The Patriot Way – New England Patriots News 12/10

Nov 18, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) (not pictured) as guard Logan Mankins (70) blocks and Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short (99) defends in the third quarter. The Panthers defeated the Patriots 24-20 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning Patriots Nation and welcome to another daily dose of MusketFire.com’s “The Patriot Way”. Plenty of news on the Patriots to read today as the Gronk injury continues to dominate the news.  Not to be overshadowed was Tom Brady’s great comeback win to let New England stay ahead of Cincinnati for the first round playoff bye. There is plenty of Patriots coverage to keep up-to-date with on the web, so let your Pal Hal and MusketFire.com do all the heavy lifting and get you some of the best links and information about all things Patriots from around the web:

* Oliver Thomas at NEPatriotsDraft.com writes about the Patriots Battle Against Attritionand chasing continuity. Oliver is one of the best with X-and-O’s online and looks at different personnel groupings the Patriots have used that they may turn to in the absence of their big tight end

* If you missed the best post-game show on the web, you can still listen to a good friend of MusketFire.com, Jeff Kane, and the CLNS Radio team at BlogTalkRadio after every Patriots game.

*Patriots Life looks at the play of the game on Sunday: Stephen Gostkowski and his onside kick.

* They’re still crying in Cleveland: here’s an entertaining recap from Cleveland.com as they wonder “why does this keep happening to us? We feel your pain, Cleveland…that was my childhood as a Patriots fan.  Keep the faith, Browns fans (oh wait, I just read the comments…cheer up, Browns fans, you’re a young team on the rise!)

* Erik Frenz over at Bleacher Report writes about how replacing Gronk is more than one player stepping up, it involves more than a few key players on the roster giving just a little more

* The always entertaining Richard Hill at Pats Pulpit looks at the Patriots as a Machine and compares the 2013 Patriots to the Wizard of Oz (No, I’m serious…) Check it out.

* Nick Underhill at MassLive is chiming in on how the Patriots offense needs a dramatic overhaul to operate at a high level without an elite tight end on the roster.

* James Christensen at Bleacher Report has the Patriots full roster grades following the pyrrhic victory against Cleveland

* Field Yates over at ESPN Boston chimes in with how quarterback Tom Brady sees the Patriots adapting without Gronk.

* Jared Sher at Cover32 looks at what Life Without Rob Gronkowski could be like the rest of the way.

Finally, we’ll leave you with my pal Steve Balestrieri at PatsFans and his look at Tom Brady and his Heist against the Browns at Foxboro, MA.  Best line of the morning right here: “The last time 11 men in Boston stole this much, Tony Pino quarterbacked the Brinks robbery at 169 Prince Street in Boston.”

OK, that does it for your Pal Hal pinch-hitting here for “The Patriot Way”.  Have a great day.