You know who would really help the Patriots’ secondary, which has been gashed through two weeks and currently ranks dead last in passing yards allowed? Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has not practiced since he sustained a hamstring injury July 28. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said there’s a chance Gonzalez returns to the practice field before New England hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 3 matchup on Sunday. However, even a full week would mean Gonzalez sees three practices after nearly 60 days off.
“We just going day-by-day, taking one step at a time, being in the building, sitting in the meetings, doing what I can,” Gonzalez said Tuesday during an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “It’s been stressful, but it’s all for a reason. So, going one day at a time.”
Patriots insiders Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran questioned whether a Week 3 return is realistic or smart for the player and organization during the Patriots Talk Podcast. Because while his presence would help New England against quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf and the Steelers, it wouldn’t be following a full ramp-up. Gonzalez took part in just four training camp practices before he suffered the hamstring injury.
“To miss this amount of time, would you not — and listen, I like watching good football players play good football and if Christian Gonzalez wants to play this weekend, who who am I to say not a great idea — but would you not want a full week of practice and maybe two (weeks) before you’re back on a field and running around in anger trying to chase some of the best athletes on the planet?” Perry said. “Do you think it’s a good idea if he gets two or even three days of practice and then plays this week against the Steelers?”
Being without Gonzalez for another week or two wouldn’t be ideal, of course. Every game matters the same at the end of the campaign. But Curran has his eyes on more meaningful games against tougher opponents rather than Pittsburgh (Week 3) or Carolina (Week 4).
“You need him more against Baltimore (Week 16). You need him more against Cincinnati (Week 12), and I know Joe Burrow’s hurt. You need him more against the Bills (Week 5) than you need him against Pittsburgh and Carolina,” Curran said. “I would wait until he can play the Bills.
“It sucks. You’re going to forfeit four games from a guy who had a hamstring pull on July 28th. But it is what it is. If you’ve come this far and he can’t practice full this week, and it’s not like he’s raring to go and chewing at the bars of the cage to get out there, then you got to go slow with it still.”
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During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand on Monday, former Patriots captain David Andrews said he doesn’t believe Gonzalez will play in Week 3. The lack of conditioning will play a major factor, Andrews said. Again, the Second Team All-Pro practiced just four times since late July. It’s not the same as a midseason ailment where a player practiced for weeks if not months before sustaining an injury.
Perry agreed.
“There’s a conditioning element that I think they’re going to have to take into account here,” Perry said. “Now, maybe they could sort of bypass it or flatten the curve when it comes to his conditioning by saying, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be out there and you’re going to play and you feel like you’re ready to play and we feel like you’re ready, but we’re only going to play you 15 snaps. You’re only playing on third down. You might play a few in two-minute.'”
New England returns to the practice field for a fully-padded session Wednesday. Whether Gonzalez is on the field will be an important development, regardless of whether that means a Week 3 return or step closer to Week 4.
Also in this episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast: