Can Aaron Hernandez finally play in 16 games?

Aaron Hernandez's name always come up when you mention the explosive Patriots offense. He's an essential piece of that two tight end attack we unfortunately didn't get to see much of last year.

Despite all of the media praise and big contract extension, Hernandez has yet to go to the Pro Bowl. Why is that?

Part of the reason is he can't seem to stay on the field. Hernandez has missed at least two games every year since he came into the league. Last year he missed a career high six.

What good is a weapon as versatile as Hernandez if he's not out there? It's a scar on Hernandez's resume that he's fully aware of, and one he's determined to fix.

ProFootballTalk:

“Just been training, trying to get my body right, get my strength up so I can have a decent season next year,” Hernandez said, via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’d say more attention to specific muscles instead of just doing the basic bench, squat and all that other stuff. I’d say I started a little earlier this year to maybe try to get through 16 games this season. It’s away from everything else — away from my family, my friends, gives me time to focus on football, focus on my main priorities in life.”

With so many injury concerns on this Patriots offense, Hernandez playing 16 games would be a blessing. He's already moved to LA so that he can train with Tom Brady, if he can be on the field every game with him their chemistry is only going to get better. That's something that cannot be understated with Brady losing his safety blanket Wes Welker this off-season.

The Patriots offense has gone through a lot of changes. There's no Wes Welker so enter Michael Jenkins, Danny Amendola, Donald Jones and Emmanuel Sanders (probably). The only three receivers Brady has any level of familiarity with are Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Hernandez. All of which have had injury problems. Still, the changes don't have Hernandez worried.

NFL.com

"As long as you have Tom Brady, no matter who is around him, it's going to be a great offense," Hernandez told the Boston Herald on Wednesday when asked about the team's top two receivers in 2012 no longer on the roster. "We have a lot of weapons now...I'm excited for this next season."

I for one am a little bit worried, mainly because of those injury issues mentioned above. Based on past history, the scenario exists where Hernandez, Gronk, Edelman and Amendola all miss significant time. Those are all the top weapons on the team. Of course, that's a big if. Hopefully Hernandez's new training can keep him on the field.

What do you think?