Speculation of Rob Gronkowski contemplating retirement had been going on for months previous to his formal announcement. On March 24th, Gronk officially hung up his cleats. Now, the Patriots franchise must ask themselves the ultimate question; is the dynasty over? The answer is left to be desired for now. Looking at what fans have to say about it, and revisiting Tom Brady’s success without Gronkowski, this could make an interesting season in New England.
Thoughts of fans
After interviewing two life-long Patriots fans, I used this time to gather their thoughts on how the dynasty of New England will look going forward. Tanner Mills and Tyler Engle, both college students, shared their feelings with me about the loss of Rob Gronkowski. First, I asked them their immediate feelings after hearing of Gronk’s retirement. Mills said, “It doesn’t catch you by shock, because you know, you’ve heard it for two years. At the same time, you’re gonna miss him, because you know, you just loved him as a fan. I mean, he was exciting on and off the field. In my opinion, he’s as talented as any Tight End ever.” Engle expressed his love for Gronk, but says his retirement will not be a problem for the franchise. He elaborates by saying, “As a Patriots fan, as long as we have Brady and Bill, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” When I asked them if they thought Gronk would come back out of retirement, both said no confidently. Mills elaborated, “I feel that Gronk won’t come back because Brady is nearing the end of his career, so why come back?” Engle mentioned Gronk’s health; “I mean, the guy has endured multiple surgeries already because of football. He has the stats, he has the rings. Why come back to risk your health for something you don’t have to prove anything else for?” Mills ended the interview with this final thought. He mentioned his concern with the Tight End position, saying “The Patriots have talked about bringing back Martellus Bennett but they haven’t yet. They cut Dwayne Allen, who was the backup Tight End. So right now there’s not even one on the roster that’s experienced. We’ve talked about signing Jared Cook, but he signed with the Saints last week. As far as the Tight End position goes, yeah there is definitely some concern if they’ll even get a viable option there.”
Brady without Gronk
Tom Brady was a winner, has been a winner, and will continue to be a winner with or without Gronkowski. Brady has totaled SIX Super Bowl victories all together, and three of them were without the former Arizona Wildcat. Brady’s record before Gronk was even drafted stands at 97-30, which is a ridiculous win percentage without one of the most talented Tight End’s of all-time. New England even posted a regular season record of 16-0 before Gronk came around. That’s something New England never done after he was drafted. Bill and Brady have found ways to keep winning no matter the circumstance.
In conclusion
There will always be concern when losing one of the best Tight Ends to ever play. However, Brady and Belichick are still here. Those two are the ones that started the greatest NFL dynasty of all-time, and don’t plan on ending it until they retire themselves. Brady has proven himself a winner without Gronk, and now has chances to prove that again in the years to come. As far as the fans go, opinions will differ and have their similarities. Some fans will worry more, while others might not worry at all. Either way, New England should still be a winning franchise.
