New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski Says He Will Be Ready for 2017

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski missed a lot of time in the 2016 season due to injury. However, he says he will be ready for 2017.

Despite the New England Patriots being without their star tight end Rob Gronkowski, they were still able to find a way to win Super Bowl LI. When healthy, Gronkowski is considered to be the best tight end in the NFL.

As a great weapon in the passing offense and a physical blocker in the running game, Gronkowski is certainly the total package as a tight end. Despite his greatness, injuries have been an issue for Gronkowski.

In 2017, he missed the early part of the season, and then suffered a back injury late in the season which resulted in his third back surgery. Even though his team won the Super Bowl. Gronkowski was upset that he couldn’t have helped.

"“It feels great, you know, just being part of a team,” after the Super Bowl. But at the same time, he says he struggled with how to deal with being stuck on the sidelines as the Patriots continued the season without him.“It’s definitely tough at some points,” Gronkowski said via Nick O’Malley of Masslive.com. “You want to be out there with your boys. You see them grinding every time. Every single day, they’re going out to practice and you’re seeing them walk out of the locker room walking, you just want to be with them. You just want to be out on the field with them, play in the games, doing all the hard work with them.”"

In the interview with Cari Champion of ESPN, Gronkowski said that he will be ready for the 2017 season.

After playing in just eight games this season, Gronkowski has his eyes set on the 2017 season. The Patriots will once again be favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2017. Hopefully, Gronkowski will be able to stay healthy.

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In 2016, the Patriots had the luxury of having Martellus Bennett as their second tight end. Due to his great season, he might be playing elsewhere next season as an unrestricted free agent. For Gronkowski and the Patriots, keeping him healthy is extremely important.