The dominance of the New England Patriots over the past decade has been remarkable. Not only has superstar quarterback Tom Brady been able to endure over the course of his career as the team’s starter under center, but also the Patriots have been able to stay a legitimate contender year after year regardless of whether or not players come or go.

During the 2013 NFL off-season, New England has already suffered major blows of their chances of being a contender heading into next season. The Patriots lost perennial Pro Bowler wide receiver Wes Welker to the Denver Broncos in free agency and also parted ways with veteran wideout Brandon Lloyd.

Those two moves alone were enough to severely impact the offense for New England with two of the best options downfield heading elsewhere. Lloyd being let go was anticipated, but Welker signing elsewhere was surprising to say the least with the team not willing to pay the veteran his desired salary.

Along with Welker and Lloyd being gone, the Patriots have also had to deal with the multiple surgeries undergone by arguably their best offensive player in two-time All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.

In Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, Gronkowski suffered a broken forearm that required surgery. The perennial Pro Bowler was able to return in Week 17, but went down once again in the first team’s first playoff game against the Houston Texans.

A second surgery was required after the tight end re-injured the arm. As if that weren’t bad enough, Gronkowski underwent two more surgeries due to an infection that was found.

Needless to say, the team became seriously concerned and matters only got worse with Gronkowski now having to undergo surgery on his back in June.

Although Gronkowski is considered to be arguably the best player at his position in the NFL, the tight end is starting to be labeled as injury prone and a major concern for the Patriots moving forward.

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