Adam Schefter: Not realistic for Gronk to be ready week 1

[Rob0729]

5 operations in this offseason.

One a REPEAT operation on his back (disc).

It wasn't 5 operations this offseason. It was five operations since last November. Four of the surgeries were related to his forearm and if that is still an issue especially with a plate running the length of the arm, Gronk has far more issues than rushing him back quickly. The forearm at this point should be a complete non-issue in terms of his time table to return.

The surgery on his back was a maintenance thing to clean it up and relieve some pain. It was in a completely different area from his last surgery on his back. It had nothing to do with the surgery he had in college. Willie McGinest had this surgery twice in his career.

The Pats won't clear him medically if there is a significant chance to re-injure his back.