The Gronk Injury Thread: Crisis Avoided (Bone Bruise - Week to Week)

jablo1312

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1. Praise the lord!!

2. I hope that Belichick remembers those 5 minutes while Gronk was carted off the field last night as a near death experience and begins to rest him when appropriate. I don't know when that is, and they obviously need to compete as best they can for the 1 seed, but there will be times when it might be better to keep him on the sidelines.
 

amarshal2

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2. I hope that Belichick remembers those 5 minutes while Gronk was carted off the field last night as a near death experience and begins to rest him when appropriate. I don't know when that is, and they obviously need to compete as best they can for the 1 seed, but there will be times when it might be better to keep him on the sidelines.
I think he's done this. He sat him for last year's meaningless finale, all of the 2014 and 2015 pre-seasons, and seemingly targets him less than is optimal as they've pulled ahead in the division this year.

Or do you think they should go further.

Edit: sounded unnecessarily snarky
 
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tims4wins

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Assuming no more major injuries, if Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, DH, and Collins are lining up in a playoff game, I don't care who or where we are playing, I am taking the Pats
 

PedroKsBambino

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Yes, unlike pretty much every other player in the Belichick era, they do seem to have recognized that resting Gronk whenever possible is the best approach. The critique above seems far more relevant to playing Brady than Gronk, who I think they've rested as much as is possible (as noted)
 

DaveRoberts'Shoes

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Or is it that the MRI doesn't show anything so therefore, bone bruise?
No, it's a real thing. Bone has a blood supply, and if you hit it hard enough it will bleed internally, which causes pain. The bone bruise actually lingers on the MRI a lot longer than the symptoms do, so you just treat it according to pain and function.
 

jablo1312

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I think he's done this. He sat him for last year's meaningless finale, all of the 2014 and 2015 pre-seasons, and seemingly targets him less than is optimal as they've pulled ahead in the division this year.

Or do you think they should go further.

Edit: sounded unnecessarily snarky
I know they did then, I'm thinking more when/if games are somewhat out of hand in the 2nd half during the regular season. If they're up, say 14 with 10 minutes left against Miami or Tennessee, is it the worst idea to sit him for a series? I don't know.That doesn't seem to jive with Belichick's philosophy of 60 minutes, using the players you have available, doing everything possible to win the game in front of you, etc. Off the top of my head I can't remember them doing something like that much in the past (until a game hits true blowout status in the 4th quarter) in games occurring before their playoff position was completely locked up. Will we see it? Who knows. Getting the 1 seed is very important, and I want them to pursue it aggressively. But there might be a risk/reward maximization point with Gronk, where taking him out of a given game doesn't decrease your chances of still winning that game by enough to justify the risk of him suffering an injury by continuing to play (if that makes sense). I'd prefer they be cautious with him, to a point, but if it backfired and they ended up having to go on the road before the Super Bowl there would be some heat. There'd also be center-of-the-sun-type heat if he got hurt during a game that was out of hand (in a similar fashion to the Colts game in 2012). I wouldn't hate seeing him taken off the field in certain spots, but it's not always that simple. I'm very interested to see how, if at all, this changes their approach with him over the next 5 games.
 

koufax32

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Is that what we've become now? Are we cool with people quoting themselves and pimping like Maximus' "are you not entertained!?!?" All because of our addiction to getting an inside scoop on injuries to players on our favorite teams?

Well done doc. I for one choose to imagine your preening like Geno Smith's 'pat me down 'cause I'm a bad man' celebration. Seriously though good call considering no inside information or imaging.
 

Tony C

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Gronk was holding his knee and writing in pain, I figured it was a broken knee cap. Glad to be wrong. He wouldn't have been walking around with a broken knee cap. Now the target date I'm looking at is Houston. They're going to need all the offense they can get.
Funny thing is I thought it was his back the way he was writhing around and that his foot wasn't on the ground so no wrenching action. See guys with serious knee injuries who can walk and act as if it doesn't hurt all that much, whereas backs are excruciating. Was a little surprised when it turned out to be his knee at all -- that's why no one offers me $10, though.

