Long gone are the days of Rob Gronkowski, the unstoppable freight train. Injuries have broken down the body of the Patriots' tight end to the point where former players are taking notice. Former Patriots offensive lineman Damien Woody appeared on ESPN's First Take on Monday morning and didn't hold back in his assessment of Gronkowski, “Gronk is a shell of himself,” said Woody while sitting next to Max Kellerman. “And because he's a shell of himself it's trickled down to everyone else.”

Woody believes that Gronk's regression is the main reason for the Patriots' recent offensive struggles. New England fell to 9-5 after their loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday. They scored only ten points for the third time this season. Brady threw for 279 yards with one touchdown and one interception, Gronk caught only two passes for 21 yards.

In the 11 games he's played this year, Gronk has 658 receiving yards and just three touchdowns. A far cry from his career highs of 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns.

This is Gronkowski's ninth season, and he has had more than his fair share of injuries. In 2012, while playing on the field goal protection unit he broke his left forearm and missed the next five games. He broke the same forearm again in the divisional round of the playoffs.

After surgery, Gronkowski suffered an infection, which required two additional surgeries on the forearm and led to him missing the first six games of the 2013 season. He also had surgery that offseason on a herniated disk in his back and played seven games before tearing his right ACL. In 2016, Gronkowski had another back surgery to repair another herniated disk.

There were rumors about Gronk retiring before the season, but he's stuck around. He's missed three games this season with ankle and back issues.