Gronk's Injuries: A Retrospective
Ok, hand up…I did something stupid. It is not the first time, and it won’t be the
last.
Earlier this week I wrote a think piece on how the Patriots
would be well suited to use Gronk as a specialist in the Red Zone and on third
downs. This strategy will help keep him
healthy when it really matters. Here is
an excerpt:
Loyal reader Nicholas Kaknes pointed out in the comments
that I am a first degree pickle-head:
Of course he is correct.
Gronk was not even drafted until 2010!
(I think I am still traumatized by losing the ’07 Bowl).
In light of this, I thought it might be interesting to see
exactly how many more rings I should have if he were healthy his whole career:
2010: Gronk is
healthy the whole year. The Pats lose to
the Jets in the Divisional Round 28-21
2011: Ankle njury occurs against Baltimore in the AFC
Championship game. Pats lose to the
Giants in the SuperBowl. Gronk plays in
that game, although he is clearly limited, basically used as a decoy.
2012: Arm gets broken
on the field-goal unit mid-season. Gronk
comes back and re-injures the arm in the playoffs. Pats lose in the AFC championship game to the
Ravens 28-13.
2013: ACL gets
snapped in half by TJ Ward on a seam route mid-season. Gronk misses the rest of the way and the Pats
lose to Denver in the AFC Championship game 26-16.
2014: Gronk is healthy all season, we win the Super Bowl.
2015: A helmet to the knee mid-season took Gronk out for a
little, but he was there when it mattered.
Patriots lose in Denver 20-18, but Gronk kept us in that game.
2016: Earl Thomas collapses his chest cavity. We win
the Super Bowl anyway.
I dunno how fair it is, but I think there are at least two
more rings for the Patriots if Gronk is available full time.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
