Tom Brady’s back, building connections a bit later than normal – New England Patriots Blog

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When wide receiver Jordan Matthews was deciding among free-agent offers in March, there was a significant factor that tipped the scales in favor of the New England Patriots.

His name is Tom Brady.

The chance to catch passes from and develop a rapport with Brady was one of the driving forces behind Matthews’ accepting a modest one-year deal with New England that he could have trumped elsewhere.

Fellow receiver Kenny Britt has a similar story. When he was released by the Cleveland Browns in December, he had a chance to earn a larger paycheck elsewhere, but he elected to come to New England on a two-year deal. One of the big factors in his decision was the chance to play with Brady.

Britt got a brief taste in December, but the target was always 2018 to make what he hopes will be a fruitful connection. In past years, that usually meant the start of the voluntary offseason program in April, but this year is different and highlights why Brady’s presence at June’s mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday is particularly significant.

It’s all about connection.

Brady and Julian Edelman will be fine. Ditto for Brady and Rob Gronkowski. But for pretty much everyone else, these past seven weeks are usually when Brady gets a good feel for players he hasn’t worked with as much and shares with them what he expects. This year, that includes Matthews, Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Phillip Dorsett (he arrived in September after the offseason/training camp) and first-round draft picks Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel, among others.

As Brady has noted, this time sets the stage for training camp, and if a team has a productive camp, that often means a good start to the regular season. There is a trickle-down effect, and that means Brady and the Patriots have some catch-up work to do on the field. It starts Tuesday at mandatory minicamp.

As for the connection off the field, which can be equally important, Brady and his teammates reported to Gillette Stadium on Monday for the team’s “Fantasy Camp,” which is the signature event of the year for the Patriots’ charitable foundation. Fans pay a significant amount of money, with all proceeds going to the team’s foundation, to experience a day in the life of the players.

On a rainy Monday, Brady took the field at the team’s indoor facility in his blue Patriots jersey, and those fans who might have been forecasting the worst — that Brady might stay away from mandatory responsibilities because there was more to his absence than family considerations — could exhale.

Now the work to build those all-important connections officially begins.