Rob Gronkowski Injury Updates: Success, PUP, Week 1
There are myriad of updates on New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski contained in this piece, as I decided to consolidate three major newsbits regarding Gronkowski into one post. I usually don’t like covering the Gronk injury stuff too much, but it’s a whole lot better, in my eyes, than trying to guesswork my way through the Aaron Hernandez stuff. Quick comments poll, if you will, on Hernandez. Would you guys like to see us cover Hernandez’s current saga, should we just write an opinion piece or two about why knee-jerk reactions are bad, or should we just avoid it as a whole? Penny for your thoughts, please.
New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Rob Gronkowski underwent back surgery yesterday to solve chronic back pain, and these back issues are different from the ones that he suffered in college. Gronk was suffering through chronic back pain last season, and surgery always looked like the best option for him and the Patriots, even if it doesn’t sound like the best option. A loyal Musket Fire commenter spoke about his personal back disc issues, and it certainly does sound like a very painful thing that needed to get sorted out for Gronk’s long-term health. I have a feeling, too, that most Patriots fans are more concerned about Gronkowski’s multiple left forearm surgeries, as opposed to the chronic back issues. Question is, which one are the Patriots the most concerned about?
You rarely ever hear about an athlete undergoing a “bad” surgery, but there is always the possibility of a setback. In fact, you know who did have a bad surgery this offseason? Yup, you guessed, it, Rob Gronkowski and that darned, stubborn infection. The good news is that both Adam Schefter and Pro Football Talk reported that the early indications are that Gronkowski’s back surgery was successful.
The obvious news? Schefter also reported that Gronkowski will be placed on the PUP list to start training camp, and there is a chance that he ends up getting placed on the PUP list at the start of the regular season. This would mean that the New England Patriots would be without Rob Gronkowski for the first six weeks of the regular season, but I’m actually cool with it if it comes to that. Not only do I have confidence in Jake Ballard and the fact that Aaron Hernandez didn’t kill anyone (I’m more worried about Hernandez than Ballard, to be honest), but I also know that Gronk’s long-term health is paramount as is health for the postseason.
Gronkowski could still be ready to return to the Patriots for Week 1 of the regular season, though, despite the back surgery. There’s still a long way to go until September, and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots are hoping for Rob Gronkowski to rejoin the team in time for Week 1 and still have hope that it will happen. A source told Rapoport that Gronkowski “could be ready for the season”, so that’s an encouraging reminder for us.