TheBostonStraggler
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Messages
- 6,318
- Reaction score
- 5,687
Despite Gronk's agent speaking out of turn and breaking a tenet of BB's Patriots, Gronk playing still remains an uncertainty. It's obviously looking positive but that does not mean, again, he is a certainty to be active. And even if he is active I have my doubts he will have a tangible effect (maybe this is why it was a good move for him to not have been put on PUP, he has been practicing for weeks). The big thing I want to see is Gronk catching just a pass or two, take a few tackles/hard blocks, see him get up from this action un-phased.......in other words see him play football without favoring his forearm or in general looking like he is one hit from being re-injured.
As much as it is a good thing for him to be back tomorrow (if he is back), I'd exchange Gronk remaining out for a few more weeks for Tommy Kelly being back and at full strength. As much as Kelly is not a star at his position like Gronk is at his position, the Patriots are frighteningly uncertain at run D. After 6 games into the 2013 season (all without Gronk) the Patriots have shown increasing success in the passing game, shown a semi decent run game (Ridley being back and healthy is key), have shown they can defend the pass satisfactorily (even without Talib I expect the secondary to still perform modestly satisfactory), and have shown their punt and kick game is good. As of right now the Patriots have the complimentary parts on place to contend with the HUGE exception being their run D.
Man do I hope I am wrong but I'm envisioning the Jets calling run play after run play with the result being the Jets having a lot of fthird and short, a lot of successful conversions of those third and short, and prolonged drives that result in trips to the red zone. IMHO it's just too much to expect all new/unknown/unheralded DTs without Mayo behind them to be an effective run stopping unit (a picture that gets significantly less worrisome if Kelly is back).
I know this is unlikely but I'd give my right arm to see the Patriots pull off a trade for a serviceable veteran DT. It doesn't have to be a 2012 Talib like trade, just a serviceable veteran (one that is hungry to play and win) that can be paired with a healthy Kelly.
As much as it is a good thing for him to be back tomorrow (if he is back), I'd exchange Gronk remaining out for a few more weeks for Tommy Kelly being back and at full strength. As much as Kelly is not a star at his position like Gronk is at his position, the Patriots are frighteningly uncertain at run D. After 6 games into the 2013 season (all without Gronk) the Patriots have shown increasing success in the passing game, shown a semi decent run game (Ridley being back and healthy is key), have shown they can defend the pass satisfactorily (even without Talib I expect the secondary to still perform modestly satisfactory), and have shown their punt and kick game is good. As of right now the Patriots have the complimentary parts on place to contend with the HUGE exception being their run D.
Man do I hope I am wrong but I'm envisioning the Jets calling run play after run play with the result being the Jets having a lot of fthird and short, a lot of successful conversions of those third and short, and prolonged drives that result in trips to the red zone. IMHO it's just too much to expect all new/unknown/unheralded DTs without Mayo behind them to be an effective run stopping unit (a picture that gets significantly less worrisome if Kelly is back).
I know this is unlikely but I'd give my right arm to see the Patriots pull off a trade for a serviceable veteran DT. It doesn't have to be a 2012 Talib like trade, just a serviceable veteran (one that is hungry to play and win) that can be paired with a healthy Kelly.