If you could pick, Healthy Gronk or healthy Defense?

[A man named Brady]

You obviously can't choose both but if you had to pick one which would you rather have for the stretch run and the playoffs

A healthy Gronk

Or

A Healthy pats defense(Talib/Wilfork/Mayo etc)

 

[Dingleberry]

A healthy D, and it's not even close.

The D could (and did) win games when everyone was healthy. I would love to go into the playoffs with that D.

Now if you ask me if I'd rather have a healthy Gronk vs. a healthy Wilfork OR Mayo....give me Gronk!

But a healthy Mayo, Wilfork, AND Kelly. Give me some of that

 

[ausbacker]

If you put a healthy Mayo, Wilfork, Kelly and hope that Talib, Dennard and Gregory all retain health, then it's a no brain decision to go with the D.

 

[pats4life12]

Gronk our defense is definitely not the best but they can hold there own. With Gronk in the line up the guy is a power house he would make any team better.

 

[Ozymandias]

Past results say a healthy defense. They went 5-1 without Gronkowski whilst the defense was relatively healthier. With Gronkowski healthy, they went 5-2. I know it's not the best comparison, but it shows that the while the team had a healthy defense they could find ways to win ball games just as well as they did when Rob came back.

In my honest opinion, given everything I'd rather a healthy defense. You can't replace Gronk nor his impact on the offense, but then again, you also can't really replace the importance of having Jerod as your defensive general, Vince as your anchor and Tommy Kelly.

 

[Fencer]

I'd have to think about Wilfork alone vs. Gronk, but I'd probably take Gronk.

I wouldn't have to think long about Wilfork and Mayo vs. Gronk.

The question as stated I don't have to think about at all.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

this O will go from 4th in the league in redzone and 2nd in pts..to about middle of the pack without gronk..pretty significant. We know what gronk brings to the pats...but we really don't know what a healthy D would bring becasue they were never healthy this year.

I would still pick D...but come playoffs with no gronk..it's tough on this team. Especially with all the new faces THIS year

 

[brdmaverick]

Very interesting question, and the harsh reality is that coming up this weekend we have to deal with the reality of having neither.

We have a small sample size of both, but I do feel better with Gronk in the lineup. With Gronk in the lineup I just get the sense that the Pats are always within striking distance.

When we were down by 7 against the Bengals it almost felt like a large deficit.

 

[ausbacker]

this O will go from 4th in the league in redzone and 2nd in pts..to about middle of the pack without gronk..pretty significant. We know what gronk brings to the pats...but we really don't know what a healthy D would bring becasue they were never healthy this year.

I would still pick D...but come playoffs with no gronk..it's tough on this team. Especially with all the new faces THIS year

Gronk is the biggest difference maker (along with Megatron) in the NFL given his impact in the passing and running games. That said, if I'm offered a 3 for one choice, two of which have been consistent Pro Bowl players, you've got to go with the collective.

 

[patfanken]

This poll makes me proud to me a member. Smart football fans here. No single non-QB offensive skill player loss can derail a good offense, even one so dynamic as Gronk. No matter what happens in the playoffs where the weather is often a factor, and most of the defenses are good, a solid defense means you will be in the game at the end.

No question we are a better team WITH Gronk than without him, but the offense scored 24 points AFTER Gronk had left the field. Now the Pats will have a full week to prepare for life after him.

The bad news is that defenses won't have try and figure a way to slow him down. The good news is defenses won't be able to focus on any one receiver in the Pats offense. They will have to play them balanced.

 

[YearbookCurfew]

Defense wins championships, so I have to go with the D.

 

[SoCal Pmen]

Its a good 'what' 'if' scenario. Both Wilfork and Gronk are game plan changers for opposing teams. Given the current situation, I would rather have Wilfork back. This would allow the team the flexibility of switching between a 3-4 and 4-3 defense not to mention make the run d a lot more stout and force teams to beat the Pats through the air. Without Gronk, I still believe the team can move the ball provided all the current receivers and Vereen remains healthy. Now if Kelly were still in the line up I might lean more towards Gronk.

 

[Shed83]

Healthy Defense, for 2 reasons.

1) it's more likely for one player to have an off day or be taken out a game in the play offs than a whole healthy unit.
I.e Gronk whilst being a beast can have an off day and be out the equation, Whilst even if Wilfork was having an off day chances are Mayo, Kelly and Talib would step up make up for it. If Mayo was off form chances are Wilfork would go into beast mode! Etc etc

2) I trust the GOAT QB to step up his game when deprived of his best playmakers, much more than a whole second string Defense Unit. Brady can still get points on the board without Gronk, the defense can't stop points going against us without our top guys.

 

[slash83]

Defense wins championships. Wilfork and Mayo were the heart of the defense.

 

[jsull87]

I'll take a healthy defense of Nink, Wilfork, Kelly, Jones,Mayo, Hightower, Spikes/Collins, Talib, Gregory, Mayo, Dennard all day over any one player not names Tom Brady.

 

[Brady6]

I love Gronkowski but defenses win championships and that’s been proven time and time again.

 

[I am party]

Defense easily, because even without Gronk, our offense still has Brady.

 

[patsfan-1982]

they lost the middle of there defense this year...I love Gronk and the offense is going to hurt a lot without him but ill take 700lbs of pro bowl DT's and a all pro MLB

 

[PATS16N0]

I think before our defensive injuries we were a lock as AFC Champions.
Brady & Company can chug along well enough to win if the other team isn't scoring at will or eating away at time of possession with 250+ rushing yards.

Defense all day long.

 

[UK_Pat37]

Has to be defence. We went 5-1 without Gronk largely down to the fact we were very dominant defensively in the earl;y stages. I would go as far to say we would have been in the top 10 in every category had all the pieces stayed healthy.

We have struggled against the run because our entire interior force is out. Missing two of our starters on D Line has negated what little push we already had up the middle of the pocket and therefore the pass defence has been crippled. How we're winning these games I don't know!