The extra ripples of interest in Patriots training camp are easily explained by the presence of the Eagles, who arrived for joint practices Wednesday and Thursday at Gillette Stadium.
The large crowd in attendance, the occasional trash talk between sides, the extra intensity of one-on-one and team drills, and even the rare on-field dustups, all of it was to be expected as players drained by the rigors of camp were bound to be amped by something new, and observers eager for anything resembling real action salivated at the prospect.
Yet if extra eyeballs turned the Patriots’ way for a specific reason this week, the same can be said for their season as a whole. The football world is watching, waiting to see whether last year’s joyride to the Super Bowl was a one-off fluke, or whether the group, as currently assembled, is built for sustained success. Of course coach Mike Vrabel intends to add to the foundation he began laying last season, but when Year 1 of the rebuild went so spectacularly well and so far ahead of schedule, the question has to be asked.
What can they do in Year 2?
Read Tara Sullivan's full story at Globe.com/Sports. |
