2013 New England Patriots

ToughJ.Riggins

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I'm not sure if LeGarette Blount and Brandon Bolden are signed for next year, but Shane Vereen and Ridley are signed for one more year. Leon Washington is getting old and was resigned after Vereen's injury.

I'm rooting for a minor injury (nothing more serious than a broken ankle type injury) to any semi-"white friendly" team's backfield in hopes that Peyton Hillis (still an on the cusp of the top 10 tailbacks in the league) will get signed. Gerhart, Hillis, Robbie Frey, Channing Fugate, Joe Martinek, Marc Mauro, Brandon Bourbon, Ryan Swope, Jordan Roberts, Nile Knapp and Rex Burkhead so far- are all recent names that have gotten screwed to hell and should be starting or contributing to an NFL team's backfield right now.
 

bigunreal

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The Rob Gronkowski saga continues on. This story has become almost science fiction-like in its unbelievability. Now we are told that Gronk is on the "doubtful" side of "questionable" for this week. Posters on fantasy forums are, quite logically, asking if his career is in jeopardy.

So here we have a physical freak, someone who was going to re-write the record books for the TE position. Gronk was the most dominant white non-QB in the NFL. Despite his impressive physical stature, we are supposed to believe that nearly a year after suffering a broken forearm, while blocking for an extra point, and with no attention whatsoever paid to that injury by the media during that game, he is still not healthy enough to play football. Add in his mysterious, belated back injury, for which they inexplicably delayed surgery until it was late enough to ensure he'd miss the opening of the regular season, and we have a genuine, Peyton Hillis-sore throat type fiasco on our hands.

The Patriots opted not to put Gronk on the PUP list before the season, because then he'd have to miss the first 6 games. We were told repeatedly that week 3, at the latest, was the target date for his return. He has been practicing with the team for weeks. What is going on here? WHY isn't he playing? Frustrated fantasy owners, as well as those of us who follow the misdoings of the Caste System, are questioning this whole story. First we have a very unlikely injury, which was somehow not noted at the time by those covering the game. Then we have him re-breaking the arm when he was merely diving for a ball. After a series of unlikely infections, we are suddenly told Gronk has a back condition which is actually "worse" than the perpetually infected forearm. And yet the surgery on that back is delayed long enough for him to miss the season opener.

Either Gronk is the biggest wimp this side of Anthony Gonzalez, or he simply isn't being allowed to play. Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson isn't even going to miss ONE game, after the tragic death of his two year old son. Should we question Gronk's resolve at this point? Clearly, the Patriots thought he'd be back much sooner. He has faced no more setbacks that have been publicized, so why is his comeback being delayed? Why did the team think he could play, but he didn't?

While he has been healing at a Bob Sanders-rate of speed, Gronk has seen Jimmy Graham put up huge numbers, on a pace to shatter his own single season records for a TE. The Patriots offense has struggled mightily in his absence, so shouldn't that cause a real competitor to push to return even sooner than expected? Instead, he appears to be dragging his feet. Anyway you look at it, Gronk doesn't come out of this looking good, unless he immediately starts dominating again.

Am I the only one who see something fishy in this story?
 

Don Wassall

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The Patriots are notorious for not divulging accurate information about injured players. Tom Brady was listed every week for years as "probable" with a shoulder issue to the point that it became a running joke.

Why would Gronkowski not want to play? If the league wanted to hold him down and he's only pretending to have broken his forearm, why then wasn't he "ordered" to have a broken forearm during his record breaking season? Why was record breaker Wes Welker "allowed" to come back and play the entire season after tearing up his knee in the last game of the previous season? As usual your conspiracy insuinations lack consistency and logic.

There have been literally dozens and dozens of black players placed on IR this season, many of them stars. For every "ironman" Adrian Peterson there's a dozen Ed Reeds. Gronkowski's had several surgeries; I can't blame him if he wants to be sure he's ready before returning. Why potentially throw away his career (and the money and fame that come with it) by returning too quickly? The Patriots are 4-1, another reason not to rush him back too soon. Casting aspersions at Gronkowski without a shred of evidence to back them up is counter to CF's mission of supporting White athletes.
 

dwid

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I think its the back surgery. He's been having back problems since high school from what I hear. Everyone that I ever talked to that got back surgery that was successful, said it was only good for about 5 years, sometimes less. It was probably delayed for a reason. Once the back is messed up it can be pretty tricky. You just can't go in there whenever you like.

