Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski set to play but Dolphins are ready

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
Earlier today, it was announced that New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski would be playing on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Immediately, some began to panic and some began to declare that Gronkowski was officially back. However, everyone should pump the brakes for now.

"I'm super excited. Super pumped. ... I feel mentally and physically ready, for sure," Gronkowski said. "I'm definitely not playing every single snap. But just get out there, get my feet wet, whatever we game-plan this week, will be good.”

It's important to note that the Patriots love to play mind games with their opponents and it feels like this is another one of those. Gronkowski hasn't played in an NFL game in over nine months and it's going to take him some time to get back into the swing of things. To expect him to come out on the field and be a huge impact is hard and unless he's super-human, he is going to be limited throughout the game. The good news is that the Dolphins are ready for him whether he plays just a little or happens to play the majority of the game.

"We were fully prepared for him to play," head coach Joe Philbin said. "He's on their 53-man roster and we expected he would be available. We'll be ready for him, for sure."

---