Gronk on injury report
First for Super Bowl lists TE
FOXBORO — Even in an imaginary situation, Rob Gronkowski wouldn’t have practiced yesterday.
The Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles each had to release the first injury report of the Super Bowl bye week, so they projected how injuries would impact their players if they had practiced.
And as a result, the Pats determined the tight end wouldn’t have been cleared to take the field due to the concussion that he suffered from a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Barry Church in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. The Patriots will practice today for the first time this week, and Gronkowski’s status will continue to be monitored until there is a definitive declaration of his status for Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4.
Coach Bill Belichick was not prepared to unveil such a status yesterday.
“We’ll put it right on the injury report, and that’s what we’re going to do, just like everybody else does,” Belichick said during a predictably testy back-andforth during his morning news conference. “We’ll make sure you’re first on the list, too. I don’t want to hold anything back here. We’ll get that out there right away. That’s all we can do.”
The Patriots returned from a day off and conducted a typical Monday schedule on a Wednesday to prepare for the remainder of the week. They’re scheduled to practice today and tomorrow, but the remainder of their weekend remains up in the air.
On Sunday, a source told the Herald the Pats were optimistic Gronkowski would be cleared in time for the Super Bowl.
Gronkowski will have to clear the five-stage concussion protocol in order to play. He will be evaluated by an independent neurologist during that process.
Defensive end Deatrich Wise also suffered a concussion against the Jaguars and also wouldn’t have practiced. It’s his second concussion since August.
Defensive tackle Malcom Brown hurt his foot Sunday and would have been a limited participant.
Quarterback Tom Brady (right hand), running back Rex Burkhead (knee) and defensive tackle Alan Branch (knee) were removed from the injury report.
Chung in good place
Belichick has been candid in the past about the correction of his misuse of safety Patrick Chung, and that conversation resurfaced for obvious reasons.
Chung, a 2009 secondround draft pick, was primarily a free safety during his first four seasons with the Patriots, so he spent a lot of time in space, which didn’t suit his strengths and led to some inconsistencies. He then spent a season with the Eagles and returned to the Pats in 2014, and Belichick has righted the wrong by keeping Chung in the box.
This season, Chung might have been the best player to cover tight ends, and his role will be vital against the Eagles’ Zach Ertz.
“(Chung) has a lot of skills,” Belichick said. “I mean, we recognized it when we had him the first time when we drafted him. We took the guy in the second round. But it just, for a combination of reasons, I’d say a big part of it mistakes that I personally made, didn’t work out the way that we hoped it would, but we got it right the second time. I think we’ve been able to utilize him. I wish we had been able to do that when we initially got him, but it didn’t work out that way. I think we finally got it right.”
Losing stinks
Devin McCourty is one of 10 players who was also with the Patriots during their loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, and the safety admitted to sharing those feelings with teammates who never want to experience that type of defeat.
“To win that AFC Championship is huge,” McCourty said. “You have fun, celebrate that, but you can’t forget that winning that game allows you the opportunity to play in the biggest game of the year and how you want to be prepared. You don’t want that confetti falling as you’re walking off the field and the other team is winning. It’s a terrible feeling. There’s no words you can say. You can tell somebody until you’re blue in the face, but I think the biggest thing is by example, being prepared, coming in here ready to work each day. Guys feed off of that and I think that starts at the top.”
One down, two to go
The Patriots have already dispatched one popular former teammate this postseason, and they have the chance to crush the championship dreams of two more in the Super Bowl. Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan was on the wrong side of the divisional round affair, and the Eagles employ running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive end Chris Long.
“Me and Chris had talked weeks ago about how cool it would be for both of these teams to be in this situation,” McCourty said. “It’s a great opportunity. I look forward to a little trash talking out there with those guys, but obviously, they were great teammates and good friends of mine. The same thing I said about Logan, though: I’m not here to be friendly and hope it ends in a tie.”