Patriots Daily: 12 Days of Tom Brady; Minicamp Comes to a Close

Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony was a huge success in Foxboro last night. Yesterday I asked what to get someone that has it all. Robert Kraft determined the answer was a 12-foot tall bronze statue. It was also announced that no New England Patriots player will ever wear No. 12 for the franchise again. It is the eighth number to be retired for the Patriots.

I don’t have the means to procure a bronze statue of Brady, nor the power to get his number retired or induct him into the Patriots Hall of Fame. But I do have the power to write about Tom Brady on Patriots Football Now. Schoolhouse Rock taught me that three is the magic number. However, 12 has taken over in New England for the time being. So, for the 12 days, I will write a Tom Brady-related article on PFN each day. First up, coming later today is a recap of last night’s ceremony. Stay tuned.

End of Patriots Mandatory Minicamp

The New England Patriots mandatory minicamp concluded yesterday. I’ll discuss some key takeaways in the coming days. Drake Maye did state that the rookies would stay for an additional two weeks, working out and throwing. It is unclear how many of the 23 Patriots rookies (eight draft picks and 15 undrafted free agents) plan to stick around.

Topics worth noting are the development of the rookies, competitions for starting positions, impressive performances, and unhappy campers. These items and much more will be discussed on PFN.

Also in today’s Patriots Daily:

Daily Patriots Fun Fact

Tom Brady played for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2019. During his 20-year career in Foxboro, Brady played in 323 games, including postseason. Ten players played at least 150 games for New England during those years:

1971 – Julius Adams (No. 27 overall) played 203 NFL games, all with the Patriots.

1977 – Raymond Clayborn (No. 16) played 208 games, 191 with New England.

1984 – Irving Fryar (No. 1) played 255 games, 129 with the Patriots.

1996 – Lawyer Milloy (No. 36) played 234. The first 112 were with New England.

1999 – Tom Brady (No. 199) played 335 NFL games, including 285 with the Patriots.

The 2023 NFL Draft class is not included here, as 75 players played all 17 games last season.

Post of the Day

For the first time “Post of the Day” doesn’t feature a video or even a photo. It is a message about Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction shared by three-time Super Bowl champion Matt Chatham. It’s safe to assume he speaks for legions of his former teammates here as well:

The last 48 hrs has been one of the cooler mid-life stretches that a guy could ever ask for—and I know this sentiment is shared by many-many old friends who were here. The NFL is weird. Ya get to be one small part of this incredible big group of people who accomplished historic,…

— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) June 13, 2024

New England Patriots

Patriots Football Now – Bill Belichick coached Tom Brady during the quarterback’s entire 20-year tenure in New England. Belichick stayed to coach New England for another four years, while Brady went to Tampa Bay for three. After Belichick and the Patriots “parted ways” I created the New England Patriots All-Time Staff and Roster of the Bill Belichick Era. With so many members of that squad back in town last night, it is worth taking another look.

NFL News

NFL.com – There are a lot of excellent wide receiver prospects from the 2024 NFL Draft. The Patriots hope their wide receiver selections, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, will be among the 2024 stars of 2024. Last season Puka Nacua of the L.A. Rams had an incredible season, breaking the rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). Bears WR Rome Odunzae says he’ll be chasing Puka Nacua’s records this year.

CBS Sports – Aaron Rodgers missed mandatory minicamp with the New York Jets. Haason Reddick remains unahppy about his contract after being traded by the Eagles. Will the Bengals sign or trade Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins? What is the Daniel Jones situation with the New York Giants? Jeff Kerr looks at some NFL mandatory minicamp overreactions.

Boston Bruins

Boston Hockey Now – Jim Montgomery will stay put as the Boston Bruins head coach, no news there. But there were some secondary moves on the coaching staff worth noting. An old friend returns from out west to rejoin Boston’s staff and a longtime assistant receives a promotion. BHN has it all covered: Bruins fill coaching vacancy, shuffle Montgomery’s staff.

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