Or maybe Gronk is just sensitive. :) (I know I know...those bruises are no small matter, believe me I know -- can hurt like hell).
 

loshjott

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No, it's a real thing. Bone has a blood supply, and if you hit it hard enough it will bleed internally, which causes pain. The bone bruise actually lingers on the MRI a lot longer than the symptoms do, so you just treat it according to pain and function.
Is a bone bruise the same as "minor knee strain?" That's what Schefter is reporting.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I know they did then, I'm thinking more when/if games are somewhat out of hand in the 2nd half during the regular season. If they're up, say 14 with 10 minutes left
Dude, it's too soon to be referring to games where Pats are up 14 points in the 4th quarter as 'out of hand' no matter the opponent.

I think they have in fact sat Gronk at the end of legitimately out of hand games, and expect they will continue to do so.
 

Kevin Youkulele

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Is a bone bruise the same as "minor knee strain?" That's what Schefter is reporting.
Not if "strain" is being used in its technical sense (stretching/tearing of muscle fiber or tendon). Schefter may not be speaking with precision, however.
 

54thMA

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Assuming no more major injuries, if Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, DH, and Collins are lining up in a playoff game, I don't care who or where we are playing, I am taking the Pats
Agreed.

I'll take my chances vs anyone, anywhere in the playoffs with those five back healthy. The run defense went to shit last night when Hightower came out.

Major balls shown by this team last night, hung 24 points on that vaunted Denver defense without Lewis, Edelman and Amendola; imagine what they could have done with them, give me two of those three back healthy and we'll go from there.

The whole game turned on that fucking muffed punt, THE one thing that can't happen there and it did.
 

86spike

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Agreed.

I'll take my chances vs anyone, anywhere in the playoffs with those five back healthy. The run defense went to shit last night when Hightower came out.

Major balls shown by this team last night, hung 24 points on that vaunted Denver defense without Lewis, Edelman and Amendola; imagine what they could have done with them, give me two of those three back healthy and we'll go from there.

The whole game turned on that fucking muffed punt, THE one thing that can't happen there and it did.
Denver's D was missing three starters for nearly all of the game (Ware, Williams, Ward).
 

54thMA

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Denver's D was missing three starters for nearly all of the game (Ware, Williams, Ward).
Yeah great, that's like the third time you've mentioned that.

The Patriots offense was missing Amendola, Edelman and Lewis and then Gronkowski for the final game tying drive, yet they still hung 24 points on Denver.

We can play this game all day long.

Tell you what; I'll give you those three players and you give me the two receivers/ one tight end we're missing and we'll see how things shake out.

Not to mention our run defense when Hightower went out of the game wen to shit; give me him and Collins as well.

I really, truly hope there is a rematch in the playoffs.
 

RedOctober3829

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Yeah great, that's like the third time you've mentioned that.

The Patriots offense was missing Amendola, Edelman and Lewis and then Gronkowski for the final game tying drive, yet they still hung 24 points on Denver.

We can play this game all day long.

Tell you what; I'll give you those three players and you give me the two receivers/ one tight end we're missing and we'll see how things shake out.

Not to mention our run defense when Hightower went out of the game wen to shit; give me him and Collins as well.

I really, truly hope there is a rematch in the playoffs.
Not to mention not having Nate Solder. That is 5 of the top 6 players on offense that the Patriots were missing. They showed me a lot last night in terms of toughness. Getting Edelman, Amendola, and Gronk back will give these guys a shot in the arm as the playoffs come. Same with Hightower and Collins.
 

86spike

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Yeah great, that's like the third time you've mentioned that.

The Patriots offense was missing Amendola, Edelman and Lewis and then Gronkowski for the final game tying drive, yet they still hung 24 points on Denver.

We can play this game all day long.

Tell you what; I'll give you those three players and you give me the two receivers/ one tight end we're missing and we'll see how things shake out.

Not to mention our run defense when Hightower went out of the game wen to shit; give me him and Collins as well.