But yeah, I think he would play if he could play. Why risk it, the Saints have a decent shot of winning but they are in the NFC and won't affect the Pats post season. Gronk is only 24 right now. Like I said, the back is delicate, no reason to risk it. I just hope that the best doctors money can buy have more advances to keep his back from getting hurt down the line, but reading the journals, there isn't much progression here, maybe he should go to Europe like Peyton Manning.

The real question is, why didn't his two brothers ever reach close to the success that he has had? similar genetics... The only difference is they were used mostly as blockers. They probably weren't going to be close to Gronk's level but I think could have been better utilized in their careers. I think that would be too much of a story for dwfs to wrap their minds around, 3 White brothers putting up good to great stats. Or at least two of them, it would be like the tight end version of the Manning brothers. They all had similar measurables in the 40/shuttle etc. Dan is 6'5 255. Chris is the shortest, 6'2 240, probably more suited to h-back. I haven't seen Chris play but if he was anything close to Gronk at 6'2 240 4.7 speed, 34 inch vertical 10 03 broad then he could be a powerback. I mean guys like Blount and Morris have had success with similar or less athleticism.
 
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jaxvid

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Somebody must have Gronk in a FF league and wasted a high pick ;-) Let him sit as long as he needs to, the league will still be around when he's ready to play. Too many White guys come back early because of their tough work ethic and the expectations placed on them. The important thing, the really important thing, is when he comes back he is as good as he was before. If not then all his great play will be quickly forgotten. Peyton Hillis tried coming back too soon many times and it killed his career. He would have been much better off taking a looong time off so when he came back he was still a great runner. They kick a guy to the curb in the NFL if they try to play with an injury and suck. One or two or three weeks is not much in the larger scheme of things.
 

bigunreal

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This is clearly becoming the kind of bizarre story we saw a few years ago with Peyton Hillis and his "strep throat." We saw how that worked out for Hillis. Gronk's injury situation is unprecedented. No player, to my knowledge, has missed this much time with a forearm injury. My 89 yo mother in law recovered much faster from a broken hip. If he's "dominating" in practice, his teammates are right to question what's going on. This whole thing is ridiculous.

The latest from the Castean mainstream media:

ESPN's Ed Werder reports Rob Gronkowski's (arm surgeries) continued absence from game day but participation in practice has created "tension among teammates," who have begun questioning why Gronk isn't playing.

Werder writes that some teammates have wondered "if (Gronk) intends to play at all this season, according to multiple sources." Said one source, "There's curiosity and resentment, and he's creating it by going out and kicking ass during the week and then he doesn't show up on game day and help the team win." Inarguably, there are "trust issues" between the Patriots and Gronkowski's camp because the team cleared him to return too soon last season, and he re-broke his arm in the playoffs. Gronkowski has reportedly been "dominant" on the practice field, where some contact is allowed. Said a second source, "If he's not playing in games, he damn sure should not be doing what he is in practice."


 

dwid

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You do realize that most practices are non contact right? I think they only are allowed to do it once a week at the most, I think 14 times per season from what I have read.

"Some contact", is different from trying to simulate a real game.
 

Thrashen

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This is clearly becoming the kind of bizarre story we saw a few years ago with Peyton Hillis and his "strep throat." We saw how that worked out for Hillis. Gronk's injury situation is unprecedented. No player, to my knowledge, has missed this much time with a forearm injury. My 89 yo mother in law recovered much faster from a broken hip. If he's "dominating" in practice, his teammates are right to question what's going on. This whole thing is ridiculous.

The latest from the Castean mainstream media:

ESPN's Ed Werder reports Rob Gronkowski's (arm surgeries) continued absence from game day but participation in practice has created "tension among teammates," who have begun questioning why Gronk isn't playing.

Werder writes that some teammates have wondered "if (Gronk) intends to play at all this season, according to multiple sources." Said one source, "There's curiosity and resentment, and he's creating it by going out and kicking ass during the week and then he doesn't show up on game day and help the team win." Inarguably, there are "trust issues" between the Patriots and Gronkowski's camp because the team cleared him to return too soon last season, and he re-broke his arm in the playoffs. Gronkowski has reportedly been "dominant" on the practice field, where some contact is allowed. Said a second source, "If he's not playing in games, he damn sure should not be doing what he is in practice."


I agree with Bigunreal on the “Gronkowski situation.â€￾ After his back surgery in mid-June, his purported “return dateâ€￾ was always supposed to be Week #1. From a USA Today article days after the surgery…

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski underwent surgery on his back Tuesday to correct a spinal issue and will soon begin rehab in the hope of returning to action in late August, a person informed of the prognosis told USA TODAY Sports.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Patriots don't divulge injury information publicly, said the optimistic view is that Gronkowski will be back to work just before the end of the preseason.

