Priming the Patriots:
Age, injury and retirement talk around New England might just serve to motivate another run.
The “Tom vs. Time” storyline has been played out like an episode of “Days of Our Lives,” but everyone knows the inevitable cliff talk will resume for Brady as training camp begins this week.
Never mind the fact that he outgunned Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice in the 2018 season, including on the road in the AFC Championship Game. Those phenomenal feats will somehow get tossed aside for juicier sound bites of how a soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback shouldn’t be competing at an elite level in the NFL.
That essentially means Brady will once again be performing under a magnifying glass with every interception and missed throw weaving into the same misplaced narrative.
Additionally, there is plenty of talk of Brady and the Patriots offense and not enough talk about the defense. It’s the same defense that shut down quarterback Jared Goff and the highflying Rams offense at Super Bowl LIII. It’s the same defense that shut down Mahomes and the unstoppable Chiefs offense in the first half of the AFC Championship Game.
Sure, Trey Flowers is no longer with the team, but an argument could be made that the team upgraded by adding threetime Pro Bowler Michael Bennett at defensive end. Not to mention the already talented defensive backfield getting what could be a massive upgrade with the addition of rookie second-round draft pick Joejuan Williams and the return of 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson.
How will the Patriots replace Rob Gronkowski?
The team’s tight end position is now a ragtag group of retirees, journeymen and former undrafted free agents.
But any expectations of a revitalized Rob Gronkowski tossing on a red cape and jumping on the earliest plane ride to Foxborough to save a desperate tight end situation is a pipe dream.
Sure, Gronkowski returning would instantly make the team better than it is right now with the limited options on the depth chart. Longtime New Orleans Saint and former Patriot Benjamin Watson is projected to be the starter, but he is also 38 and slated to serve a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The rest are all Hail Mary options with little to no expectations outside of a traditional tight end role.
No one else is making the ridiculous one-handed circus grabs that turned a massively underrated former secondround draft pick into a future Hall of Famer. No one else can inspire and galvanize a team, along with having the trust of Brady. No one else is fortifying one of the most powerful offensive lines in football while also hauling in 60-plus passes for 1,000 yards.
No player will ever be able to fill those shoes, not even Gronkowski himself.
What about Julian Edelman?
When reports surfaced receiver Edelman (thumb) was expected to miss three weeks in training camp, the biggest takeaway was simple: What an opportunity for others.
It’s not ideal news for the Patriots offense, which will already be without Sony Michel and Demaryius Thomas due to injuries. But with Edelman and N’Keal Harry just about the only surefire locks to make the New England roster at receiver, the injury encourages a sense of competition for others while also giving them more reps with the No. 1 offense. Other receivers like Phillip Dorsett, Maurice Harris, Braxton Berrios, Dontrelle Inman and Harry will earn more targets.
Edelman’s injury provides the Patriots a more extended look at their unknown entities at receiver. After all, Dorsett is the only receiver of that group to catch a pass from Brady last season.