Earlier today, WEEI reported that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski were back at Gillette, there to attend an interactive experience (called Patriots Fantasy Camp) for fans who wish to know what it’s like to be a Patriots player for a day.
Owner Robert Kraft also expressed that he expected Tom and Gronk to be present at this week’s mandatory minicamp (running from Tuesday to Thursday), and this year’s first Brady/Gronk sighting at Gillette is a small piece of good news in the midst of an offseason littered with headlines featuring team “leaders” Brady and Gronkowski flouting the authority of head coach Bill Belichick.
Many Pats fans (myself included) would like nothing more than for this whole Brady-Belichick feud to blow over; in any NFL franchise--much less one that has experienced such dominance over the past 20 years--bad blood between the quarterback and coach has the potential to bring team functionality to a grinding halt. Hopefully for New England, that won’t be the case this year as Brady and Belichick embark on their 18th season together, searching for the franchise’s sixth ring.
It all seems well and good that Brady and Gronk are back at camp, but are they truly back in the fold? I’d first like to dispense with the notion that Gronkowski’s dispute is analogous to Brady’s. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported that Gronk’s disagreement with the team comes down to money and nothing more, while numerous reports have emerged citing Alex Guerrero’s removal from team facilities and Bill Belichick’s no-nonsense, all-business attitude as reasons for Brady’s discontent. In other words, Gronk’s complaints might be solved with his signature on a dotted line, but Brady’s are far more complicated.
What comes next?
We might learn a lot from these next few days of minicamp, but it’s more likely that Brady and Bill go about business as usual, lacking any sort of personal interaction or telling comments to the media. Regardless, I’ll be interested to hear how Belichick answers the first How is it to have Tom back at camp? question despite the fact that no level of warm, fuzzy response will convince me that the disagreement is over.
In fact, the reality that both sides have dug in too deeply to capitulate brings me to the ultimate question: What’s the best way this whole mess could end up? I don’t think there’s any way for the personal grudges to be resolved, as nothing Belichick does (except maybe letting Guerrero back in) will make Tom see him favorably, and vice versa. These two all-time greats are both in the twilight of their careers, so neither will be particularly motivated to repair the relationship in the interest of long-term success. The best we can expect is that the two parties come together and agree to put aside past differences for the next season (or two?) in the name of winning. By doing so, Belichick and Brady might find a way to manufacture a purely professional relationship and hopefully compete for another ring or two. After all, titles are what they both want, right?
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