Organized team unrest
Without Brady, Pats out of sorts, on and off field
FOXBORO — The lasting image from the practice field behind Gillette Stadium was just about what you’d expect from a Patriots passing camp that was missing star quarterback Tom Brady.
Picture Macaulay Culkin in that famous “Home Alone” cover shot with his hands clasped against his cheeks, screaming.
That might be a bit over-dramatic, but you get the point. It wasn’t pretty.
At different junc- tures, it was difficult to watch the offense as the second day of OTAs commenced without Brady. The toughest assignment of the day seemed to be completing a pass during 11-on-11 drills.
Brian Hoyer, Brady’s backup, had accuracy issues. He was 8-for-18. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best day for him to be off target, because in this behindthe-scenes stare down between Brady and Bill Belichick, neither side is winning points.
As Belichick twirled his whistle and watched his offense have a tough day executing with the backups, his star quarterback and tight end continue to stay away from the voluntary workouts.
Both Brady and Rob Gronkowski were still doing their treatments and training, just not with the team. According to a source, on Monday and yesterday, they both met with Brady’s body coach, Alex Guerrero, for their usual regimen.
Belichick, of course, won’t talk about people who aren’t present. So it’s tough to say what he’s really thinking, although one can certainly catch the drift.
“I’m not going to talk about the people that aren’t here,” Belichick said when asked about Brady. “Guys that are here are improving, they’re working hard and those are the guys we’re going to focus on.”
No surprise there. But Belichick’s overall message when it comes to these voluntary workouts is pretty obvious. It’s about getting everyone to learn the playbook. It’s about getting everyone on the same page. It’s about getting everyone to buy into becoming Patriots.
“Trying to learn football, trying to become a team, trying to get better each day,” he said, “that’s really where our focus is.”
Only it’s become tougher without his five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback aboard. There’s no rule that states Brady has to attend. There are other stars across the league who are skipping OTAs. It’s just a surprising turn of events given how dedicated Brady has always been, and how driven he’s been to have that extra edge over opponents.
While Brady publicly stated he’s changed his offseason regimen, wanting to spend more time with family, there’s more to the absence. It’s no secret he’s had issues with Belichick over access for his body coach Guerrero. There’s also the notion conveyed in his “Tom vs. Time” documentary that he’s perhaps not feeling appreciated by the Hoodie and the organization. Then, there’s the matter of his contract, which pays him a base salary of $14 million this season and next. His agent, Don Yee, suggested recently they’d like that deal reworked.
So while Brady is eventually coming back, a few things need to be settled in the interim. Same with Gronk, although his situation is more under the contract heading and appears to be nearing a resolution.
In the meantime, Hoyer and rookie Danny Etling, who didn’t look half-bad, have to do their best working the offense through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, red zone, etc., during this passing camp.
They’re essentially breaking in the new receivers, be it Jordan Matthews, Cordarrelle Patterson or rookie Braxton Berrios. Asked if it was frustrating to have his timeline with Brady pushed back, Matthews didn’t have that perspective at this stage.
“I think I can only label something as frustrating if I’m dealing with it. Right now, I’m really just dealing with learning the playbook and getting up to speed with the offense,” he said. “A lot of guys have been playing here already. The competitiveness of the new guy coming in always heightens for me, so I’m just worried about what I have to do, I’m not trying to think about anything outside of my job. I think that’s the driving force of the team.”
Matthews agreed, but it was also necessary for him to learn what he needs to learn.
“I think a big word for me is trust,” he said. “I’ve got to be able to trust myself when I come out here, know what I’m doing, getting open, catching the ball no matter who’s behind center . . . . I just have to do what I do.”
So the Brady-Belichick drama continues. We’ll see who blinks. Until then, it’s not looking great, on the field or off it.