Six months after their dispiriting Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, and an offseason of endless speculation about the state of the team, the Patriots opened training camp Thursday. As the five-time Super Bowl franchise prepares for another campaign, questions, not expectations, abound.
Is the Robert Kraft-Bill Belichick-Tom Brady triumvirate still intact, or has it begun to splinter? Did Kraft, 77, make a mistake in approving the trade of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo? Is Belichick, 66, losing his touch after not using cornerback Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl? Is Brady, 41 on Aug. 3 and beginning his 19thseason, as committed to the Patriots as he was as a rookie in 2000, or has he become more committed to TB12, his own fitness and training philosophy? Did his involvement in the documentary Tom vs. Time indicate a slight step back from Tom and team?
Wait! More questions await answers. Where’s tight end Rob Gronkowski’s head at these days? Remember, immediately after the Super Bowl he wondered if he would return? Who will slide into left tackle Nate Solder’s slot – he took the free agent route out of town – to protect Brady’s blind side? How about a successor to running back Dion Lewis? Will the defense miss coordinator Matt Patricia, now the head coach of the Lions? How will slot receiver and punt returner Julian Edelman play after serving a four-game suspension for using a performance enhancer and after missing last season with a knee injury? Will Brady miss receiver Danny Amendola, now with the Dolphins?
The relationship among Kraft, Belichick and Brady is anyone’s guess. Brady’s absence from optional off-season workouts could mean something, or nothing. None of the three has said anything about a rift, but who outside the Patriots tight inner circle really knows?
Brady defied the odds in 2017 and was the best quarterback in the NFL, and the league’s MVP for the third time. He is probably as fit as ever, but we should be cautious in our expectations of another stunning season.
Every NFL season is a new adventure, but this one could be even more adventurous for the Pats. The next six weeks will be critical in developing the team chemistry so essential to a championship season. The Patriots have done it before. Can they do it again? We shall see.
