Gronk to have back surgery

[IllegalContact]

I don't dispute your point that Ballard has shown some flashes in his limited playing time, but you could pretty much say the same exact thing about any number of NFL players. There is just too small of a sample size at this point in time to speculate as a viable replacement to Gronkowski's production...unless we're just expecting a viable blocking replacement, but we're not.

I think you are spot on with the comment that Ballard can potentially be much better than anything we've seen so far, so that should be enough of a positive to be very optimistic about in itself.

I think there's also a chance that Fells can return to something closer to his older form as his injury may have been more serious and hampering that most of us thought last season. If that is the case then we should be a fine position to continue to run 2 TE sets and see some production from our backups.

I think it's a very important position to keep an eye on, as I am not feeling terribly optimistic about both Gronkowski/Hernandez playing every game for the entire season. Both Ballard and Fells (if it was indeed an injury and not a lack of talent or ability to pick up the offense etc) should provide a nice cushion on some level, but I don't personally agree with any comparisons to top 10 NFL TE's either. That would be an insane, but pleasant surprise.

ballard was consistent in a full year starting for SB champs......he isn't as fast, but can still provide the deeper targeting that gronk did......opponents will not be able to ignore him.

it is not as though the pats are going to have to depend on him minus gronk for the whole year......I am more intrigued what the scheme might entail with both ballard and gronk on the field at the same time......it's a power formation that creates real coverage problems.......play action should be very effective

 

[primetime]

Ballard's slower than anything in terms of footspeed, but he has sublime hands, uses his body well in receiving, and runs great routes. In 2011, he really helped open the field for the Giants' other receivers. He's also a good blocker.

That said, he's no Gronk. He's more like Heath Miller. But the good news is that they only really need Gronk for the end of the regular season and the playoffs, and maybe being out for part of the regular season will keep him healthy for the rest of it...

 

[Jack Handy]

Ballard's slower than anything in terms of footspeed, but he has sublime hands, uses his body well in receiving, and runs great routes. In 2011, he really helped open the field for the Giants' other receivers. He's also a good blocker.

That said, he's no Gronk. He's more like Heath Miller. But the good news is that they only really need Gronk for the end of the regular season and the playoffs, and maybe being out for part of the regular season will keep him healthy for the rest of it...

sublime [s??bla?m]
adj
1. of high moral, aesthetic, intellectual, or spiritual value; noble; exalted
2. inspiring deep veneration, awe, or uplifting emotion because of its beauty, nobility, grandeur, or immensity
3. unparalleled; supreme a sublime compliment
4. Poetic of proud bearing or aspect
5. Archaic raised up

 

[BSR]

Doesn't the article say that he is expected to miss part of training camp? Where is all this PUP stuff coming from?

 

[condon84]

I don't expect Gronk to be 100% at all this season. Hell, with all the surgeries he just had especially this back surgery, it would be understandable if he never comes back 100%.

The silver lining to me is that this is happening way before the season and our offense can develop and gel without Gronk in the lineup.

Hoping for a quick recovery.

 

[Bruins29]

Doesn't the article say that he is expected to miss part of training camp? Where is all this PUP stuff coming from?

Its coming from the fact that he might miss part of training camp. So he will probably start it on the active PUP.

What is the big mystery?

 

[Pats0204]

Ballard is a very good tight end and should be able to fill the void left by Gronk. Sure he isn't as good as Gronk but Ballard imho is a top 10 TE.

With Ballard, Nandez, Hoohoo or the new guy from Nevada, I think there is enough depth and quality to start Gronk on the PUP until he is all healed up.

Dustin Keller, Jeremichael Finley, Greg Olsen, Fred Davis, Zach Miller, Kyle Rudolph, Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates; Heath Miller; Aaron Hernandez; Tony Gonzalez; Jimmy Graham; Jason Witten and Vernon Davis might disagree.

