The New England Patriots started their work at cutting players for the upcoming Saturday deadline to get down to 53-men on the roster and one of the releases was tight end Jake Ballard, ending any speculation that he could take over the starting job.
ESPN.com is reporting that Ballard was released and now it looks as if Zach Sudfeld will be the starter if Rob Gronkowski can't go in Week 1, as Daniel Fells was also let go. The team did not let go of Tim Tebow yet and while that could still happen, he looked good in the preseason and likely will make the final roster after previously signing a two year deal. The team had Ballard in all of their preseason games and he originally came over after the Giants placed him on waivers.
The Giants might want to get him back now and the 25-year-old has limited experience in the league after playing one season, but he was very solid for the Giants, making 38 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns and now he is a free agent. The Patriots clearly like Sudfeld or they are very confident in Gronk's recovery.
According to ESPN.com, Adam Schefter reports that it is "unrealistic" that Gronk will play in Week 1, meaning that fantasy owners that kept Gronkowski or drafted him will have to find alternatives. The report says that while Gronk is looking better after getting multiple surgeries this offseason on his arm and back, he won't be ready to go onto the field when the team opens with the Bills.
The Pats have a huge decision to make, as Gronk could start on the PUP list and that means he will miss the first six games of the season before he can come off. It likely will take him showing that he has made significant improvement for the team not to do that. In house options for Gronk had included Jake Ballard, Daniel Fells as well as Zach Sudfeld, who could get the majority of snaps after looking good in the offseason. Last season Gronk had 790 yards and 11 touchdowns and to replace him names like Zach Sudfeld, Jason Witten, Owen Daniels, Antonio Gates, Kyle Rudolph and Greg Olson will be key for any owner.
The 24-year-old Gronkowski had back surgery and over his career he has been prolific, scoring 38 touchdowns in 43 career games. Gronk has a Hall of Fame pace going with his stats, but if he can't stay healthy he could fall off that.
Head coach Bill Belichick made a risky move when he signed Jake Ballard two years ago after his ACL injury in the Super Bowl, but now that looks genius, as he may step in for Hernandez and Gronk. During his three year career with the team after leaving Florida, Hernandez made has 175 receptions for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Patriots and now he likely will be spending life in prison for his crimes.
The Patriots were as balanced on offense last season as it had been in years, ranking fourth in passing yards per game and seventh in rushing yards per game behind Stevan Ridley, but now that Hernandez is gone and there are question marks, the team likely will have to make up that production in other ways. Belichick will also focus on the defense during training camp, as the team ranked 29th in passing yards allowed per game and if they can improve on that just a bit, they should be in good shape heading into 2013.
