Aaron Dobson undergoes foot surgery
We learned last week that surgery was emerging as a possibility for receiver Aaron Dobson's fractured foot. The Patriots have decided they don't want to wait any more.
Aaron Dobson had surgery today to repair the stress fracture in his foot, per source. Early recovery timetable estimated at 2-3 months.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 11, 2014
Dobson's foot fracture submarined his rookie season just as he was starting make strides in the New England offense. A 5 catch, 130 yard, 2 touchdown Week 9 performance against Pittsburgh put his potential on display, and Tom Brady was starting to visibly appear more comfortable going to him. However, Dobson's injury forced him out of Week 12's showdown with Denver, and the rookie would only catch four balls the rest of the year (including the postseason).Many have called into question why it's taken so long for Dobson's foot to be operated on. Sorry to ruin the conspiracy theories, but the Patriots simply opted to see if Dobson's foot would heal naturally with rest, rather than incurring the risks involved with operation. As it turned out, the foot was not showing progress, so the team finally abandoned that plan, getting surgery now to fully fix the problem during the offseason.
The estimated 2-3 month recovery time period shouldn't affect Dobson's availability for training camp. However, it threatens to keep Dobson out of the team's offseason program, including mini-camps in June, which would be an ideal time for the receiver to build up his chemistry with Tom Brady.
If Dobson is to believed, he'll be doing his best to make up for lost time by working out with Brady in California over the summer. The receiver knows better than anyone how much he can help this team by stepping up and establishing himself as a consistent weapon for Brady.
