Tom Brady's Tunnel Vision on Rob Gronkowski Hurting Patriots Passing Game

When an object burns brighter than anything that surrounds it, the human eye is naturally attracted to its brilliance. Too much focus on the singular spot, however, can result in burnout.

While New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's talent surely can illuminate the field, the rest of the receivers can sometimes fade into the black as he works the middle of the secondary.

Gronkowski was on the field for 38 snaps in New England's ugly Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He ran 25 routes and was targeted an incredible 45 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Those 11 targets resulted in only four receptions.

The pressure on quarterback Tom Brady certainly didn't make it easy for him to distribute the ball effectively, but there were plenty of examples where Gronkowski was used as a security blanket when much better options were available.

Two such plays happened on a drive late in the first quarter.

With 2:21 left, the Patriots line up in "11" personnel, with Gronkowski at the "Y" position. The Dolphins show zone coverage, with two deep safeties.

As the Dolphins rush four—they got some pressure at Brady's feet as he was throwing the ball—Gronkowski gets a clean release off the line and is immediately picked up by a linebacker. He is aggressively bracketed by a safety over the top, making the window to fit the ball into impossibly small.

As Kenbrell Thompkins, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola all uncover for what would be easy completions—each could have made six to eight yards or more—Brady tries to knock the ball through the windmill and into the clown's mouth.

The resulting incompletion was anything but surprising.

A second example happened just seconds later. With 1:40 left, the Patriots are still in their "11" package. This time, however, the Dolphins show man coverage with a single high safety.

The defense brings six rushers—the offensive line and Shane Vereen hold up for the most part—as Gronkowski again gets a clean release from his "Y" position. Safety Louis Delmas immediately jumps in his hip pocket as the safety posts up in a support position.

Brady lets the ball fly as Gronkowski runs a skinny flag route, but there isn't much chance of a completion with two defenders in excellent position.

A closer look at the play reveals Amendola wide open underneath for a simple first down. Thompkins was "even and leaving" on the outside, singled by a cornerback.

Brady clearly eschewed better options to force the ball to Gronkowski multiple times against Miami. Perhaps it was the pressure. Perhaps he still doesn't trust Amendola after his return from injury. Either way spells trouble for New England.

If Brady is going to throw in Gronkowski's direction whenever pressured, NFL teams are going to take advantage. If he doesn't trust one or more receivers on the team, defenses will use that to their advantage as well.

Perhaps adding another weapon like second-year receiver Aaron Dobson and another week for the offensive line to gel will prevent another negative outcome in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.