New England Patriots Rumors: Rob Gronkowski will likely miss games due to back
New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski is set to undergo back surgery this month (soon, based on what we’ve heard from guys like Albert Breer) to relieve chronic back pain that he was feeling during the 2012 season. Although Gronkowski’s current back issues differ from the ones in college at Arizona that caused his draft stock to fall a few years ago, Gronk’s current back issues are still serious and put his status to start the season in jeopardy. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Gronkowski will “likely” miss games in the 2013 season due to the operation on his back, and this falls in line with what new Boston Globe Patriots beat writer Ben Volin said about the star TE.
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Using several doctors and former players as opinions, Volin stated that the Patriots should place Rob Gronkowski on the PUP list to start the season. That would cause Gronk to miss the first six games of the regular season, but he would also be well-rested and allow the Patriots to use that roster spot on somebody else. That avenue makes sense due to Gronkowski’s upcoming back surgery, and most Pats fans believe that the most important thing is that Gronkowski is healthy in time for the postseason and, unlike last season, is able to stay healthy for the entirety of the playoffs.
Howe’s assertion that Gronkowski will likely miss regular season games next season due to the back injury is definitely reasonable, and it seems like most beat writers expect that to happen. Gronk’s recovery time table is, per Volin, around 12 weeks, and that would cut into the regular season. Gronkowski’s fourth arm surgery was successful as the infection was eradicated, so the next obstacle for the NFL’s best tight end is to have a successful back surgery as well. The time table for Gronk is listed by Rotoworld as 10-12 weeks, and we’ll be hearing more about Gronk’s status after his surgery.