I'm 25 from Taunton Ma and have a passion for sports especially Boston. My strong sports are MLB and the NFL. I'm hoping to get a job in sports writing someday.
The Patriots had day four of training camp yesterday morning. Throughout the practice the Patriots did a lot of 11-on-11 drills. The Patriots were in full pads for the second day of training camp. Rookie running back Sony Michel went untouched on 20 and 30 yard dashes as well.
Julian Edelman Looks Great
Julian Edelman still looks good coming off his ACL injury. Edelman will miss the first four games of the season due to his suspension. During today’s practice, though, Cordarelle Patterson made the catch of training camp so far. Eric Rowe was covering.
James White is Helping Sony Michel
James White was asked on Friday about Sony Michel, to which he responded, “You try to help him as much as you can, try not to throw too much at him but help him here and there after each rep, just coach him up a little bit on the side. But, you don’t want to give him too much at one time so he can just go out there and play fast. It’s just football at the end of the day, just take your coaching points and once you’re out there just go out there play fast, and play football.”
Sony Michel spoke after Sunday’s practice and said, “I’m actually getting a chance to learn from one of them — James White — and many more. Brandon, Rex — a lot of guys in that room, I get to learn from, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
Boston Sports Extra was in attendance when James White spoke to media. Julian Edelman also spoke today on getting ready for the season. He talked about what is in the past is the past. He just has to keep moving forward.
With the first four days of training camp in the books, the Patriots will move on to next week to begin the next phase in training camp.
— Bauston Diehards 🏈 ⚾🏀🏒⚽ (@BaustonDiehards) July 26, 2018
The New England Patriots began training camp today. The crowd was massive and got there early to see the Patriots on the field for the first time in 2018. Bill Belichick spoke this morning about day one of training camp. He told the media, “Well, it’s a long day. It’s a big day. We have a lot of opportunities today to get better. Hopefully, we can maximize all of them or as many as possible. That’s our goal every day.” Tom Brady came out strong with the Brady chants erupting from the crowd. Julian Edelmanalso looked good today, even though he’s coming off an ACL injury.
Tom Brady Looked Sharp
Watch what happened at 0:03 in @BosSportsExtra's broadcast: Patriots Training Camp 2018 Day 1 https://t.co/h40bhbEvoV
— Bauston Diehards 🏈 ⚾🏀🏒⚽ (@BaustonDiehards) July 26, 2018
Tom Brady looked sharp today and so did Danny Etling. The rookie quarterback looked to get rid of the ball more quickly than he did at LSU. Tom Brady did have one interception on the day, but was unfazed. Julian Edelman showed no signs of coming off an ACL injury. Number 11 looked sharp on his first day of training camp. Robert Kraft came onto the field and was greeted by Brady. The Patriots have practice Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week for training camp.
Rob Gronkowski was asked if he considered holding out of camp. His response: “No. Haven’t come close to considering that. No even one bit. What I can do is keep preparing, keep showing up every day, keep doing what I got to do.” As long as Tom Brady was on the field, there was no way Gronkowski was holding out of training camp. The tight end had solid chemistry Brady today too. They connected on a few occasions.
Overall Impressions
The Patriots looked sharp today on their first day of practice. But there is still along way to go until the season. Some questions will work themselves out, like which running back will most likely be cut before the start of the season? Who will step up at the wide receiver position? Will the Patriots make another Super Bowl run?
Bill Belichick is ready for another football season to start. Training camp begins Thursday and he’s in midseason form with his press conferences. Belichick will never answer questions from previous seasons or talk about past players. When asked about the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl benching, he replied, “I’m focused on doing the best that I can for the 2018 Patriots.” Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy asked and pressured Belichick for the answer. But Belichick wasn’t about to go there.
