humanity would put their arm out, it is just what people naturally do. Even more so when the other arm is busy trying to hold onto the ball.

You are making this out to be poor judgement of some sort on Gronk, either by the action or failing to train, but both are misguided.

99.9% of humanity can't do what NFL players can do, I expect more of them. Also, the guys in those videos can roll without putting their arms out just fine, and they're not in the NFL.

It was a stupid move by Gronk, exactly how is that a misguided judgment on my part?

 

[Oswlek]

99.9% of humanity can't do what NFL players can do, I expect more of them. Also, the guys in those videos can roll without putting their arms out just fine, and they're not in the NFL.

It was a stupid move by Gronk, exactly how is that a misguided judgment on my part?

The guys in those videos take years of training on that specific issue. The two are hardly comparable.

As for your question, it was already asked and answered. But one more time, it wasn't stupid, it was a natural reflex.

 

[Spiral]

Beginning to remind me of Russ Francis. He was terrific for his first four years, but never close to being as good for the rest of his career.

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

Gronk will be living it up one more time in Las Vegas before his surgery @ PFT.

"Jumpseat.me, a jet-sharing service, circulated an email late Friday afternoon offering four seats on the private plane that will take Gronkowski a teammate to Nevada.“This Saturday night, share a cabin and fly privately with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman from Boston to Las Vegas for a last minute get away before Gronk goes for yet another surgery,” the email explains."

PFT goes on to add: "While there’s no reason to believe that Gronkowski’s penchant for partying caused or contributed to the infection that invaded his arm following his second surgery, he’s contributing to a perception that, if he would back off on the shirtless slam dancing and everything that goes along with it, he’d be healthy by now."

Gronk’s getting in one more Vegas run before surgery | ProFootballTalk

Ordinarily, Florio is a muck-racker and an agitator. But like a broken clock, he is right once in a long while. This is one of those rare times.

 

[mgteich]

If 5 surgeries in 6 months does not suggest an injury history, then what does it take?