Patriots As Prepared As Ever For Life Without Rob Gronkowski
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- When the Patriots traded for tight end Martellus Bennett from the Chicago Bears in the offseason, it felt strongly like the Patriots were acquiring insurance in the event of another injury for Rob Gronkowski. Gronk-surance, if you will. It's an asset the Patriots have really never had until now, and the worst-case scenario has now become a reality in New England.
Although Bennett is dealing with an ankle injury himself, it's now going to be up to him to provide a reasonable facsimile of what Gronk brought to the team - because, clearly, Gronk is one of the most irreplaceable players in the National Football League. But Bennett has come damn close this season, proving himself to be dynamic and reliable as both a pass-catcher and blocker. If he can get back to 100 percent and stay healthy for the rest of the season, he has a chance to be almost the same thing as Gronk - unfortunately, the Patriots never really got a chance to see what their new two-headed tight end monster looked like at full strength.
But the silver lining in the wake of Gronk's latest major injury doesn't end with Bennett; barring further casualties, the offense may be better-equipped to handle the loss of Gronk now than they ever have in the tight end's career, from top to bottom.
The loss of Gronk really stung the Patriots in the 2011-13 seasons. In 2011, Gronk was able to get on the field for Super Bowl XLVI but it is widely acknowledged that he was a shell of himself and merely acted as a decoy in that game. In 2012 and 2013, he was out for the season with a broken arm and torn ACL, respectively, when the Patriots met their end. The 2016 season may not spell the same kind of doom, considering the weapons remaining at Tom Brady's disposal.
At tight end, the Patriots did have Aaron Hernandez technically lining up at that position in 2011 and 2012. But he was more of a glorified wide receiver in his usage and, well, you know what happened in 2013. Besides Hernandez, the backup tight ends for the Patriots in those seasons were the likes of Michael Hoomanawanui, Daniel Fells, and Matthew Mulligan. With Bennett, the drop-off at that position is far less significant.
At running back, the Patriots struggled to find a reliable or dynamic pass-catching back after Kevin Faulk had declined. Now, they have both a dynamic back (Dion Lewis) and a consistently reliable one (James White). Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen never showed the ability of Lewis or the dependability of White on a consistent basis. On the ground, LeGarrette Blount has been as reliable or moreso than the likes of Stevan Ridley or BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Lastly, at wide receiver, the Patriots have arguably the best group they've had in Gronk's career. Wes Welker was as prolific as any receiver in Patriots history in 2011-12, but Julian Edelman has stepped into that role seamlessly from 2013 on and has been more clutch in the playoffs. Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola should be more productive than Deion Branch and Chad Johnson were in 2011 or Brandon Lloyd and a still-developing Edelman were in 2012. Rookie Malcolm Mitchell has already proven more dynamic and reliable than Aaron Dobson did as a rookie in 2013.
ESPN's Mike Reiss detailed how the Patriots will reinvent the offense with Gronk out, and they've already begun doing it with Gronk missing most of the last two games. They will run more three-wide receiver sets and, with four capable wideouts healthy right now, they can keep them all reasonably fresh. You may even see more packages with two running backs on the field. The Patriots may be well-equipped to withstand the loss of Gronk, but Brady and Josh McDaniels will nonetheless need to get more creative.
Of course, you have to address the elephant in the room here ... there are still injury concerns on the offense. Bennett has his ankle injury, while Edelman continues to nurse his ailing foot and Hogan has been working through a back injury of his own. The Patriots may not be able to avoid more injuries and end up looking like the Zombie-Patriots of 2013. Edelman, Amendola, Lewis, and Blount aren't exactly safe bets in that department.
But as the Patriots are currently constituted on offense, they have as deep a group of weapons for Brady as they've ever had in Gronk's career. They have a wealth of Gronk-surance. If they can get to the playoffs with the unit they have now, their outlook on getting back to the Super Bowl without Gronk won't be nearly as bleak as it's been in the past.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