Bill Belichick Didn’t Deny He Was Texting Jimmy Garoppolo
Belichick was also asked about texting Jimmy Garoppolo last season. His response: “Yeah… those are things that happened months ago.” Clearly, he did text Garoppolo last season after his wins in December. Belichick says he has lots to improve on with his coaching style. Is one of those benching a player that would help you win a Super Bowl? What’s interesting is not one question about Brady was asked throughout that whole press conference. Brady turns 41 in August and is coming off an MVP season. Belichick wouldn’t talk about contracts or the Malcolm Mitchell situation.
Garoppolo Part of Belichick’s Legacy?
Belichick is a great coach but his ego has also gotten in the way recently. Felger and Mazz made a great point yesterday: Jimmy Garoppolo is part of Belichick’s legacy. If Garoppolo goes on to win a Super Bowl, that’s a reflection of Belichick for drafting him and making him the next great quarterback in the league. That is why Belichick is so high on Garoppolo and talked him up so much. Belichick drafted Tom Brady and won a Super Bowl he then drafted Garoppolo and could have done the same thing. It’s like Theo Epstein going to the Red Sox and winning a World Series then going to Chicago and following suit.
Everyone knew Belichick wasn’t going to talk about any previous season at all. Belichick is focused on the 2018 season and that’s all he cares about with the media. He might still text Garoppolo, but that won’t stop him from coaching the Patriots to put them in the best position to win.
Tom Brady has reported to training camp early. The GOAT is coming off an interesting offseason in which he skipped all of the voluntary workouts. Brady has been spending more time with his family and training his own way with Alex Guerrero to be ready for the season. He is likely very happy that Josh McDaniels is back and also that no quarterback on the roster is a threat to take his job. There was question if Brady would holdout because of a contract. But that isn’t happening and he’ll be ready to go.
Retire A New England Patriot?
Via Boston Herald
Brady wants to end his career with the Patriots and Robert Kraft is making sure that happens. The 2019 season will likely be his last, judging by his candid remarks in an interview with Oprah. The “playing until 45” guarantees was a tactic to keep Jimmy Garoppolo at bay and for the fans to celebrate. It’s more realistic to suggest that Brady will be retiring when his contract is up after the 2019 season. He’ll have one year with Josh McDaniels as the head coach.
18 Years Has Flown By
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: 508481337
When Brady was drafted back in 2000, he was out of shape and told Kraft the this will be the best decision the organization has ever made. Eighteen years later, Brady has lived up to his word. Drafting Brady 18 years ago was indubitably the best decision the organization has ever made. Brady has won five Super Bowls and helped turn the Patriots into a dynasty for 18 years. He’s made his own brand, started a family, and traveled the world to visit fans everywhere. Brady’s ego may have gotten in the way recently, but that was only because his job was at stake. Once Brady went to Kraft about playing until age 45, Kraft ensured that Garoppolo would be traded.
Brady played much better after Garoppolo was drafted and won two Super Bowls. As his career is coming to a close sooner rather than later, let’s enjoy the last years of Brady in a Patriots uniform and forget the ugly along the way.
New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Bill Belichick saw something special in Jimmy Garoppolo from the beginning. Whispers around Foxborough from the moment Garoppolo was drafted claimed he had the same attitude that Tom Brady had when he was drafted. That drive that everyone was better than him and he was the underdog. Bill Belichick loved that in Brady and he loved it in Jimmy Garoppolo too. The relationship with Kyle Shanahan played also a part as to why Belichick sent Garoppolo to the 49ers. Belichick has a lot of respect for Garoppolo and wanted to give him the best chance to win. Garoppolo wasn’t going to get that opportunity in Cleveland.
Bill Belichick Congratulated Garoppolo After Every Win
After every game in December Bill Belichick texted Jimmy Garoppolo congratulating him on his wins according to Sports Illustrated. Now people will spin that and say was he texting Brady after every win he got? That answer is no. For Belichick to text Garoppolo after every win is clear. Belichick really wanted to keep Garoppolo and knows he’ll be something special in years to come.
