Saints prepping as if Gronk will play

Jared Wickerham

The Rob Gronkowski situation is continually a roller-coaster of emotion; 'he's going to play, he's not going to play, he's going to play, he's not going to play'. It's been a long year since Gronk was first injured last season. It initially looked as though the All-Pro tightend would be ready to play this weekend, but now current reports seem a little more negative.

The Patriots will be playing the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, who apparently are sick of this roller-coaster and are prepping as if they will be playing against the Pats' greatest offensive weapon:

"I don't necessarily think there's two defensive game plans," said Saints coach Sean Payton in a conference call on Wednesday. "I think it's more a case, when you go against your scout teams that are trying to simulate the opponent, you often times use jersey numbers, and sometimes the fronts and coverages can be dictated by a lineman.

With Gronk's status essentially a 50-50 tossup at this point, it is wise that the Saints defense would be ready in the case that he does play. There is a greater backlash if they do not prep for Gronk then he does play as opposed to prepping for him then he does not lace-up. Saints head coach Sean Payton is taking no chances:

"So I think you take the approach, A) that he's going to play, and then you understand that if he doesn't, how that affects your game plan," added Payton. "But I don't think you ever go in with two entirely different plans. But you're certainly mindful of a player of his ability."

For the latest updates on Gronkowski and the upcoming Patriots-Saints game, stay with PatriotsLife.com!

Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18