COMMENTARY
The rookies have arrived, the veterans get in on Wednesday, and come Thursday morning at 9:15, football season will officially be underway in Foxborough.
And so will what promises to be a compelling competition for roles, if not necessarily roster spots, for the New England Patriots.
Bill Belichick’s team has taken some personnel hits this spring and summer, but still begins training camp for the defense of its sixth Super Bowl title with a roster talented enough for some to rank it the best in the NFL. There’s no Rob Gronkowski, no Trey Flowers, and no clear replacement for either — but the beauty of what the Pats are about to embark upon is that so much is to be determined in the practice periods, days, weeks, and exhibitions ahead.