Garoppolo Was in the Shadow of the Patriot Way
Jimmy Garoppolo looked up to Brady and was excited to be in his shadow. He wanted to really be just like him but in his own way. Garoppolo told the Bleacher Report that he was really trying to get the starting job. That was his goal but Brady was standing in the way of that. Jimmy Garoppolo’s mother said, “Bill really, really liked Jimmy. Not like they were warm and fuzzy—but they both knew it was there.”
I wonder how many former players receive a text from Bill Belichick after a win? The answer I’m sure is not many. Jimmy Garoppolo is his own person who idolized Tom Brady and the Patriot way. He has taken that with him to San Francisco in hopes to bring a Super Bowl to Tom Brady’s childhood favorite team.
Jimmy Garoppolo recently had an interview with Bleacher Report. Throughout the whole interview, Garoppolo sounds a lot like Tom Brady. Garoppolo talked about the competitiveness between him and Brady. There were times after practice when Brady and Garoppolo would play the bucket game, which consists of landing a football in a trash can in the back corner of the endzone. Garoppolo told Bleacher Report ” There would be days where one of us would win and you wouldn’t talk to the other for a little while,” Jimmy says. “We’d be fine the next day, but it was one of the best things for me. We would push each other and we got two Super Bowls out of it.”
Like I’ve said before, Tom Brady got better after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded. In three seasons, Tom Brady completed 65.1 percent of his passes. Brady threw for 97 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Tom Brady maintained a quarterback rating of 103.1 while in his late 30’s. Brady declined to be in the interview by Bleacher Report. Jimmy Garoppolo was hurt the Patriots traded him but excited at the same time that he’d get a chance to start somewhere.
“WE GOT ALONG, BUT THERE WERE ALWAYS TIMES WHERE WE WANTED TO KILL EACH OTHER.” -Garoppolo, on his relationship with Brady
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Garoppolo discussed his relationship with Tom Brady, saying “The competitiveness between the two of us was very similar. If I’m playing my best friend in one-on-one basketball, if we are both into it, by the end, we are going to hate each other. That’s how it is. All the good competitors have that. We got along, but there were always times where we wanted to kill each other. It was a healthy, competitive relationship.”
At the end of the day, only Jimmy Garoppolo could steal Tom Brady’s job.
The Road Ahead For Jimmy G
Garoppolo was asked if he thought he was better than Tom Brady. He answered, “It was always a quiet confidence, I would never speak that. You believe in yourself, that’s the best way to put it. You have to pick your battles, but I had belief in myself that I could do certain things, and it’s always worked out pretty well. It will always be in me, that drive that comes from my dad telling me that someone is always working harder, that I’m always in last place and I need to catch up to someone else.”
Garoppolo came off just like a younger Brady, who felt he was in last and always played as the underdog. Five years from now, it seems very likely that Jimmy Garoppolo will be the best quarterback in the NFL and the Patriots will be kicking themselves for letting him go.
There is no question that this offseason for the Patriots has been the most bizarre offseason in 18 years. It began immediately after the Super Bowl up until Tom Brady skipping OTA’s. It was reported last week by Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal that Belichick is upset that Robert Kraft is intervening in football decisions. Then, it was reported by Karen Guergian of the Boston Herald that Brady had a say in bringing back Josh McDaniels.
Brady Overstepping His Boundaries?
Guergian wrote “As for Belichick, he is reportedly irritated because he believes Brady tugged on (owner) Robert Kraft to make moves (Jimmy Garoppolo, Josh McDaniels) which ultimately forced Belichick’s hand. My sources confirm Brady had a hand in bringing McDaniels back at the 11th hour, after the latter was headed to Indianapolis to be the Colts coach.”
