Rob Gronkowski's Long History Of Injuries
BOSTON (CBS) -- There is no denying the fact that Rob Gronkowski is a game-changing tight end, and could potentially go down as the greatest to ever play at the position.
The man is simply a beast, and few opposing defenses have figured out a way to slow him down, let alone stop him. But there is one consistent factor that has slowed Gronk throughout his seven-year career: Injuries.
Gronkowski will reportedly undergo back surgery this week and miss the next two months, another chapter in the tight end's lengthy injury history. It's no surprise that a man who hurls his giant body into other giant bodies (sometimes two at a time) gets dinged up, but this will add to the 21 games (including playoffs) he's already missed due to injury over his career.
While there really is no good news about the Patriots losing a player of Gronkowski's caliber, there is this somewhat silver lining: New England is 15-6 without an injured Gronk. The injury may not destroy the team's Super Bowl aspirations this season, but it certainly hurts.
But more worrisome are the questions that now surround Gronkowski's long-term future, as the 27-year-old heads into his third back surgery in the last decade. A bad back in college hurt his draft stock and essentially landed him in New England with a second-round pick in 2010, so any issues with his back are a major concern. Here's a quick look back at the injuries Gronkowski has suffered while with the Patriots, and the playing time they've cost the All Pro:
2011: Sprained Ankle -- 0 Games
Though he didn't miss any time, Gronkowski suffered a left ankle sprain in New England's AFC Championship game win over the Ravens, courtesy of a low hit by Patriot-killer Bernard Pollard.
He was severely hobbled by it two weeks later when the Patriots played the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, and was held to just two receptions for 26 yards on three targets in the 21-17 loss.
2012: Broken Left Forearm -- 6 Games
This was a messy one, as Gronk suffered the injury while blocking on an extra point during a blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts. He underwent surgery and had a plate inserted to help him heal faster, and ended up missing five of the remaining six regular season games. Gronk returned in Week 17 to knock off some rust before the postseason, catching a touchdown in a win over the Miami Dolphins.
The problem was the arm was still pretty fragile when the Patriots hosted the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round a few weeks later, and Gronkowski re-broke the arm when he hit the field hard trying to catch a pass. The second break was in a different spot, but set up another offseason of surgery for the tight end.
The Pats went on to lose to the Ravens at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship Game.
2013: Back/Forearm -- 6 Games
Re-breaking the forearm was a messy deal in itself. But Gronkowski got an infection following one of the surgeries, which required another surgery to irradiate it. In all, he underwent four different surgeries on his left forearm.
But that wasn't the only procedure that ruined his offseason, and delayed the start of his 2013 season, as Gronkowski also underwent back surgery that June to repair a herniated disc in his back. In the end it was the multiple forearm surgeries that caused Gronkowski to miss the first six games of the season and not the back.
2013: Torn ACL/MCL -- 5 Games
After hauling in a touchdown in four straight games, it appeared that Gronkowski was finally back to being an impossible-to-stop offensive force. But on his second catch against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, safety T.J. Ward went low and hit Gronkowski's right knee as he planted it on the ground. The result of the dirty hit was a torn ACL and MCL, and no Gronk for the rest of the season.
In all, Gronkowski played in just seven games in 2013, and the Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
2015: Knee Sprain -- 1 Game
After a healthy season in 2014, which resulted in the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, Gronkowski had another healthy season in 2015 and missed just one game with a knee sprain that he suffered on a snowy Sunday night in Denver.
It was a scary scene though, as Gronk was carted off the field in the fourth quarter following a hit by safety Darian Stewart. It looked eerily similar to Ward's hit two years prior, except Gronk had yet to plant his leg on the ground, which helped him avoid a much more serious injury.
2016: Hamstring -- 2 Games
Gronkowski suffered a hammy injury during joint practices with the Chicago Bears in training camp, which ended up costing him the first two games of the regular season. He returned in Week 3 against the Houston Texans but was used as a decoy in the blowout win, as Jacoby Brissett didn't target him once. Gronkowski was a non-factor again in Week 4's loss to the Buffalo Bills, catching one of his two targets for 11 yards, and didn't really return to form until Tom Brady returned from his suspension a week later.
2016: Chest -- 1 Game
After getting absolutely destroyed by Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks, a hit Gronk called the hardest he's taken in his career, the tight end missed the following week with a chest injury. It was initially reported as a punctured lung, but later revealed to be a bruised chest. He was back against the New York Jets a week later, but that didn't last very long.
2016: Back -- ???
So now we're here, with Gronk reportedly set to go under the knife once again on his back. For now, he'll miss at least two months. That timetable gives him a chance to return if the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl, but we'll have to wait and see (and hope) it doesn't extend any longer than that.
