A few football notes to put the capper on Patriots' Day:
Tom Brady and Michael Bennett were two of the more notable names missing from the first day of offseason workouts on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Bennett apparently winters in Hawaii, so I imagine that's an absence they anticipated. (In the wake of his re-done deal, it's also likely another sign the club is giving Bennett more respect/leeway than the team has shown other newcomers in the past.) As for Brady, we all know the dance he and the franchise went through last year when it came to OTAs ... and look how last year ended up. Not sure if this is the new normal, but we'll see how the rest of the offseason shakes out when it comes to the quarterback.
On another note, reports are Brady might "bulk up." It remains to be seen how that might manifest itself -- not sure we're going to see him guzzling shakes and scarfing down cheeseburgers -- or the reasons behind it. In the end, I’m willing to bet we’re not going to see a dramatically different quarterback this spring.
The #Patriots begin offseason conditioning today, and the expectation is QB Tom Brady won’t be in attendance. That was his plan last year… which seemed to work out pretty decently. That said, when he does get back in the building, he should be a bit bigger. Brady may bulk up.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2019
__________
__________