Rob Gronkowski is Ready, but Should the Dolphins Worry?

Gronk is ready to play

The New England Patriots are playing mind games once again.  Yesterday, Rob Gronkowski paraded through the locker room full of reporters to announce he was ready to play.  He says he's tired of answering questions about playing time, so he's good to go.

I wouldn't put this stunt past Bill Bellicheck.  He is known for keeping information about players' availability until the last minute.  This reeks of a team trying to force their opponent to prepare for something or someone who may not even be a major part of the game plan.

Gronkowski underwent surgery on his right ACL on January 9.  He's been rehabbing ever since.  On August 18 he returned to full team drills, and he expects to play in week one versus the Dolphins. 

Last year Gronk returned from injury, but didn't play every snap for five complete games.  Expect the Patriots to slowly work him in once again.  That's why this seems to be a stunt.  Rob will probably get five snaps on offense, not enough for the Dolphins to worry that much about.

"This was my plan the whole time – to work as hard as I could so I'd be ready for this week," Gronkowski attested. 

Rob Gronkowski is mentally ready to play the game.  Now it's time to see if he is physically ready to play.  Miami will have limited opportunities to test him, so they should be prepared to make the most of it.  If Bill Bellichick has his way, the Dolphins will prepare heavily for the Gronk!