How big will Gronkowski's health loom over SBXLVI? Very big. Even bigger than the Gronkowski legend itself. With an absent or even hobbled Gronkkowski, Fewell can single up on the TE, allowing him to send an extra man in coverage or even an extra pass rusher to rattle Brady.
The unofficial report is that Gronkowski is suffering from a high ankle sprain, which is damage to the ligament that joins tibia and fibula near the foot. This type of injury typically requires at least 4 weeks to recover from -- even if Gronkowski is a physical freak and gets on the playing field for SBXLVI, his ability to run, block, and cut will be compromised, limiting him to a decoy or even a non-factor.
How do we know it's a high ankle sprain? Well, for starters, that's exactly what the injury looked like when Bernard Pollard tackled him in the AFCCG. It had the classic hallmarks -- the foot was wrenched outward instead of inward, and the violence and extreme angle at which it was bent suggest that he was lucky to not have broken his fibula, which is a very common ancillary injury in these cases. And Gronkowski's father confirmed the injury on a radio show earlier this week.
If you go to the Patriots board, the clear majority of the posters believe that Gronkowski will be playing at or near full strength next Sunday. There are claims that Gronkowski at 70% is still the best TE in football. But they fail to understand that he won't even be close to 70%. What makes Gronkowski one of the most feared TE's in the NFL is his ability to get open and his power to get yards after contact. But all of this comes from leg strength, which is what he will be lacking even with another 7 days rest.
Besides, they say, he got taped up and went back in. And he was seen partying his ass off that night in whatever passes as a night club in Boston. People can keep playing sometimes right after the initial trauma because of the adrenaline and the lack of immediate swelling. But it takes 24-48 hours before the inflammation sets in. Donovan McNabb once played an entire game against the Cardinals on a broken ankle, but he missed almost the entire season after the injury afterwards. And note that Donovan played well and passed for over 300 yards -- Gronkowski was a mere decoy when he got back in and made zero catches.
Then there's the school of thought that thinks Gronkowski's dad planted the story about the high ankle sprain, Gronkowski is actually fine, and this is some sort of long con set up by Belichick to take the Giants unawares. Except why would you want to hurt your team by holding your star player out of practice simply to bolster some ruse? There's no doubt about it, Gronkowski is hurt, and if it weren't the Superbowl, he would be held out for at least a month. The only Belichickian ruse here is to list Gronkowski as Questionable instead if Doubtful.
And no, I am not a medical expert. But here's a guy who is:
Doctor on Gronkowski's injuryOh, and if you listen to Pats fans, this man is a quack. Because apparently, there is no more higher authority for medical evaluations than wishful thinking.
Gronkowski is a big, tough dude and talented receiver, but in the end, he's not Bill Bratzke or Wolverine. He may gut it out and step on to Lucas Oil Field next week, but to think he will have any real impact in this game is simply fantasy. Robbed of his speed, strength, and agility, Gronkowski will see more plays on the sideline than on the field.
And thus Bernard Pollard torpedoes yet another Patriots season.
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