Patriots Camp Preview - Tight Ends

And so much for that.

In Bill Belichick's grand scheme, the Patriots' offense was to operate in a tight end-centric attack centered around athletic freak Aaron Hernandez and athletically freakier Rob Gronkowski, but the New England Patriots' "Summer of Pain" took care of that.

Both stories are well documented, so inclusion isn't necessary - but it is important to understand what a kick in the groin the Patriots offense took as a result of the hard luck the tight end position has taken since a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game - and not just the position, an entire philosophy as well.

They were thisclose, the Patriots were, to putting together an attack that was truly the talisman that spawned a thousand clichés , including the standard, "You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them".

Thisclose.  That has to be ripping Belichick's heart right out of his chest. 

On the verge of something epic, only to see it crash in the flames of injury and felony, his cornerstones for the offense either on an operating table or in a jail cell - Gronkowski will be back but Hernandez may never see the outside world again - so, as far as football is concerned, it's time to move on from the Summer of Pain and concentrate on what could very well be a season of dominance for the Patriots' offense.

At full speed, Gronkowski is the best tight end in football, with the best quarterback from the best offense in the National Football League throwing him the ball and letting him mow folks down on his way to the end zone.  There is not a tight end in the league with the same size / speed combination, especially as gifted a pass catcher and equally gifted blocker.

Gronkowski is the gold standard, but is starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list - and the team needs to let him heal from surgery on his spine just over a month ago.  It's tough to have such a weapon sitting in the owner's booth when he is still better at 75% than just about any other tight end in football, but they must resist that temptation and allow his back and forearm to completely heal.

Ballard

It may mean placing Gronkowski on the PUP list into the regular season and not having him available until week 7, but if the Patriots can get through those first six games without him, just think of what a collection of weapons Brady will have to work with when Gronkowski is 100%.

Hoomanawanui

And it's not like there's nothing to fill the void, as the Patriots got by with Michael Hoomanawanui and Daniel Fells teaming up in his stead, but hardly matching his abilities - but now there's Jake Ballard, a 6' 6" 260 pound machine that has the speed of a sloth but still manages to somehow get himself wide open, catching everything he can reach...

...and is almost as effective a blocker as Gronkowski, so as long as Ballard is recovered from the ACL and microfracture surgeries performed 18 months ago, he's about as good a fill in as the Patriots could ask for.

But beyond that is a tale of uncertainty, though Belichick knows that he hasn't tapped Hoomanawanui's full potential.  "Hooman" has some athleticism and decent speed and mopped up some drives as a short yardage fullback in the red zone, but is also an excellent in-line blocker that negates the defensive end and can get to the next level quickly.

Fells

Daniel Fells is also a holdover from last season, but may have seen his last regular season snap with the Patriots.  With both Gronkowski and Hernandez out of the lineup last season, Fells had the opportunity to rise up and contribute, but instead disappeared, which was difficult to do considering the depth he was hiding behind.  Despite the thin tight end corps, he needs a terrific camp to make the team...

...and rookie free agent Zach Sudfeld may be the reason why.  Though average in just about all areas, his 6' 7" 260 pound frame and sticky fingers make him an excellent red zone target and a weapon up the seam, and his full effort attitude makes him an intriguing prospect.  It's easy to get excited over a rookie free agent who shows up prepared in OTA's, but if he can maintain the level of competitiveness, he will earn a spot on this team.

Sudfeld

Brandon Ford is a camp body that projects in a role primarily set for Hoomanawanui and has comparable size, but it will take an excellent camp and maybe an injury for Ford to see the roster.

The Patriots are still in good shape so far as the position is concerned, good enough to wait on Gronkowski if he isn't ready for the regular season - but if he's close, you may see him on the opening day roster, but as a "healthy" scratch until he is ready, avoiding the week 6 target date for the PUP list...

...but they have to let him fully heal.  If that's by opening day, awesome.  A week or two after that?  Still cool.  Week 6 activated from the PUP list and in football shape?  We'll take it.

Anything short of the Injured Reserved list for Gronkowski is wonderful at this point.