It wasn't about the money, or the legal suits, or the stress of grinding out a series of two-a-days to prepare for the regular season. Wednesday's workout was about camaraderie and team building, and if nothing else, Brady most certainly accomplished the latter.
Brady is in town this week for a series of Best Buddies charity events, and he used the opportunity to orchestrate a large-scale workout with his Patriots teammates at Boston College. Not surprisingly, his peers listened, as 40-plus Patriots reported for the opening session, according to the Boston Globe.
Before Wednesday, the largest known attendance for any Patriots workout during the lockout was about 15. Those players, who have worked out together in Foxboro for nearly three full months, had something important in common — they spend their offseasons locally.
But when Brady called, players shuttled to B.C. from across the country, including the quarterback himself, who has spent a large chunk of his offseason in California.
It's unclear how much the players can actually gain from the workouts. They don't have their 2011 playbooks, and there isn't any supervision from the coaching staff, which limits the amount of teaching that happens on the field. And while they can push each other physically, they can't do it under the guise of an NFL training staff.
At minimum, it's important for the Patriots to reacquaint during an offseason that is unlike anything they've ever experienced in their football lives. Last offseason, the Patriots spoke uniformly that they valued their time together during their months of voluntary workouts at Gillette Stadium, and they vowed that added chemistry would help them throughout the season. Obviously, it played a role in 2010 as they greatly outpaced their performance from 2009, and the difference in the locker room was noticeable almost daily.
There are definitely some downfalls to these workouts, specifically the injury factor. If a player suffers anything serious, teams might have an opportunity to void their contract because it would be considered a non-football injury due to the fact that it didn't occur under team supervision. However, the chances of such an occurrence are slim, especially with the workouts taking place in shorts and T-shirts.
More than anything, it's a good sign to see the Patriots getting together to throw the ball around during these drills, and Brady's presence as the leader has been overwhelmingly positive. Wednesday's events only speak to Brady's leadership and the respect he has from his Patriots teammates.
Are you happy to see Tom Brady take charge and lead his teammates with these workouts? Leave your thoughts below.
