Great Expectations

So, I’ve read the first of what I assume will be many articles making the case that anything short of a Super Bowl win will be a failure for the 2014 Patriots.

Hasn’t that been the case for the last ten years? As I recall, even the 2013 Patriots, with five starters on IR, was subject to its unfair share of criticism for only getting to the AFC Championship.

For our friends in Buffalo and Cleveland and a dozen other NFL cities, let’s acknowledge that this is one of those good problems to have. Super Bowl expectations do not weigh heavy on the shoulders of Doug Marrone or Mike Pettine. Not that they don’t have problems of their own. I’m sure they would gladly trade their problems for the “anything short of a Super Bowl” problem.

The Patriots have lost  just two starters on IR this year; Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley. Mayo’s loss has been offset by the Pro Bowl-level play of Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins and the trades for Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas. Ridley has barely been missed thanks to the play of Jonas Gray and the pick-up of LeGarrette Blount. But I’m burying the lede here. The big difference for New England this year over last is that Rob Gronkowski is healthy.

At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, Gronk is every bit as important an offensive weapon as Dez Bryant is to the Cowboys, Demaryius Thomas is to the Broncos, Jordy Nelson is to the Packers or Calvin Johnson is to the Lions. After a slow start in September – to be expected coming off an ACL injury – and a Week 17 spent in a hyperbaric chamber at a secure, undisclosed location, Gronkowski finished 15^th in receiving yardage. He tied for 8^th in receiving 1^st downs (60 of his 82 receptions), finished 11^th in YAC, tied for 10^th in catches of 20+ yards and tied for 4^th in receiving touchdowns, with 12 scores in his 15 games.   

He is still too fast for linebackers and too big for safeties. He demands a double-team and has the athleticism to make spectacular catches in traffic. He tips the field, opening up space for Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Shane Vereen. And he blocks.

Do not even talk to me about Jimmy Graham. He is not a tight end. Just stop it. The discussion regarding the best tight end in the NFL begins and ends with Rob Gronkowski. That’s it. That’s the list.

As a pro football fan and more specifically as a New England Patriots fan, I have been waiting for the chance to see a healthy Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in the playoffs. Gronk’s name belongs on the list of most receiving TDs in a single season, playoffs.

Gronk isn’t the only reason for optimism. There’s a championship caliber defense lining up on the other side of the ball for the Patriots for the first time since 2004. They have one of the better special teams units in the NFL and perhaps the best kicker in the league should a game come down to a field goal. And they have Tom Brady.