There is never a dull offseason in the AFC East. With the dynamic personalities of Rex Ryan and Rob Gronkowski to go with the young quarterbacks in the division, this offseason has no shortage of story lines.
AFC East OTA news roundup: Ron Gronkowski, Santonio Holmes battling injuries
Injuries and young quarterbacks abound in the AFC East.
Rick Stewart
Gronkowski is making more news this offseason for his injuries than his antics. A few other AFC East teams are dealing with injuries, and the young quarterbacks steal the headlines in this OTA news roundup.
Gronkowski can't catch a break. By all accounts, his fourth surgery on his infected forearm was successful, but now he is dealing with chronic back pain that could potentially set him back even further. The tight end is expected to get checked by an expert next month. In the mean time, the Patriots don't know what to expect, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport:
When I asked owner Robert Kraft about it this week, his response was, “I wish I knew as much as you’d like me to know.” It seems that nobody really knows. Medical opinions haven’t been formed. Kraft later told reporters that Gronkowski “still should be great. We’ll see.”
Goodson will join the Jets for OTAs after pleading not guilty to drugs and weapons charges earlier this week. That the running back was allowed to return to the team has been a controversial subject among fans and sportswriters. The SB Nation blog Gang Green Nation called the situation the first big test for new general manager John Idzik:
How John Idzik handles this situation is vitally important, I think we should wait for the legal process to do it’s job and then made a firm decision after this regarding whether Mike should be a Jet going forward. I have heard some say we should cut him right now, if we did then I could understand it. However for me, he has talent but he has troubles.
Santonio Holmes is still recovering from a Lisfranc injury that ended his 2012 season, and Jets coach Rex Ryan expects his No. 1 wide receiver to miss minicamp, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The team will need Holmes healthy for the start of the season, particularly if rookie quarterback Geno Smith is under center for Week 1. The more talent surrounding an inexperienced quarterback, the better.
E.J. Manuel didn't have a spectacular college career, but it was enough to make him the first quarterback off the board in the 2013 NFL Draft. Now tasked with learning the Buffalo Bills' offense, Manuel has been surprised at how quickly he has been able to learn, according to ESPN.
“The funny thing is it’s easier to learn than the offense I had at Florida State,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s a true West Coast-type progression offense. That’s really what I wanted when I was coming through the pre-draft process. I wanted something that I could just go in and say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, check it down and run it. That’s it, it’s that simple. I love it.”
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