Despite practicing with the squad since late August, opening the door for ceaseless “titillationsâ€￾ concerning his gracious return each and every week, NFL Week #7 is now seven days away. Since he wasn’t placed on IR at the beginning of the season, he’s essentially wasted a roster spot for his team through six games. He’s the highest paid TE in NFL history, his teammates have been grinding through injuries to almost every receiving target on the roster, and New England’s offense (despite being 5-1 against mostly bad opponents) has looked almost exclusively anemic.

In the wake of growing criticism (inferring that he’s looked great in practice, but refuses to play in games), if Gronkowski doesn’t play against the Jets, he shouldn’t feel surprised if his teammates, coaches, the fans, the media, and the Patriot-loathing DWF’s label him a “p-ssy.â€￾
 

Don Wassall

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When Bill Belichick and Peyton Manning retire in a few years, White receivers may become as rare in the NFL as they were in the early and mid-90s. No teams besides Denver and New England are interested in them except on rare occasions. Working these guys out probably means Amendola is once again out for a while. From Weenieworld:


The Patriots worked out free agent WRs Jordan Shipley, LaQuan Williams and Devon Wylie on Tuesday. The Pats also worked out TE Brandon Barden. It's possible the Patriots are looking to make a move with Danny Amendola's (concussion) status up in the air, but they may also be just updating their emergency list.
 

Leonardfan

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This new found animosity toward Gronk seems almost like a media creation to try and tear him down and create a locker room divide. No other player would be criticized for making sure he was 100% before coming from injury.
 

Thrashen

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The potential season-ending injury to LB Jerod Mayo could mean that Dane Fletcher might become the starter, or at least rotate with rookies Steve Beauharnais and Jamie Collins. Beauharmais is more of a special teamer and the highly-drafted Collins has been a major disappointment in limited action as a rookie. From "Boston.com"...

It looks like there could be increased snaps for weakside linebacker Jamie Collins, who currently has just 52 defensive snaps this season. He has been primarily a strongside linebacker for the Patriots, but he played all over the defense in preseason, and his athleticism is comparable if not better than Mayo's. Dane Fletcher has been primarily a special teams player this year, but has four years of experience in the defense, and has been dependable when called upon. He had previously played just five defensive snaps all year prior to Mayo's injury, and played six after the veteran linebacker left the Saints game.

It would be nice to see Fletcher, Ninkovich, Gregory, and Vellano all playing at once. Even the extremely light-skinned black DT Chris Jones, who looks "more white" than Vellano in my opinion, passes the eye test in uniform.
 

Thrashen

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Here is what Austin Collie wrote on Twitter following the thrilling win over the Saints…

2 all those who said I should walk away, Thnk U! U kept me going when I felt like throwing in the towel! 2nite made it all worth it! #gopats

I’m sure he’s primarily referring to “Rabbi†Bob Kravitz, the Judeo-Marxist provocateur from the Indy Star, who “pleaded†with Collie to retire in various columns last season. I’m sure he loathed the fact that Collie helped the Pats defeat the all-black Saints secondary, despite playing less than 10 snaps in the game…

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I’m glad Austin is enjoying his time in NE, whose current team is quite reminiscent of the squads that won championships in 2001, 2003, and 2004. A low-scoring offense capable of random flashes of brilliance. A stout defense devoid of divas and superstars. Quality “role players,†but few guys compiling big stats. Well-mannered athletes, both black and white, who rarely exhibit poor sportsmanship or TNB on the field.

With Collie, Edelman, Amendola, Gronkowski, Devlin, Mulligan, Brady, and 5 white OL (assuming Dan Connolly returns), a deep playoff run would be a grievous humiliation to The System.
 

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Leonardfan

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I will be rooting hard for Collie. I think he will become Brady's favorite target. The trust will grow between them and Brady will get one of Peyton's most trusted receivers just like Peyton got welker from brady
 

Pie

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With the changes on defense, and with gronk coming back and Collie sticking, could we potentially see 13 starters for the Pats? If so, when is the last time that happened?
 

FootballDad

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In my previous post I neglected to mention Danny Amendola when commenting that Gronk, Collie and Edelman will be fun to watch, only because I have no confidence that the "white Bob Sanders" will ever stay on the field long enough to watch.
 

