FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Another week, another round of Gronk questions. And another few days before it becomes clearer whether the New England Patriots star tight end might make his 2013 debut Sunday. Rob Gronkowski has missed all five games while recovering from off-season surgeries on his left forearm and back. But hes getting closer to playing and that could happen against the unbeaten New Orleans Saints on Sunday, which should help the Patriots struggling offence. A person with knowledge of Gronkowskis health says doctors havent cleared him to play yet and wont know for a few days. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement was made. Gronkowski participated in practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. ProFootballTalk.com reported Tuesday that he is expected to be cleared to play this week and that its likely but not definite that hell play. Gronkowski has been asked about his status on Wednesdays throughout the season. But hes shed little light on when he might return, saying repeatedly hes taking it "day by day." He skipped this weeks media availability Wednesday and was expected to speak Thursday. Quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick also get peppered with questions about when Gronkowski will return but provide little insight. "Whenever that happens, who knows?" Brady said Wednesday. "I feel like Ive kind of talked about it a lot the past five weeks. If he is there, hes there. If hes not, hes not. Were going to try to win anyway." Belichick answered several questions about Gronkowski on Wednesday. His response to three of them: "day to day." And how did he look in practice? "He practiced," Belichick said. The interest in Gronkowski has intensified as Brady and the Patriots offence have been inconsistent. But the team is 4-1, so rushing Gronkowski back hasnt been imperative. And the Patriots are still favourites to win the AFC East even though Miami (3-2) and the New York Jets (3-2) are off to decent starts. That said, the Patriots are 24th in the NFL in scoring after leading the league last year. Brady is 22nd in passer rating after ranking sixth in 2012. So, clearly, Gronkowski, who has 187 catches in his 43 games with the Patriots, would help, especially in the red zone. After all, this season, New England tight ends have five receptions -- total. "When you get down in the red zone, you want to score a touchdown," rookie receiver Kenbrell Thompkins said. "You dont want to score three points. Sometimes when you score three points, it can hurt you and, unfortunately, thats what cost us in the Cincinnati game." The Patriots reached the red zone just once in last Sundays 13-6 loss to the Bengals but settled for a field goal after getting a first down at the 1-yard line. "Whoever is out there, whatever personnel, every play is designed to make positive yards, and a lot of them are designed to score touchdowns," Brady said. "But they dont always do that, so were trying to figure out how to do that and do better than what weve done the first five weeks." The 6-foot-6 Gronkowski could make a huge difference with his strong hands, ability to shield the ball from defenders and skill at reaching for passes with his long arms. The Patriots didnt put him on the physically unable to perform list at the start of the season. That would have required him to miss the first six games and barred him from practice. He hasnt missed a practice since the season began and could be back for the sixth game on Sunday. He was listed as questionable for the past three games after being doubtful for the previous two. The final injury report comes out after Fridays practice. "Hes a beast, man. I cant wait to see him, whenever he gets backs," receiver Aaron Dobson said. "Being out there practicing with him kind of gives you a feel of being out there but in a game ... it could be different." Gronkowski is also a quality safety valve, a player Brady can dump the ball off to when pressured. "Hes got a lot of excitement and brings a lot of energy to the team. Hes a great player," Brady said. "Im just kind of waiting like everyone else. Whenever it is, it is. Were 4-1. Weve won four games without him. If he is not there this week, weve got to try to go 5-1 anyway. "Hopefully, when he does get back out there, we will be more productive." NHL Jerseys . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. NHL Jerseys 2020 . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/. Tottenham claimed top spot in Group K by winning 2-0 at Tromso after defender Adnan Causevic scored an own goal before Mousa Dembele put the result beyond doubt. Valencia made sure it will finish first in Group A with a 1-0 win at Swansea thanks to an early goal from Dani Parejo. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . - The Minnesota Vikings have ruled Christian Ponder out for Sundays game at Baltimore, because the quarterback has not yet passed all of his post-concussion tests.Winless since the start of June, the task doesnt get any easier for Torontos Mark Buehrle on tonight with the veteran scheduled to go up against a longtime adversary. Buehrle looks to beat the New York Yankees for only the second time in his career as the Blue Jays begin a three-game series in the Bronx. The 35-year-old Buehrle appeared on his way to a career season nearly two months ago, improving to 10-1 with a victory over Kansas City on June 1. His earned run average at the time stood at 2.10. However, Buehrle has gone 0-5 with a 4.06 ERA in eight starts since, losing once to the Yankees in two starts over that time. His setback in New York on June 18 was his eighth consecutive losing decision to the Yankees and he is just 1-11 against them lifetime with a 5.81 ERA. The left-hander escaped with a no-decision versus Texas last time out on Sunday, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings. He is 10-6 on the year with a 2.86 ERA. Both the Blue Jays and Yankees are putting heat on Baltimore in the race for first place in the American League East. Toronto and New York both find themselves three games back of the front-running Orioles thanks to some recent surges. The Blue Jays saw starter Marcus Stroman carry a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Thursdays 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Stroman ended up allowing one hit over seven scoreless frames, while Juan Francisco ended a double shy of the cycle, hitting a two-run homer and ddriving in four.dddddddddddd But the true spotlight was on Stroman, who walked two and struck out seven to help Toronto go 5-2 on a seven-game homestand. "He pitched a hell of a game today," said Toronto catcher Dioner Navarro, whose club now begins a 10-game road trip. The Yankees, meanwhile, have lost just once in seven games since the All-Star break and took the final three of a four-game set with Texas by winning Thursdays finale 4-2. Brandon McCarthy pitched six strong innings for his second straight win, striking out five and giving up one run on four hits and two walks. The Yankees have won all three of his starts since acquiring the right-hander from the Diamondbacks on July 6 for Vidal Nuno. "They put up some long at-bats against him," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "But he just kept at it, kept throwing strikes. ... He just found a way to get through it." The Yankees next turn to 39-year-old Hiroki Kuroda, who is 6-6 with a 3.88 ERA on the year. Kuroda did not factor into a 3-2 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, charged with one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings. The righty worked around three hits and two walks, striking out six. Kuroda is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA in his career versus Toronto, including a recent road win on June 25. He gave up three runs over 6 1/3 frames of work. The Yankees have won six of nine versus the Blue Jays this season, including a three-game sweep at home from June 17-19. ' ' '