Brady: Patriots Still Feel They Can 'Win A Lot Of Games' Without Gronkowski
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thursday was not an easy one for Patriots players, as they learned they'll once again have to deal with life without Rob Gronkowski.
The All World tight end is heading back under the knife due to a back injury that will very likely end his 2016 season. Quarterback Tom Brady has had to manage without his giant tight end before, and knows that not having one of his biggest and best targets on the field will certainly make life a little more difficult going forward.
But there is nothing the Patriots can do about that now, and they won't let it put a strain on the confidence they feel following a 9-2 start to the season. They stemmed the tide earlier this year without Gronk in the lineup (or Brady for that matter), so life will go on as they continue their quest for another Super Bowl title.
"He's such a great player and the kind of leader he is off the field and in the locker room, it's a tough loss. But we still have a big challenge ahead and we're going to try to do the best we can do. We still have a lot of good players and we'll be focused on what our job is," Brady told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Friday. "Everyone is going to have to step their game up."
The emphasis there is on "everyone" -- from Brady himself to the bottom of the New England roster. But a big difference this year is the abundance of depth on offense, from Brady's reliable collection of receivers to a steady trio of running backs to tight end Martellus Bennett, who has done just about anything the Patriots have asked him to do this season.
No one player can replace Gronkowski. But with everyone stepping up just a little bit more, the loss shouldn't derail what could be another season ending with a Lombardi Trophy heading to Foxboro.
"He's a tough player to [replace]. There are no guys like Rob on the street," said Brady. "When he's out someone has to step in and fill that spot. It might not be a tight end spot, it may be another receiver or running back. We still have to execute the plays well; there are 70 of them a game and you have to execute all 70 as well as you can. There will be a lot of guys trying to do that.
"We have to go out there and play a great game. This is a good time of the year to start playing our best football," he added. "We all have confidence that we can go out and win games. We all love to have him out there, but he's not. We still feel like we can go out and win a lot of games."