Patriots Must Handle Rob Gronkowski's Injury with Unprecedented Patience

Outside of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski is the most valuable player on the New England Patriots, and he must be treated as such.

After four surgeries to fully repair his broken left forearm this offseason, the best tight end in football—yes, the best—who's had a legendary start to his professional career, is now facing a much more serious, potentially career-altering surgery...on his back. 

Oh no. 

Not the back.

When NFL.com's Albert Breer broke the news on Twitter, timelines were instantly littered with the apparently not-so-forgotten reminder that Gronkowski missed the entire 2009 season at Arizona with a back injury.

According to Grantland's Bill Barnwell, as a collegian, "Gronkowski underwent a microdiscectomy to shave a disc that was bothering his sciatic nerve."

The present-day disc issue is reportedly "not related to the same one that required a procedure in 2009" per Gronkowski's agent, Drew Rosenhaus (via ESPN).

Sigh. Of. Relief. 

Though this is a "new" back injury for the Gronk, and it has been labeled as a "minor" procedure, NFL's Around the League Twitter account made a succinct and astute point on the matter: 

"

Don't want to hear anyone call any back surgery "minor." You try it.

— NFL: AroundTheLeague (@NFL_ATL) May 29, 2013"

Very true. 

Gronkowski is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp. Attempting to project his availability beyond that point is extremely difficult, although Rotoworld noted his "Week 1 status should be considered up in the air" and later took a more pessimistic view by claiming his "Week 1 status is in serious doubt."

Yikes. 

Regardless of what even the most respected and connected football minds believe about when Gronkowski will be "ready" to step back onto the field, the Patriots must proceed with a borderline-ridiculous amount of caution.

Seriously. 

No player has caught more touchdown passes over the last three years than Gronkowski (38), and he's established himself as one of the most devastating blocking tight ends in the game.  

And he's only 24 years old.

Because of all that, the Patriots must be extremely patient—much more patient than they've been in the past—with their youthful superstar, especially with his back injury history.

Gronkowski broke his forearm on Nov. 18, 2012 in the late stages of a Week 11 win over the Indianapolis Colts. 

It's probably incorrect to claim he was "rushed" back for the season finale against the Miami Dolphins, as the Patriots were in a three-team playoff-positioning race and Gronk was medically cleared. 

He caught two passes for 42 yards and scored a touchdown, as New England locked up the No. 2 seed. 

But against the Houston Texans in the divisional round, Gronkowski re-broke his forearm and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the postseason.

In essence, New England was almost forced to "rush" Gronkowski back in a do-or-die situation, just like the previous year in the Super Bowl when the elite tight end played and was clearly far from 100 percent. 

This time around, with the luxury of the entire regular season ahead of them, there's no reason the Patriots should feel obligated to get Gronkowski back on the field. 

Heck, even if he's medically cleared, it wouldn't be a horrible idea for the Gronk to get an extra week or two of rest.

It'll be much more important for Gronkowski to be fully healed, 100 percent—whatever—for the latter part of the regular season and the playoffs than it will be for him to take the field in the first month of the 2013 campaign.

He's so young, so physically imposing and has been so productive, there's no telling what he's capable of accomplishing. Due to the immense upside Gronk possesses, New England must do everything in its power to conserve it and make sure it's not destroyed by injury.

With arguably the greatest quarterback of all time under center, a new dedication to the running game and an improving defense, the Patriots shouldn't worry if their stud tight end misses, say, the entire month of September.

Rob Gronkowski's true value is in his long-term potential, not in making it easier for New England to start 4-0 in 2013.

Follow @ChrisTrapasso