They're on the premises. They're in the building. They're in uniform, even. They've reported.
But now that Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have re-joined their teammates one day before the start of mandatory minicamp -- taking part in a fantasy camp at the Empower Field House -- it's fair to wonder what practices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Gillette Stadium will look like.
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Brady and Gronkowski have missed all of the voluntary workouts held by their team since mid-April. In terms of sheer hours put in this spring with Patriots coaches and fellow players, they're behind. But they also just so happen to be the two best players on the team and two of the best of all-time at their positions.
That could, in theory, put Bill Belichick in a bit of a bind.
During his nearly two decades as head coach in New England, Belichick has run football's ultimate meritocracy. It doesn't matter how you got here, Patriots players are told annually, it's what you do when you arrive. Undrafted players make it over draft picks regularly. Pro Bowlers are traded because it's "what's best for the team." And, of course, if you're a quarterback with a $100 million contract, it's not out of the realm of possibility that you will lose your job to a sixth-round pick.
How, then, does Belichick manage his two stars who were fully able to attend the voluntary-but-strongly-encouraged offseason workouts and opted not to? What happens when it comes to their workloads at this week's minicamp? What have they earned?
Plenty, based their body of work. More than plenty. Not so much based on their spring attendance.
But Belichick pointed out before the draft that the upcoming portion of the schedule was "voluntary" and that "there are a couple players that I’ve talked to that have other commitments, but that’s the way it always is." And so this could very well be a start-fresh moment for Belichick, Brady, and Gronkowski.
Even so, we batted around the reps question on Sports Sunday over the weekend, Mike Felger, Albert Breer, Steve Buckley and I. Some of us laughed at the idea of Brady throwing to little-known rookies and former practice-squadders upon his return. It seemed absurd. But let's lay it out.
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(And keep in mind that, yes, the Patriots divvy up the reps making it hard to decipher first, second and third groups at times. But there is a certain order to things at these sessions, especially at the quarterback position. For example, during an OTA practice last week, Brian Hoyer received several red-zone reps with veteran targets. Danny Etling stepped up afterward and got two red-zone snaps with younger weapons before the period ended. There was no question as to which quarterback was leading the group.)
Do Brady and Gronkowski start from square one and have to work their way back into regular work at practice, giving way to players like Hoyer and Dwayne Allen or Jacob Hollister -- all of whom have been regular participants in the offseason program -- when it comes to reps?
Or do Brady and Gronkowski pick up as though they haven't missed a beat, getting healthy practice workloads?
What will Belichick do? He's told us many times in different contexts: He'll do what he feels is best for the team.
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In all likelihood, that would mean giving the best players the most work. That would mean allowing Brady and Gronkowski to be first up in every drill. That would mean having Brady and Gronkowski on the field when 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods begin.
That could be viewed as Belichick straying from the meritocracy he's established. But Belichick has never, to my knowledge, defended a decision based on "what's best for the culture." It's about the team.
Oftentimes those two things are synonymous. Almost always. But it's hard to argue that this is one of those cases. Players know Brady and Gronkowski are gold-jacket guys. We have not yet heard anything approaching, "If Tom and Rob can do 'X,' then why can't I?" from teammates. It doesn't look like mutiny is in the offing, and one would expect that players like Julian Edelman, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower would make sure it never is. The culture should survive even if two players are playing by different sets of rules.
No matter how you slice it, though, Brady and Gronkowski's absences have left Belichick in a difficult spot. If at minicamp Brady and Gronkowski hit the field as though they've been around all along, they'll be rewarded with time they've willingly eschewed for weeks. Still, allowing Brady and Gronkowski to practice normally, burying the issue now that they're back, and moving forward . . . that seems to be what's best for both Belichick and his team.