In my opinion, this will be Bill Belichick’s last season with the Patriots and he’ll retire. Once Belichick found out Brady had a say again in a football decision, it was all over from there. Belichick is now preparing the team so it’s decent when Josh McDaniels takes over next season as the head coach. Josh McDaniels needed to know what his status was going to be with the Patriots before he came back. Once McDaniels found out he’d be the successor , the right decision was to come back to Foxoborough.
The End is Near
This also gives Tom Brady a year under Josh McDaniels before he too retires. There’s no way Brady is playing until age 45. While Brady is excited to begin his 18th season on the Patriots, posting on Instagram that he’ll play until age 45 is for the fans. In reality, he’s likely going to retire at the end of the 2019 NFL season. Enjoy the final two years because the end is coming sooner rather than later. Go check out his interview with Oprah if you don’t believe me.
Julian Edelman will not take any further action and appeal his four-game suspension. He will be out for the first four games of the season. This is a blow to the Patriots offense to begin the year with the loss of Amendola. Tom Brady will have to rely on other players to step up and make plays. Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and Rob Gronkowski will have to be key parts to the offense to begin the year. Julian Edelman was popped for a PED substance following the injury to his torn ACL. Alex Guerrero came to the defense of Edelman and said it had nothing to do with his treatment at TB12.
Julian Edelman Will Be Missed
The schedule for the Patriots in September is against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins. Julian Edelman won’t take the same road Tom Brady took during his deflate-gate suspension. Julian Edelman has been working out with Tom Brady privately this offseason in the practice field house. Edelman did attend the OTA’s this offseason in an attempt to start off on the right foot after missing all of last season.
Bill Belichick can’t be happy Edelman will be missing the first four games, but like always, will do what’s best for the football team. With training camp beginning Thursday, we’ll catch the first glimpse of everyone on the practice field behind Gillette Stadium. Everyone is expected to be there and Brady will supposedly be there early as well. Rob Gronkowski will also be there early.
Julian Edelman Will Be Ready To Go In Week Five
Julian Edelman is a loss, but I would have him serve the suspension at the beginning of the season rather than in December. It’s still a mystery what Edelman tested positive for because the NFL won’t release that information. Whatever it was that got him suspended, he’ll be ready to go in week five.
I was eight years old when Tom Brady was drafted in 2000. When the Patriots drafted Brady in the sixth round pick (199th overall), nobody outside of New England thought this run would last 18 years. The Patriots have won five Super Bowls and have been to eight of them from 2001-2017. From the beginning, Robert Kraft has let head coach Bill Belichick run the football operations. From letting players go no matter how good they are, Belichick always has said he does what’s best for the team, not for an individual player (except for Brady).
Robert Kraft Has Grown Close To Tom Brady
Via Boston Herald
Robert Kraft is like a father to Tom Brady and would never let Bill Belichick trade him. However, things in Foxborough started to shake a little when Tom Brady’s play started to slip and Belichick was looking towards Tom Brady’s successor. From 2010-2013, Tom Brady threw 134 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. In 2014, Bill Belichick made a pick at quarterback and selected Jimmy Garoppolo. Belichick said at a press conference after they drafted Garoppolo, “We know what Tom’s age and contract situation is. I don’t think you want to have one quarterback on your team. I don’t think that’s responsible to the entire team or the organization.”
Tom Brady Played Better After Garoppolo Was Drafted
That is when Tom Brady really shifted into gear with preparation. He knew how he got his job and didn’t want the same to happen to him. The power struggle probably started in 2014, when Belichick drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. Tom Brady threw 129 touchdowns from 2014-2017 and only 26 interceptions. Brady also would lead the Patriots to two Super Bowls victories and have the greatest comeback in Super Bowl History, down 25 points.
Every Relationship Has Tension
At the start of the 2017 NFL season, Brady was really pushing his TB12 brand. Brady was also saying he wanted to play until his mid 40’s. Meanwhile, Belichick was planning for the future of the franchise, preparing for the next quarterback to fill Tom Brady’s shoes. Belichick wanted to do what was best for the football team – moving on from someone, regardless of how much they mean to the organization. However, what Belichick fails to realize is that Tom Brady is bigger than the team. He’s earned that right to stick around based solely on how many championships he’s won.
