The New England Patriots are a more explosive and balanced team with Rob Gronkowski in the starting lineup, but after some complications following forearm surgery, the tight end "very likely" will need an additional procedure on his injured arm and could miss the start of the 2013 season.
According to ESPNBoston.com, Gronkowski needs a fourth surgical procedure on his left forearm, which will require that a plate inserted in his arm be removed so that doctors can be sure than an infection has gone away. The report says that another surgery could keep Gronkowski out for 10 weeks and that there is a chance that he will not be available and recovered by the beginning of the season. Sources in the report said that there is a chance surgery could be avoided, but no final decision has been made.
The Boston Herald reported that surgery will be required for the injury and other reports stated that Gronkowski felt pain and found his arm swollen while visiting with friends in California and he immediately spoke to the team about it. Gronkowski took precautions to help his arm and returned to New England immediately and the team did not comment on the injury or the situation to reporters.
Gronkowski has been dealing with his arm injury for quite some time since originally getting hurt in November against the Colts. After returning for action in the final week of the season, Gronkowski broke his arm again against the Houston Texans in the playoffs. The tight end has spent the offseason rehabbing and recovering from surgery, although he was spotted wrestling with a friend at a Las Vegas nightclub earlier in the year.
Doctors will inspect the arm and see if there is an infection or not and if it comes back clear, he should be ready for the start of next season. Gronkowski has been a vital part of the offense since being drafted by the Patriots and last season he led the team in touchdowns despite missing time for his injury. This offseason the team signed wide receiver Danny Amendola to replace the departed Wes Welker and now he will be counted on even more if Gronkowski misses time.
Gronkowski is signed to a $50 million-plus contract and has better statistics than any tight end in football, but if he can't stay on the field, the Patriots will need to find more ways to get to Aaron Hernandez and the other receivers. The team had the highest ranked offense in the NFL last year and will need to replace Gronkowski's production if he misses time and one way could be in the draft, with possibilities like Stanford's Zach Ertz and Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert, who made 50 catches for 686 yards last season.
"I'm doing a lot better, definitely. Feeling a lot better," Gronkowski said on the "Mike & Mike in the Morning" radio show. "My arm is feeling way better than it was during the playoffs and regular season when I broke it."