I think the big thing to remember is to win the war, not push it and lose an important piece in a September battle. That said, I’m not sure Belichick is one to tread lightly when players are coming back from injury. If they’re cleared to play they’re going to play as much as they’re capable of, risks be damned.
But is there a universe where I would prefer to see Gronk only in the red zone and third downs with limited in-line blocking opportunities? Sure. But let’s also remember that two of his major injuries came running down the middle of the field and another came while simply blocking an extra point.
Given the Pats lack of depth at tight end it’s not quite that easy to protect him. In a perfect world, they would’ve added a big Y tight end to spell Gronk but that was not to be. Instead we can only hope that Hoomanawanui gets back to full health and is able to help prevent Gronk from getting thrown right into the fire.
Maybe Welker’s 2010 (subscription required) can provide a little insight since he was also coming off a late-season ACL tear.
