According to the Boston Globe, tight end Rob Gronkowski has torn both his ACL and MCL, ending a season that was already stymied by injury.
That's horrible news for Gronk and bad news for Tom Brady, as well. Gronkowski has been Brady's big-play target since his season debut on Nov. 3. In five games, Gronkowski caught 39 passes for 592 yards and four touchdowns. Brady targeted the athletic tight end a total of 67 times.
Despite playing in a handful of games, Gronkowski is the Patriots' second-leading pass catcher. Julian Edelman, targeted 110 times with 76 receptions, has 775 receiving yards.
The passing game was a weekly adventure into the unknown until Gronkowski was cleared to play following surgeries on his forearm and back. The former proved especially troublesome and was the primary reason Gronkowski's 2013 return was delayed for so long.
Running back Shane Vereen may offer some relief for Brady. He has 40 catches and has expanded the options for Brady.
SHANAHAN CONSIDERS SITTING RG3
On a day in which he ducked and dodged nearly a half-hour's worth of questions about his future as head coach, Mike Shanahan left one enormous on-field question unanswered: whether Robert Griffin III would start at quarterback next week, or any more the rest of the season.
Shanahan told reporters he would decide later this week whether Griffin would start in Atlanta Sunday, adding that he had avoided naming him the starter after the loss to Kansas City because he was considering how much of a beating Griffin has taken lately. He has been sacked 24 times during the five-game losing streak, five times by the Chiefs. He was replaced by Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter Sunday — the first time in his NFL career he's been taken out of a game for a reason besides injury.
The coach said later that if he decides to sit Griffin, it will be for the final three games, not just the next one.
Shanahan has discussed it with owner Dan Snyder, but not with Griffin, he said. "Hopefully Robert will understand,'' he said, later adding, "I've got to do what's best for the organization.''
He pointed out that Griffin never had an offseason last year, because he was rehabbing after knee surgery following the injury in January's playoff loss to Seattle. Resting him now, he said, would protect him from another injury going into this offseason.
SHANAHAN CONTRACT DISPUTE?
The Redskins had not fired Shanahan as of Monday afternoon, but according to a report in The Washington Post, the franchise may be checking into the possibility of doing so while avoiding paying the remainder of his contract.
An unnamed source told The Post that there were “a number of things” on the table concerning Shanahan’s future. One of them is the notion of dismissing him for cause, claiming he violated his contract, which runs through the 2014 season. With three games left this season, the Redskins are 3-10, the second-worst record in the NFL.
The Post report indicated that the Redskins could contend that Shanahan was behind Sunday’s report on ESPN that he had considered quitting last season, and had cleaned out his office before January’s wild-card loss to Seattle. The ESPN report pointed to Shanahan’s discomfort with the cozy relationship between owner Dan Snyder — who hired Shanahan in 2010 and gave him a five-year, $35 million contract — and quarterback Robert Griffin III.
The report also raised the possibility of the team waiting to see if Shanahan resigned, in which case they would not have to pay the rest of his contract. “It could be a stare-down over the money,’’ the source told the Post.
It would not be the first time either the Redskins or Shanahan have gotten into conflicts with other parties over paying contracts. When the Raiders fired him four games into his second season as coach in 1989, Shanahan and owner Al Davis fought for decades afterward over money Shanahan said he was owed.
In 2010, the Redskins suspended Albert Haynesworth for the last four games and looked into revoking the rest of his contract. He was traded before the 2011 season.
In his weekly Monday post-game press conference, Shanahan deflected several questions about the ESPN report and his relationship with Snyder. He was asked twice, about 10 minutes apart, whether he wanted to return as coach next season; he first said he did not want to discuss anything besides Sunday’s game at Atlanta, but later said, “I want to come back; you always want to come back.’’
Shanahan did say his relationship with Snyder is “good,’’ but refused to comment on the report that he was the source of the story about him nearly quitting last year.
“I can't even speak on somebody else's comments," he said.
MATHIEU TEARS ACL AND LCL
The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers are battling for the No. 6 seed in the NFC. For the Cardinals, it just got a lot harder.
Rookie defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, a bargain third-round pick, has torn both the ACL and LCL in his knee. The super-active playmaker in the Cardinals’ secondary is done for the year. The Cardinals’ playoff aspirations aren’t dead yet, but there’s no doubting the impact Mathieu has made on the defensive unit.
He has 65 solo tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and two interceptions. He is also credited with nine passes defended. Mathieu plays safety and can cover slot receivers. His versatility and instincts have made him a huge asset.
Now, the Cardinals must face the Titans, Seahawks and 49ers in the closing weeks of the regular season.
GRUDEN STAYING PUT
Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico have something special going on Monday Night Football. Why give it all up in exchange for stress and trouble on the sidelines?
The Houston Texans fired coach Gary Kubiak on Friday, but Gruden, a Super Bowl winning coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, says he’s not interested in that job or any other that might come open.
Gruden confirmed to ESPN that he’s fine where he is and that he plans to remain on the MNF team at least through 2014.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” Gruden said. “I’m not going to address every little rumor or supposed conversation that takes place, according to these so-called sources.
“There are a lot of good coaches out there available to coach these teams. I’m just hoping ESPN likes the job I’m doing. That’s my focus.”
Gruden has been with the network since 2009.
The Texans lost a franchise-record, 11 straight games before parting ways with Kubiak. They’ll have the first pick in the NFL draft.
STEWART KNEE INJURY
Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has a “serious right knee injury,” according to the Charlotte Observer.
If further tests prove that to be true, it will be a blow to the Panthers remarkable season. As the Patriots minus-Rob Gronkowski (knee injury) have discovered already, nothing threatens championship hopes like late-season injuries.
Stewart is scheduled to have an MRI today.
He was injured in the third quarter of the loss in New Orleans to the Saints. Keenan Lewis took a low but legal hit on Stewart after he’d caught a 16-yard pass. He left the field without any assistance, but did not return to the game.
DeAngelo Williams, with 662 rushing yards, paces the Panthers’ ground game and with Cam Newton always a threat to run, Carolina has multiple options. Stewart just brings added security, having recorded 48 carries for 180 yards.
WARD DEFENDS HIT ON GRONK
Browns safety T.J. Ward knew soon after it happened that his hit on Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski would not be good.
He showed concern for Gronkowski, but didn’t apologize. Nor did he need to. His hit, within the legal zone, was within the rules. Unfortunately, it resulted in a season-ending right knee injury to Tom Brady’s biggest offensive target.
“When they set the rule, everyone knew what was going to happen,” Ward told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “This can happen if you have those types of situations. It’s pretty much inevitable and they forced our hand with this one.”
Ward went on to discuss the fact that he has been fined three times, adding he doesn’t want to “play for free.”
“Repeat offenders, they’re starting to suspend people for the year,” Ward said. “I can’t risk that. I won’t risk that. And I’ve got to play within the rules, point blank.”
He said that he prayed for Gronkowski and that he wanted him to know that he did not intentionally hurt him.
The sentiment is nice. The hit was legal. But the outcome of it all isn’t going to be easy for the Patriots to deal with.
Contributors: Rana L. Cash, David Steele, Vinnie Iyer
VIDEOS: Shanahan talks about RG3
Tucker: Patriots will struggle with Gronkowski out
