Maybe the departure we’ve fixated on for the past 18 months or so -- and for a couple years before it even happened -- isn’t the one that truly propelled the Patriots into the 3.0 version of their dynasty.
Maybe it was the one that happened in January when Nick Caserio left to become GM of the Houston Texans.
With the Patriots on a tear propelled by the offseason haul of players acquired through trades, free agency and the draft, the reboot appears to be waaaayyyyy ahead of schedule.