Did you miss Wednesday's edition of "NFL Total Access" on NFL Network? Catch up with this recap:
Should the New England Patriots be concerned about Rob Gronkowski?
Willie McGinest stated that he had a similar surgery to what New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is going to have, and it was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins. He added that Gronkowski will have to do a ton of core strengthening to be able to continue to play at the same level. Still, McGinest is skeptical of any athlete undergoing back surgery because it can have long-term, lingering effects. LaDainian Tomlinson also thinks Gronkowski's health is concerning because the tight end is such a huge part of the Patriots' offense. Tomlinson thinks the Patriots will struggle without him.
Christian Ponder
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder checked in via Vikings team cam and said that he was rushed to the emergency room for his elbow injury. However, he said he didn't have surgery, and he's fine now. Ponder added that he thinks wide receiver Greg Jennings is a great player and a great leader, and he's excited to have Jennings on the team. Ponder also mentioned that he is excited to get rookie wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson involved. He also thinks Patterson is very talented and the Vikings will use him all year. Ponder is confident that he can become more vocal as a leader this season. Between Vikings running back and league MVP Adrian Peterson and some of the veteran offensive linemen, Ponder stated that the offensive veterans lead as a group.
Who will have a better fantasy season: Adrian Peterson or Arian Foster?
Michael Fabiano thinks Houston Texans running back Arian Foster will be a better fantasy back than Peterson in 2013 because he thinks Peterson will drop off in terms of production. Tomlinson argued that Peterson will get more touches than Foster and will be more productive because Foster will be sharing carries with Ben Tate. Dave Dameshek agreed with Tomlinson.
Is Matt Schaub a Super Bowl caliber quarterback?
McGinest believes that Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub can potentially win a Super Bowl with the Texans because they have all of the pieces around him. He believes that the Texans have a great defense and a great run game, the only thing that's missing is a receiver opposite Andre Johnson. McGinest stated that teams play the Texans a certain way because they don't have an explosive pass attack. With the addition of DeAndre Hopkins, McGinest thinks the Texans have a better chance at attacking in the pass game.
J.J. Watt
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt joined us on behalf of Gatorade and said the Texans are not satisfied with last season and their expectations are much higher. He said the Texans' expectations are to make the Super Bowl, and they want to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Houston. Watt made no excuses for the team's struggles down the stretch, saying they just got beat. Watt said he assumes he should be the highest-rated defensive player in the top 100, saying he thought it was part of winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Best QB to start a franchise with: Andrew Luck, RG3 or Colin Kaepernick
Willie McGinest: Colin Kaepernick
LaDainian Tomlinson: Andrew Luck
Be sure to tune into "NFL Total Access" on Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
