Four downs’ worth of thoughts on the state of the Patriots, because no gimmick is too basic for this space …
· This is Bill Belichick’s 23d training camp as Patriots coach, and it probably has been his most confusing, at least on the surface.
It makes all the sense in the world to alter the offense to fit second-year quarterback Mac Jones’s strengths and preferences. And streamlining the playbook allows rookies to assimilate faster without having to decipher the advanced calculus that Tom Brady left behind.
But the changes haven’t felt like tweaks or adjustments.