New England Patriots: Aaron Hernandez's Injury Will Force Bill Belichick to Get Creative

By Bear Heiser
Senior Writer

Not only did the New England Patriots lose in devastating fashion to the Arizona Cardinals, they also lost tight end Aaron Hernandez for six weeks, according to PFT’s Mike Florio.

Hernandez had his ankle rolled up on by teammate Julian Edelman. The injury looked really bad in real time, and it looked even worse in slow motion.

X-rays on the ankle showed no breaks, but sometimes it’s almost better to break the ankle rather than to suffer a high-ankle sprain.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart just returned from a high-ankle sprain 20 days after it occurred. It all just depends on the severity of the sprain.

Whether it’s 20 days or six weeks, neither scenario is ideal for the Patriots. Hernandez is a huge component in Bill Belichick‘s two-tight end based offense. Without Hernandez out there to help stretch the field, Rob Gronkowski will not be as effective.

Michael Hoomanawanui, formerly of the St. Louis Rams, will move up behind Gronkowski on the depth chart. Hoomanawanui is a big, strong pass-catcher who can block, but staying healthy has been an issue his entire career. And he’s not nearly as speedy as Hernandez.