Belichick says all's well between himself and Brady, McDaniels

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FOXBORO -- After Bill Belichick sparred with the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy on Wednesday, he was back in front of reporters on Thursday for the first day of training camp practice.

The back-and-forth lasted about 10 minutes and touched on a variety of topics, including his quarterback and offensive coordinator.

When Belichick was asked if he was pleased that Tom Brady arrived to camp early, the coach replied that that was expected.

"All the players were required -- all the quarterbacks were required to report like they always do," Belichick said. "Tom's never missed anything that's required."

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So all is good with the quarterback, Belichick was asked?

"I have a good relationship with all of our players," Belichick replied.

Then, finally, Belichick was asked if there was any concern about Brady's commitment to the team after the soon-to-be 41-year-old skipped voluntary work in the spring.

The answer came quickly: "No."

When offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels came up, Belichick's struck a similar tone. Complimentary but brief.

Does McDaniels have any new responsibilities after he turned down the Colts' head job to stick in New England?

"Josh's role is the same as it's always been," Belichick said, reiterating what McDaniels told reporters in the spring.

Are you grooming McDaniels to be your successor?

"I'm trying to coach our football team the best I can to help it have a good year in 2018," he said. "That's what I'm trying to do . . .

"I've had a long relationship with Josh and a good one. I think he's a great coach. I love working with Josh."

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Recent reports indicated that McDaniels' retention was initiated more by ownership than Belichick -- and that Belichick may have been less than thrilled by the machinations that led to McDaniels' late change of heart.

When asked what his role was in keeping McDaniels, Belichick said, "Yeah, you'd have to talk to Josh about Josh's situation and decision-making. That's a question for him."

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