Thrashen

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In my previous post I neglected to mention Danny Amendola when commenting that Gronk, Collie and Edelman will be fun to watch, only because I have no confidence that the "white Bob Sanders" will ever stay on the field long enough to watch.

Yes, Amendola is a lost cause. Thankfully, as you mentioned, after 10 months of endless surgeries, infections, setbacks, world class rehabilitation, appointments with the world’s leading physicians, and perpetual titillation of fans/media alike, Rob Gronkowski has finally been “cleared to play” by doctors. I guess this is an indication that he’s “all cured” now…you know, as opposed to a mere 120 hours ago, when he definitely wasn’t fit to play against the Saints. As Don alluded to earlier in the thread, it’s possible that New England always knew he’d return 6-7 weeks into the season and failed to place him on IR so that they could use his “Will he? Won’t he?” injury status as a distraction for the preparation of upcoming opponents. Either way, it seems as though he’ll finally play against the woeful Jets.

Other good news is the fact that RG, Dan Connolly, seems to be ready to play on Sunday after suffering a head injury last week. From the “Boston Globe”…

Guard Dan Connolly (concussion) was back at practice on Thursday

With the return of Gronkowksi and the season-ending injury to LB Jerod Mayo, how many white starters will New England feature this weekend? 11? 12? Here is a projection that doesn’t even include possible starters such as Austin Collie (in place of Amendola) or FB James Develin…

OFFENSE: Brady, Gronkowski, Edelman, Solder, Mankins, Wendell, Connolly, and Vollmer.

DEFENSE: Ninkovich, Vellano, Gregory, Fletcher.

The Pats have flirted with the “Taboo 12” for many years and this could be their best chance to start the league’s first “white majority starting 22” in several decades of NFL football. It’s hard to believe that even with the loss of Welker and Woodhead, this squad grew even more white-friendly. An increased role for Austin Collie (who seems to have a growing rapport with Brady) would be a great sight, also…

101613patsar01.jpg
 

Pie

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I really hope we get to see the Patriots starting 14 at least once this season.
 

Don Wassall

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Edelman is banged up but is expected to play tomorrow, Amendola is out, and Gronkowski will likely play. One of the things to watch will be how Austin Collie is used. He came up big last week when he was finally on the field late in the game. Edelman is a very good receiver (and great kick returner), but Collie has All Pro ability and if the Patriots intend to let him get back to where he was in 2010 when he was far and away the leading receiver in the league before suffering a bad concussion, then it's time to start using him a lot more in place of the in-over-his-head rookie Boyce.
 

whiteathlete33

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It looks like Sebastian Vollmer is done for the season. Damn! Sumo Marcus Cannon will now be the starter! Even Weenieworld admits it's a big downgrade.
 

celticdb15

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Pats also only team to make a trade.. For a poly DT
 

Thrashen

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In the wake of Austin Collie’s release following a knee injury against Pittsburgh, it’s good to know that Rob Ninkovich’s foot injury supposedly won’t keep him sidelined whatsoever. Also, Steve Gregory’s broken thumb may not cause him to miss any games, either…

Safety Steve Gregory also wasn’t spotted at practice. That’s because he suffered a broken thumb in Sunday’s game, according to a league source. Despite other reports saying that Gregory would miss at least a few weeks, the source told the Globe that Gregory might be able to play in the next game, Nov. 18 at Carolina, wearing a cast.

Gregory, who was injured in the third quarter against the Steelers, has been credited with 58 tackles on the season, and is still looking for his first interception.

With the recent loss of Vollmer and Collie, New England’s current roster features 23 whites, 24 if you count DT Chris Jones. Vollmer’s replacement at RT, Marcus Cannon, is a good player but has always been injury prone. Will Svitek started every game in the pre-season and is his primary backup. If Cannon goes down this season, the Pats could regain their all-white OL. Lest we forget that during their 2011 Superbowl run, black guard Brian Waters started at RG and played well. Still, New England should still average 8-9 whites on offense and 2-3 on defense.
 
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Extra Point

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It was great to see the Patriots blow out the Steelers. They set records for the most points and yards ever scored against the Steelers.
 
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woody39

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Saw the Pat's cut the black DJ Williams, one of their reserve tight ends today leaving 24 whites (including Vellano and Chris Jones) on the 52 man roster with one open spot. If you count the three poly islanders Hoomanawanui, Siliga and Sopoaga; they have a majority non black squad. I know its not a majority white squad but thought it was worth noting. :icon_smile:.

Does anyone know the last time there was a majority white squad in the NFL?
 
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