Belichick Likes To Do What’s Best For The Team
However, when you play for Bill Belichick, he doesn’t see it that way. He wanted to go with Jimmy Garoppolo to be set for the next decade. But when Brady reportedly went to Kraft and asked to trade Garoppolo, that’s when Belichick really got upset. Kraft shipped Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers, which prompted Belichick to talk very highly of Garoppolo during the immediate press conference. That is when Tom E. Curran first reported a rift, even before ESPN did in January.
The Transitions Are Coming, From Ownership To Players
Kraft said before the Super Bowl last season that in every relationship, there’s going to be tension and that people aren’t always going to agree on things. Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal wrote last week that relations between Kraft, Belichick, and Brady have still not been worked out. Belichick is upset that Kraft is getting in the way of football decisions. Between trading Garoppolo to bringing back McDaniels and almost trading Gronkowski, Belichick is likely not too happy. Bill Belichick has traded every possible weapon that could help Brady.
I still believe Belichick is retiring at the end of the season, which is whyJosh McDaniels was brought back. McDaniels needed to be assured that the head coach position would soon be his. This conversation surely took place.
Brady Hinting He Will Be Reporting To Training Camp Early
Via Patriots Instagram
Since Jimmy Garoppolo has been gone, Brady has talked about spending more time with his family and has skipped all offseason voluntary workouts. All of the “in denial” Patriots fans will say that the voluntary workouts aren’t important. Yet, Brady has attended them for 17 seasons and nobody said that it wasn’t a big deal in those years. Tom Brady has hinted he will be reporting to Patriots training camp on Sunday four days early. All of his vacations are over and it’s back to work for the almost 41-year-old quarterback.
This year begins the 18th season between Belichick, Brady, and Kraft. It’s been a great ride for the last 18 years and this one might be the last we see these three in the same building together. Brady, like I’ve been saying, will likely play out his contract and retire after the 2019 season. In 2020, Josh McDaniels will have a brand new team to work with and try to bring more championships to Foxborough for the next decade.
With training camp starting a week from today we’ll get our first look at the Patriots on the practice field. It’s been an interesting offseason and a very quiet month in Foxborough. No Day’s Off turned into taking the last two days of OTA’s off and we’ll see everyone on July 26th.
Tom Brady though could have a difficult time to begin the season. With Julian Edelman out the first four games, Brady will be missing his other weapon, Danny Amendola. Amendola took more money and went to the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
Danny Amendola Will Be Missed
Now it will be up to Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell to take that role. In the AFC Championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Danny Amendola had a great game. If he’s not on the team the Patriots don’t go to the Super Bowl. That is where he got the nickname Danny “Playoff” Amendola. The Patriots will miss Amendola when it matters the most. Last postseason, Amendola led the league in yards per receptions and first downs. That is an amazing stat and one that will come back to haunt the Patriots in the playoffs this year.
Danny Amendola didn’t think the money was right for him, which is why he decided to go to the Miami Dolphins. With Belichick in rebuilding mode and trying to give Josh McDaniels a decent team when he takes over next season, Belichick almost cleaned house this offseason. Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis, Nate Solder, and Danny Amendola are all gone. Danny Amendola became a household name in New England and won two Super Bowls.
Tom’s Frustration
Tom Brady can’t be happy, which is probably why there is some tension. First Belichick doesn’t play Butler in the Super Bowl, so Brady is forced to win the game on the offensive side of the ball. Secondly, his offensive lineman Nate Solder goes to the New York Giants. Who knows how many times Brady will be sacked now. He loses his running back Dion Lewis. Finally he losses Danny Amendola who was clutch in the playoffs. This may not be a factor but if Edelman is out in a playoff game, everyone in New England will be missing Danny Amendola.
