New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who's been sidelined from his offseason surgical procedure, may play for the first time this season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to a league source Gronkowski is healthy enough to perform for the Patriots, however, the team wants him to get more practice time in before suiting him up and throwing him into a game. And for that reason the source revealed that the Patriots are leaning toward keeping him out of Sunday's home game.
But when Gronkowski does return to the field Josh McDaniels the Patriot's offensive coordinator already has in mind the type of impact he'll have on the team.
"I think any time you have a player that can make the kind of impact that Rob has made in the past if you have a player like that back it has to affect your plan and hopefully only in a positive manner" McDaniels said Tuesday during the Patriots' weekly coaches' conference call. "I don't know if it would affect the groupings that we would use or whether we would use a certain tempo or not I don't know if that would impact it. But you'd like to have a guy like that on the field as much as you can if he's ready and able to contribute the way that Rob has always been able to."
Even though he's practiced, Gronkowski has been listed as questionable before each of the Patriots first two games. It's clear that his appearance in a game is soon approaching and it will certainly help a struggling offense.
"Our game plan is going to be set up for the opponent and it's hopefully going to be set up in such a way that we can take advantage of some opportunities" McDaniels said. "The ones that are available at the tight end position would certainly have application for Rob if he happened to play whenever that is."
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