Finally, football season is back. Well, at least training camp.
It's time to strap 'em on and get to work on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.
Many pundits already have established New England as a favorite to go to a fourth-straight Super Bowl this coming February in Miami.
While it's obviously tough and often foolish to bet against Belichick and Brady, the Patriots certainly have their fair share of questions entering summer practice and preseason action.
Here are five top storylines to keep an eye on over the next few weeks on the practice fields of Foxborough.
Who's going to catch Tom Brady's passes? – Rob Gronkowski has retired (for now!). Josh Gordon remains indefinitely suspended by the NFL (for now!). Chris Hogan has moved on. Oh, and Julian Edelman will reportedly miss three weeks of summer work to a thumb injury. Sure, New England used a first-round pick at wide receiver for the first time during Bill Belichick's tenure, but counting on N'Keal Harry to be the centerpiece of the passing attack would seem to be a bit optimistic. After Edelman and running back James White – and it's hard to envision either taking on much more of the load than they've already shouldered in recent years – targets in the passing game are a major question mark. Maybe Matt LaCosse is ready for a breakout year or an aging Ben Watson will make plays when he returns from a four-game suspension. Maybe Maurice Harris or Phillip Dorsett or Braxton Berrios will be ready to step up to the challenge. Watching Brady try to find reliable targets and build relationships will be the biggest storyline of the summer in New England.
Is the defense ready to shoulder more of the load? – All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore is now considered the best player on the Patriots not wearing No. 12. He leads an experienced veteran defense that held the high-powered Rams to 3 points in Super Bowl LIII and finished in the top 10 in the NFL in points allowed last fall. The unit basically returns every key member/starter other than newly-minted $90 million Lion Trey Flowers, a void that could be filled by versatile, proven veteran addition Michael Bennett. There is playmaking potential, depth and youth at all three levels. Expectations are as high for the New England defense as they've been in years. The group should get off to a fast start on the practice field going against Brady's unsettled offense, which will only fuel the hype out of Foxborough. But, the unit must then prove it can be a consistent force for Bill Belichick's team during the regular season. The defense is likely to be well ahead of the offense in early practice action and into the preseason, but will it be ready for the spotlight of expectations when Ben Roethlisberger's Steelers come to town on opening night?
Is Isaiah Wynn the answer at left tackle? – After missing his rookie season to a torn Achilles, the 2018 first-round pick Wynn was not listed on New England's submission of PUP players to open camp. That's good news because thanks to Trent Brown bolting New England for $60 million in Oakland, the Patriots have a hole at left tackle for the second straight summer. There is endless and very much warranted faith in legendary line coach Dante Scarnecchia's ability to figure things out and put forth a workable option. Scar subsequently seems to have faith in Wynn's potential at left tackle. But potential and proven production protecting Brady's valuable, aging blindside are two different things. The Patriots clearly hope that Wynn can take the left tackle job and run with it the way Brown did a year ago about this time.
How will the new-look defensive coaching staff come together? – Steve Belichick is the only returning positional coach on the defensive side of the ball. Brian Flores moved on to Miami after one season calling the plays on defense. Even with Belichick overseeing it all, that's a lot of change. Former captain and All-Pro Jerod Mayo jumps from the business world/media to coach the linebackers and maybe even be in line to call the defensive plays. Bret Bielema goes from consultant to leading the defensive line. DeMarcus Covington and Mike Pellegrino are former coaching assistants elevated to outside linebackers and cornerbacks, respectively. They are all familiar faces and have earned some level of respect under Belichick's leadership in New England. But it's a new dynamic with new responsibilities. How it all comes together over the summer and into the heated action of the regular season is certainly anything but a certainty at this point, especially as the search for someone to call defensive plays unfolds.
Can Brady continue to outrun Father Time? – Brady claims the TB12 method has him running faster now than when he entered the NFL. He is coming off his sixth Super Bowl victory. The G.O.A.T. is also coming off what was statistically a bit of a down season. He will turn 42 early in training camp. Everything he accomplishes at this point is essentially unprecedented, sailing through uncharted waters for aging greatness at the quarterback position. He faces huge challenges in terms of personnel around him and working with coordinator Josh McDaniels to conjure up a passing attack and offense that's good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. First things first, though, plenty of eyes will be on TB12 to see if he continues to avoid slowing down. He looked very good during minicamp in June, but Belichick emphasizes that every player must reestablish himself each season. That's especially true for a 42-year-old passer. More eyes than Max Kellerman's will be watching this summer and early fall to see if Brady shows any signs of diminishing skills.
