Dec 30, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) is congratulated by tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) after his touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-0. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

As you probably have heard by now, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is part of an investigation in a murder case. If you haven’t heard about this, then you might want to come out from under your rock and welcome yourself to the real world. This isn’t a good situation for Hernandez or the New England Patriots organization. He isn’t being questioned as the suspect, but he is still connected in this somehow. I don’t know how this is going to turn out, and hopefully he isn’t connected in the murder of a human being. However, even if he comes out innocent, I think that this whole ordeal is going to look really bad on Hernandez, and in turn the New England Patriots. However that isn’t what I want to talk about right now. What I want to talk about is how this compares to fellow tight end, Rob Gronkowski.

From the start of Gronkowski’s career, he has been criticized by the media for his lifestyle. He has been seen partying in Vegas, doing crazy shirtless dancing at a Super Bowl party, and doing wrestling moves with a broken forearm. That is just the type of guy he is, and he has been killed by the media for it. After he was seen partying yet again after the playoffs concluded, it was revealed that he would need another surgery on his forearm. The criticism of Gronk then went into overdrive, and his partying lifestyle was really being questioned. In my opinion, all of this criticism was really unwarranted because Gronk always produces on the football field. Another thing is the people that were saying the infection in his arm was caused by his partying lifestyle, did not know what the hell they were talking about. Gronk didn’t do anything that required him to get another surgery. It was just a freak accident that has taken a little longer than expected to totally heal up.

The main reason I am writing this, is to point out how ridiculous these Gronk issues are compared to the trouble that Hernandez now finds himself in. In some ways it is really funny to think about the way people were bashing Gronk now that we see what is happening with Hernandez. Hernandez isn’t being accused of “rocking with his boys too hard”. No, he is being questioned in a murder investigation. Now, I am not by any means accusing Hernandez of being a murderer. As of right now, all we know is he is being questioned in connection to the murder and that is all. But even that is so different from the question marks that Gronk has presented. We are talking about an actual murder investigation, not a guy that loves to have some fun with his friends. I think that we must all take a step back and realize how dumb it was to question Gronkowski, now that we have seen what is going on with Hernandez. No matter what happens in the rest of this murder case, I think that we have to understand that Gronkowski’s issues were not real issues at all. Hernandez is in the middle of a murder, and Gronkowski was in the middle of a bottle of beer. There is a very big difference between those two things, and hopefully everybody that criticized Gronk can now take a step back, and see that what he did, was really not a big deal.

August 24, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo (51) during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New England Patriots 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

(This is the fourth entry into a seven part series that will grade the players from the 2012 season).

Jerod Mayo:

Mayo had a phenomenal 2012 season, as he recorded 147 total tackles to go along with three sacks and four forced fumbles. Mayo is one of the best inside linebackers in the league and he proved it last season. Mayo has always been known for his ability to be a tackle machine, but throughout last season he showed he can be quite effective in pass coverage. The Patriots defense wasn’t very good in pass coverage last year, and the linebackers were a major cause of that, but in my opinion Mayo was one of the few guys that shined in this department in 2012. Mayo really has the complete package when it comes to being a linebacker in the NFL, and I think he will go down as one of the best linebackers in New England Patriots history.

Grade: A

Brandon Spikes:

When you think of hard hitting football players that currently play in the NFL, one of the first guys that come to mind should be Brandon Spikes. This guy was an absolute beast on the field last year and his specialty is delivering some bone shattering hits. He is a great run-stuffer that also brings a ton of energy to the field for the Pats defense. However, there is one major flaw in his game and that is his pass defense. There were a lot of times during the 2012 season that Spikes was beat by a tight end, or a running back for a big game. He just doesn’t have the speed or the agility to keep up with some of these offensive players. He finished 2012 with 97 total tackles, five forced fumbles and no interceptions. This perfectly illustrates what type of linebacker Spikes is. He is a guy that plays the run beautifully, but struggles mightily in pass coverage.

Grade: B-

Dont’a Hightower:

I’m going to be honest. When the Patriots moved up in the 2012 draft to select Hightower I was a little disappointed. The Patriots didn’t really have a big need at inside linebacker and I honestly didn’t think Hightower was a very special talent. Boy I was wrong. Hightower came right in and made an impact for the Patriots. He is built similarly to Brandon Spikes, because they are both great at stopping the run, but struggle in pass defense. However Hightower is a younger player, and I think he has a lot more potential than Spikes does. He is a big guy as he weighs 270 pounds, and he moves very well for that size. Hightower’s stats for 2012 don’t really jump off the page (60 total tackles and four sacks) but his impact on the Patriots defense doesn’t reflect well on the stat sheet. His ability to help shut down the opposing teams running game really helped Jerod Mayo as well as Brandon Spikes. But the guys it really helped was the guys in the trenches. I think that Vince Wilfork, Chandler Jones, and Rob Ninkovich all were helped by the addition of Hightower and all of these guys should only get better as a group in 2013.

