Why The Patriot's Offense Won't Miss A Beat Without Rob Gronkowski

The most unstoppable weapon in the NFL is named Robert Paxton Gronkowski. He likes to shotgun beers, party on cruise ships for weeks on end, and spike footballs in the endzone. He's also very injury prone, and he's going to miss the rest of this season after going through back surgery for a herniated disk.

Gronk has been vital to the Patriots success on offense ever since he was drafted. Just look back at 2013. Without a healthy Gronk, the Patriots playoff run was stymied. The 2016 Patriot offense is a completely different animal though. It's loaded with much more offensive talent than the 2013 team, and even without Gronk in the lineup this offense shouldn't miss a beat.

The biggest reason why the Patriots won't miss Gronk too much is Martellus Bennet, aka The Black Unicorn or Martysaurous Rex. Bennett is almost a physical clone of Gronk standing at 6'6 275. Bennett's game is really similar to Gronk as he can play in line, split out wide, or block when asked to do so. Of course Bennett isn't as dominant or as much as a vertical threat as Gronk, but he's close enough to maintain continuity at a high level. Oh and by the way he's pretty much been Gronks backup this season. This is a luxury the Patriots haven't had since Aaron Hernandez (it was an ipad bro) but even then Hernandez wasn't quite the tight end Bennett is. Bennett at times can be dominant in his own right:

Bennett has the ability to take short crossing routes like these and turn them into huge gains. At 275 he is a LOAD to tackle, especially for defensive backs and safeties. For his size he has incredible speed, and he can get behind or outrun defenders with relative ease. Together with Gronk in the lineup when they're both healthy, the Bennett Gronk combo has looked borderline unstoppable this season. It's unfortunate that we won't be seeing those two line up together again this season, but it won't throw a wrench in the Patriots game plans. Bennett is probably the most optimal Gronk replacement in the NFL, and will allow the Patriots to run the same plays on offense.

The reason that I'm not exceedingly worried about the Patriots offense without their primary field stretcher is because of a guy who played his college football at Monmouth University. His name is Chris Hogan, and he's been the Patriots second most consistent deep threat. Hogan has quietly been a steal for the Patriots this year after being pilfered in free agency from a division rival. Hogan is deceptively fast, and can get over the top on 1 on 1 match ups on the outside. Is Chris Hogan the answer to replacing Gronk as a vertical threat? Hell no. I wouldn't touch that statement with a 10 foot pole. However if Hogan can continue to do this for the Patriots the vertical element should remain in this offense:

What Hogan can bring to this offense is something Tom Brady hasn't had on the outside since Randy Moss. Not to compare the two as Hogan is hardly the receiver Moss was, but they bring similar things to the table. Hogan is by no means a true field stretcher on the outside in the mold of a Mike Wallace, but his ability to get over the top should help ease the loss of Gronk.

The Patriots discovered a spark plug last year that brought a whole new dimension to their offense; Dion Lewis. Unfortunately his season was derailed by a torn ACL, but he's finally healthy and back in the lineup again. The Patriot offense is all about exploiting underneath mismatches. Behind Gronk, Brady's favorite place to go are to his running backs. Lewis is adept at running routes out of the back field, and is a dangerous yards after the catch player. He's undersized for an NFL running back, but he's so damn elusive it doesn't matter. The Patriots last year averaged around 5 more yards per play with Lewis on the field for a reason:

The quick little check down has been a focal point in the Patriots offense for years, but Dion Lewis' elusiveness after the catch completely changes how teams have to defend against it. As long as the Patriots receiving corps can at least give the threat of stretching the field (they don't need to do it to the degree that Gronk does) Dion Lewis can pick up from where he left off last year, and provide Tommy Terrific with another weapon to shred defenses underneath with.

There's another guy in the Patriots backfield that has allowed the Patriots to be balanced, and his name is Legarrette Blount. New England has been able to run the ball down opponent's throats this year and control the time of possession with Blount force trauma. Blount is having a career reconnaissance and is running the football better than at any point in his career. The Patriots have never really had a work horse back like this, and it's been a key part to their success this season:

Blount is best known for his hard nosed running style, but this season he's looked like he's dropped 10 lbs, and has been able to consistently find the edge as well as pound it inside to help give New England balance on offense. The reason this is key with Gronk out, is that the Patriots can actually run the football productively in contrast to other years. Each and every time Gronk has been hurt in years past, the offensive production took a nosedive in part because the Patriots had no ground game to lean on and help alleviate the loss. With Legarrette Blount running the football like he's on a high speed car chase though, Brady and the rest of the offense have a lot less to worry about.

Football is less fun without Rob Gronkowksi, and this is a fact. Patriot fan or not, you have to admit seeing someone as dominant as Gronk keep going down is very disheartening. Gronk is on the career trajectory to be the most dominant tight end to ever play football, but unfortunately that may never come to fruition as his career might continue to get derailed by injury. Fortunately, football fans were able to celebrate his 69th touchdown catch this season. Even without Gronk though, this Patriot offense is as loaded as it's ever been and they shouldn't struggle without him. Am I trying to underplay the loss of Gronk? Absolutely not. He is the most lethal weapon in football. It's just that the Patriots are well equipped to maintain their offense, and won't have to make adjustments with Bennett who will replace Gronk as the primary tight end. Well wishes to you Rob, because I know football fans want to continue to see a "Gronking to remember" on Sundays.