I really, truly hope there is a rematch in the playoffs.
What's the big deal about acknowledging the fact that both teams are operating without lots of the players they went into the season with as their starters?
 

Stitch01

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Nothing, its not really controversial. Denver will certainly be a better team than last night and clearly worse than the Patriots with everyone at full strength for both sides.
 

TheoShmeo

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Judging Gronk's reaction is pretty weird science. I would assume that part of what we were seeing last night was frustration and concern about a possibly severe injury given his past. Even the pain he was experiencing could have been exacerbated by a level of panic over another potentially season ending or limiting injury.
 

86spike

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Judging Gronk's reaction is pretty weird science. I would assume that part of what we were seeing last night was frustration and concern about a possibly severe injury given his past. Even the pain he was experiencing could have been exacerbated by a level of panic over another potentially season ending or limiting injury.
It's also possible that the pain from a hyperextension and a bone bruising impact hurts like a motherfucker.
 

TheoShmeo

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It's also possible that the pain from a hyperextension and a bone bruising impact hurts like a motherfucker.
No doubt. I'm just saying that I find it to be a little weird when people draw conclusions based on how a player reacts to the pain component. Everyone is different and there are a lot of factors at play.
 

edmunddantes

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I think almost everyone has done something like that before where you fall down/get hit in a certain way and expectation of pain causes you to overestimate the actual damage that was done until you calm down.
 

joe dokes

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I think almost everyone has done something like that before where you fall down/get hit in a certain way and expectation of pain causes you to overestimate the actual damage that was done until you calm down.
I am sure (confident? hopeful? praying?) that I am not the only desk jockey around here who has been brought to his knees by a desk corner to the shin, or, at home, by a coffee table to the toe.

Pain and damage are not always co-extensive.
 

54thMA

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What's the big deal about acknowledging the fact that both teams are operating without lots of the players they went into the season with as their starters?
No big deal, other than the fact that it's Denver.

No disrespect towards you, but they're a team I truly hate going on close to 40 fucking years; when it comes to Denver, it's always something, especially when the Patriots go to Denver.

Whether it be 1979, when the Patriots were 7-3 and on a roll, then they went to Denver and got blown out, the season went to shit from there and they finished 9-7, or 1984 when Ron Meyers got fired, Berry took over and they went on a roll, then out in Denver as the Patriots were driving for the go ahead score, the "Sure handed Mosi Tatupu" fumbled, it got scooped up and returned for the back breaking score, again they finished out of the playoffs, or the playoff game in 1987 when Eason started ahead of Flutie and they lost, or the playoff game in 2006 when the Patriots were driving and Brady threw an INT to Champ Bailey who returned it 100 or so yards for a backbreaking TD despite the fact that I'll go to my grave thinking Ben Watson chased Bailey down from all the way across the field and knocked the ball out of his hands through the end zone, should have been no TD, Patriots ball on the 20.

Now last night, they go to Denver with hardly any offensive weapons, go up 21-7 and have the game in hand, only to have some fucking moron fumble a punt and that opened the flood gates and they get outscored 23-3 and lose once again.

Always something in Denver, so pardon me if I'm a bit pissed today.
 

SumnerH

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I am sure (confident? hopeful? praying?) that I am not the only desk jockey around here who has been brought to his knees by a desk corner to the shin, or, at home, by a coffee table to the toe.

Pain and damage are not always co-extensive.
Absolutely, I got run over by a bus and broke like 7 bones in my foot; my immediate reaction as I stood up and walked over to the curb was one of surprise more than anything else. Once it set in what had happened I decided walking was a bad idea (I wound up in a cast for 7 weeks).

And I've bumped an elbow or stubbed a toe and been writhing around blinded by pain, only to be perfectly fine in a minute or two.
 

