The best time of the year is finally here: the Patriots and other NFL teams are about to kick off their training camps in earnest this week. Real football is on the horizon.
Head coach Bill Belichick will get a better idea of the return on the pricey free-agent investments meant to wash out the bitter taste of 2020. The defense gets one of its best players back on the field as another one of its stars plays a game of chicken with the organization itself. And fans will get to watch the future of the franchise duke it out with a former NFL MVP for the starting quarterback job.