Rob Gronkowski Ripped Into By Former Patriots Player, Performances Affecting Tom Brady

Tight end Rob Gronkowski is "a shell of himself" according to former New England Patriots offensive lineman Damien Woody.

Woody's comments come on the back of New England's 17-10 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, that now puts their record at 9-5 for the season.

They will still likely finish as AFC East champions, however, there is a very clear difference between this team and the ones from the past that were Super Bowl contenders.

Gronkowski was one of the players who underwhelmed against the Steelers with just two catches for 21 yards during the game. It summed up his 2018 season so far, as he has a total of just 45 catches for 658 yards and three touchdowns in eleven games played, though injuries have taken its toll as well.

And Woody believes Patriots head coach Bill Belicheck knew Gronkowski's time was up, which is why he tried to trade him to the Detroit Lions this past offseason. The deal never happened after the 29-year-old threatened to retire and declined Detroit's calls, which he later confirmed to be true.

Woody would then appear on ESPN's "First Take" where he would rip into Gronkowski further, adding that his drop in performances is affecting the entire team, even quarterback Tom Brady.

"When I think of the cliff...obviously when somebody falls off a cliff, it is just a straight drop," Woody explained. "When I watch Tom Brady, there is nothing that signals to me that this dude is a scrub. Because when someone falls off a clip, that's the first thing you think of. ...There's no scrub in Tom Brady right now."

"Gronk has always been the guy that sets the table in the passing game. Gronk is a shell of himself and because he's a shell of himself, it's trickled down to everyone else. In a team game, in a team sport, you're only as good as the guys you play around. Right now when you look at the Patriots ... Gronk is not what he used to be, these guys can't separate like they once did back in the past and it has an effect on Tom Brady."

The Patriots scored just 10 points for the third time this season and while it's unfair to lay all the blame on Gronkowski, he certainly needs to perform much better especially if the Patriots want to win a potential sixth Super Bowl championship.

New England will look to snap a two-game losing run when they host the Buffalo Bills (5-9) on Sunday next. They will take on the New York Jets (4-10) in the final game of the regular season the following week after.