AbbyNoho

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the playoff game in 2006 when the Patriots were driving and Brady threw an INT to Champ Bailey who returned it 100 or so yards for a backbreaking TD despite the fact that I'll go to my grave thinking Ben Watson chased Bailey down from all the way across the field and knocked the ball out of his hands through the end zone, should have been no TD, Patriots ball on the 20..
This is actually my memory of what happened. I had to go double check to believe you. I think my mind corrected that atrocity before committing it to memory.

Oh, my memory was correct that Bailey didn't score on that play.

 

djbayko

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THIS guy... he gets it.
Damn, you never cease to amaze us. You must have a 95% success rate on your armchair diagnoses since I've been on here. You were a bit off on Amendola, but only in specifying WHICH type of fracture it was in the foot - a body part which only has about a dozen bones. It's nice having access to you when all the reporters are making early guesses, mostly based on whether the player was last seen walking.
 

Beomoose

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Damn, you never cease to amaze us. You must have a 95% success rate on your armchair diagnoses since I've been on here. You were a bit off on Amendola, but only in specifying WHICH type of fracture it was in the foot - a body part which only has about a dozen bones. It's nice having access to you when all the reporters are making early guesses, mostly based on whether the player was last seen walking.
Unlike nearly everyone with an NFL paycheck, DRS is good at his job.
 

crystalline

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It's also possible that the pain from a hyperextension and a bone bruising impact hurts like a motherfucker.
Yes. Bone injuries HURT. Your dentist is drilling bone when they work on your teeth; imagine that without anesthetic.

---

Love the Paul Pierce picture. All I could think about last night with Gronk on the cart was "Please be like Pierce, please be like Pierce".

---

I hate to say this but the biggest goats of the game were the Patriots coaches. There is NO WAY they should have let Harper catch that. The ball was squirting out all over the place due to the snow. Let the punt drop. At least they corrected that decision on the next punt reception, but it was too late. The people I was watching with were screaming at the TV to get Harper out of the way. No one had the heart to say "told you so" after the fumble.
 

E5 Yaz

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I hate to say this but the biggest goats of the game were the Patriots coaches. There is NO WAY they should have let Harper catch that. The ball was squirting out all over the place due to the snow. Let the punt drop. At least they corrected that decision on the next punt reception, but it was too late. The people I was watching with were screaming at the TV to get Harper out of the way. No one had the heart to say "told you so" after the fumble.
Has it been stated that they did?
 

GeorgeCostanza

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Judging Gronk's reaction is pretty weird science. I would assume that part of what we were seeing last night was frustration and concern about a possibly severe injury given his past. Even the pain he was experiencing could have been exacerbated by a level of panic over another potentially season ending or limiting injury.
In high school there was nothing I loved more than basketball. By the time I was a senior I had sprain my left ankle so many times and severely enough that whatever ortho quack I saw said the next one could keep me from ever playing again (not sure if this was a scare tactic or he was just a moron but anywho). Sure enough over the summer leading up to Sr. Year I rolled my ankle pretty hard in summer league and I just sat there balling my eyes out thinking I'd never play again. It didn't hurt that bad but the emotion of losing something I loved was too much. I get gronks reaction.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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What's the big deal about acknowledging the fact that both teams are operating without lots of the players they went into the season with as their starters?
So you must be new around these parts. This is a forum named "Blinded By the Lombardis" and by "Lombardis" it means ours are better than yours. Hell, we even turn on those of our own who have an opinion that doesn't hold the Patriots in the best light possible.

In other news, good win by your team last night and even better news, the fact that Gronk may not have to have 87 pins and bionics inserted in his leg makes that game's outcome almost tolerable from my perspective. Some of us (though we would never admit it here) thought this might be one of the toughest on the schedule but losing Gronk was never a thought. I would take Gronk for the playoffs over a regular season win any damn day.
 

ObstructedView

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Judging Gronk's reaction is pretty weird science. I would assume that part of what we were seeing last night was frustration and concern about a possibly severe injury given his past. Even the pain he was experiencing could have been exacerbated by a level of panic over another potentially season ending or limiting injury.
I'm going with a mix of pain, fear (of his season possibly being over), and anger (if he felt that guys had been going low in an attempt to injure).