Grade: A-

Mike Rivera:

Rivera was really only a depth player in 2012, and he did not make much of an impact at all. I do think that the Patriots will keep him on the team in 2013 because he looks like a solid backup option.

Grade: B

Niko Koutouvides:

Koutouvides was a great special teams player for the Patriots in 2012. He didn’t play much linebacker and the only real reason he is listed as a linebacker is for depth reasons. However his play on special teams was extremely solid for New England, and for that reason I think Belichick should replace him with Tim Tebow……(had to get a Tebow joke in there somewhere).

Grade: B

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots center Ryan Wendell (62) walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

(This is the third entry into a seven part series that will grade the players from the 2012 season). 

Nate Solder:

When Matt Light retired from the game of football in 2011, the left tackle position became a position of concern for the first time in New England in a long time. Light had protected Tom Brady’s blindside for Brady’s entire career, and there was a lot of concern when he stepped away from the game. However, Nate Solder came in and really put all of those concerns to bed. Solder had a great 2012 season in terms of protecting Brady and paving paths for Stevan Ridley and the running backs. Solder is a giant guy as he stands at 6’9 and he really knows how to use his height to his advantage. He rarely gets pushed back by smaller defensive ends, and that shows how much work Solder has put into learning how to play left tackle. Left tackle is the second most important position on an offense, and the Patriots are in good hands with Solder anchoring the offensive line.

Grade: A

Sebastian Vollmer:

As good as Solder is, I think that Vollmer is better. In my opinion the Pats have the best combo of offensive tackles in the NFL. Vollmer is a great run blocker and he is even better as a pass blocker. Just like Solder, he is a big guy as he stands at 6’8 and just like Solder he is great at using his height to his advantage. He has had some back issues and that has prevented him from playing all 16 games of the season, but when he is healthy he is one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL.

Grade: A-

Logan Mankins:

The one word that comes to mind when you think about Logan Mankins is ‘tough’. This guy is probably the toughest guy in the NFL. He played the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL and he played the Super Bowl with two torn ACL’s. That is just insane. You combine this with the fact that he is a very talented interior lineman, and you get one of the best lineman in the league. His specialty is playing “nasty”, but when you really watch him play, he is actually extremely technically sound. He is a great run blocker, and he rarely lets anybody get near his quarterback. He had a bit of a down year in 2012 because of some injuries, but a down year for him is still a very good year.

Grade: B+

Ryan Wendell:

Wendell was easily the biggest surprise along the offensive line during the 2012 season for the Pats. Wendell was great as he stepped in at center for Dan Connolly who moved to right guard. Throughout the 2012 season, I think I may have heard Ryan Wendell’s name a total of five times. That shows that Wendell rarely got beat for a sack or a bad running play. I think that Wendell was easily the most underrated part of the Patriots offense in 2012 and I really wish he received more recognition for his season.

Grade: A

Dan Connolly:

Connolly had to take Brian Waters’ spot at right guard for the 2012 season, and while he did a good job there he just wasn’t nearly as effective as the rest of his offensive line. Connolly had a great 2011 season at center and then he was forced to move to right guard and his play definitely slipped a little bit. He did have a back issue that bothered him throughout the year and forced him to miss a couple of games. Even when he was healthy, Connolly was definitely the weakest link along the offensive line for New England.

Grade: C+

Donald Thomas:

Because of injuries to Logan Mankins and Dan Connolly, Thomas received a lot of playing time throughout the year and he really responded. I think that if he had been on pretty much any other team other than the Pats, he would have been a starting guard. Thomas is a great run blocker, and he showed that he is very talented in the pass protection department.

Grade: A-

Nick McDonald:

Like Thomas, McDonald got some playing time last season because guards Logan Mankins and Dan Connolly both missed time because of injury. While McDonald didn’t play quite as well as Thomas, he showed that he is a very capable backup as an interior lineman.

Grade: B

Marcus Cannon:

Cannon started only one game for the Pats in 2012 and it was the thanksgiving massacre of the New York Jets. He played great in that game and even though it was the Jets, he showed that he has the capability to be a starting offensive lineman in the NFL.

Grade: B