 

[deters]

Dustin Keller, Jeremichael Finley, Greg Olsen, Fred Davis, Zach Miller, Kyle Rudolph, Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates; Heath Miller; Aaron Hernandez; Tony Gonzalez; Jimmy Graham; Jason Witten and Vernon Davis might disagree.

I'd take Ballard over 5 of those players and wouldn't think twice.

 

[BSR]

Its coming from the fact that he might miss part of training camp. So he will probably start it on the active PUP.

What is the big mystery?

I thought it was obvious that I was referring to those that suggest he start the season on the PUP.

 

[Pats0204]

I'd take Ballard over 5 of those players and wouldn't think twice.

Good for you. I'm glad you're not running the team.

 

[deters]

Good for you. I'm glad you're not running the team.

and yet the Pats think Ballard was good enough to sign and contend for a starting role... Seems like I'm on the same page as the Patriots...

Btw, nearly half the TE's you listed are JAG's and Ballard can easily match their production in this sytem.

 

[Nehalem]

and yet the Pats think Ballard was good enough to sign and contend for a starting role... Seems like I'm on the same page as the Patriots...

Btw, nearly half the TE's you listed are JAG's and Ballard can easily match their production in this sytem.

So was he going to relegate Gronk or Hernandez to a backup?

 

[BradyFTW!]

Good for you. I'm glad you're not running the team.

He's not wrong. Granted that we're making this evaluation off of less than a season's data, but still- I've seen everything that I need to see to know that I'd take Ballard over the following guys that you named:

Delanie Walker (has never had 30 catches in a season, btw)
Jared Cook (lost his starting job for a reason)
Dustin Keller (more of a big WR anyway)
Zach Miller (Ballard's 2011 was better than Miller's 2011 or 2012)
Jermichael Finley (2 or fewer TDs in 3 of his 5 seasons)

You can also make a pretty good case for Ballard over the following:
Antonio Gates (declining, and will really fall off a cliff in the next year or two)
Fred Davis (his 2011 was very good, but Ballard's 2011 was better than each of his other 4 seasons).

I'd also say that Rudolph is on about the same level (his first season was much worse than Ballard's, and while he saw his touchdowns spike in 2013, so did Marcedes Lewis' in 2011- that happens frequently on teams with a gifted TE and a void at WR. Could easily happen to Ballard this year).

On another note, you pointed out that Ballard only had 38 receptions in 2011, but he had 604 yards in that season. That's 16 yards per catch, which is extremely good.

 

[deters]

So was he going to relegate Gronk or Hernandez to a backup?

You can have all three on the field at the same time you know. While he might not be a "starter", he will and would have seen significant play time even with a healthy Gronk. Ballard is a very good blocker, route runner and catcher. With his huge frame, similar to Gronk, he will open up running lanes and make another huge target over the middle. I can see plenty of 3 TE sets where Hernandez is used more like a typical WR.

 

[Bruins29]

Plus Ballard will have TB throwing to him. While Eli is a great QB TB is lethal in the short/mid TE game.

 

[Bruins29]

I thought it was obvious that I was referring to those that suggest he start the season on the PUP.

Nothing is obvious here. Most people think you can practice and then just go on PUP. Or have no idea the difference between active and reserve PUP. Or while a player is on PUP they can practice.

Just making sure there was clarity and for the record I doubt he goes on reserve PUP unless there is a setback and even if there is I still think he stays on the roster.

So in summary the PUP talk is silly, given he stays on track with his healing and current timetable.

 

[AzPatsFan]

The important thing for the Pats is that they do have genuine depth at TE. While Gronk heals, a TE contingent of Hernandez, Ballard, Fells and Hoomananui provide two competent Blocking and receiving TEs; and two H-back spread catching TEs, one of whom is a Star.

It is important in the early games for the TEs and the running game to excel, while the newcomers at WR get their sea legs.

 

[patfanken]

Some Comments on the comments:

1. People are NOT using their inference skills on this topic and thus are blowing it way out of proportion.

2. There is a reason that the Pats are delaying this surgery and its NOT because of any supposed "infection" he has. Its been determined already that there IS NO infection at this point. Thus I would infer the delay as meaning the "back surgery" is very minor and prophylactic. One of those things that you are back at full strength in a few weeks.

3. Think about it: The "injury prone" Gronkowski, as he is now being called , played 43 consecutive games with that so called "bad back", and it was never a problem. He's never missed a single game because of his "bad back" NOT ONE!

4. This off season there has been no reported problems concerning his back. Not during the off season conditioning program, which he participated in. Not during the OTA's, which he missed because of his ARM. Not during all the highly visible off season of public events. ZERO reports of him limping, wincing, or showing ANY of the normal indications that someone has a bad back. NOT a single one.

IF his back was the issue its being made out to be, his off season appearances would have been greatly cut back, and someone would have seen SOMETHING that would confirm that he's in pain because of his back

5. That is why I think that its MUCH more likely that this surgery is something that is being done more to insure that a serious back problem can be avoided down the road, than ANY issues that he might be having now with his back

6. Back surgery DOES NOT mean some kind of serious procedure. I have a friend who just had "back surgery". It was a laser surgery that is supposed to deaden certain nerves that causes pain. It was a half hour procedure. I took her home within a couple of hours, and after 2 uncomfortable days, she was at full go, with no limitations after the first week.

This isn't to say that this is what Gronk is going to have done, but to point out that not ALL back surgeries have long term recovery times. I think the biggest reason that Gronk might not be there at the start of TC would be for him to regain his strength and conditioning because of all the time he's missed during his recent spate of "surgeries".

I have NO DOUBT that he will be available for the first game.

7. As for any comparisons with Ballard, I think they are ridiculous. The only area where they are even remotely comparable is in Blocking. As a receiver, Ballard is nothing more than a solid 3rd or 4th option in the short and middle ranges of the field, while Gronk can be a #1 option who can attack all areas of the field. I'm not saying Ballard isn't any good, just not Gronk. As receivers, Gronk and Graham are operating on a completely different plane from other TE's. There simply are no comparisons.

8. I can understand why the nervous nellies and mediots are wringing their hands, beating their breasts, and saying "back surgery", back surgery" over and over, like its a death sentence. There must be a certain comfort in trying to expose weaknesses in what has seemed to be the invincible nature of the Gronk's first 43 games in the league.

But the "bottom line" is, that the facts simply don't match up with their dire predictions. Not that that will stop any of them. Its just too easy a story and nothing else to talk about.

 

[primetime]

sublime [s??bla?m]
3. unparalleled; supreme a sublime compliment

I don't really understand why you posted this, because the usage was correct though I was being slightly hyperbolic (he made some really tough catches for the Giants, but also had a couple drops later in the year). Feel free to dictionary.com hyperbolic too, for whatever reason.

Dustin Keller, Jeremichael Finley, Greg Olsen, Fred Davis, Zach Miller, Kyle Rudolph, Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates; Heath Miller; Aaron Hernandez; Tony Gonzalez; Jimmy Graham; Jason Witten and Vernon Davis

A lot of these guys are effectively H-backs or slot receivers (Hernandez, Finley, Keller, Cook, Walker, Graham, Davis) and so can't really be compared, though Ballard's 2011 is comparable if not better than a lot of them. Some are old (Gates, Gonzalez) or disappointing (Olsen, Finley, Cook). Rudolph looked good last year at times but seemed to hit a wall, and playing with Ponder won't help.

I think Ballard's sort of a poor man's Heath Miller, and Ballard's 2011 compares favorably with Zach Miller's Seahawks years. Olsen, Rudolph, Gates, Witten, and Davis are the only other in-line tight ends in that list and I'd probably take Ballard over Olsen (better blocker), at least. But yeah I think he's a top-20 tight end, not a top-10 one, though 'tight end' has become such a nebulous position in this era that it's hard to say.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm more concerned about Herr Vollmer's chronic back issues than about Gronk's minor disc surgery.