FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- "It's not real football."
That was New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's description when talking about the work done throughout New England's three-day mandatory minicamp this week on the practice fields of Gillette Stadium.
But that doesn't mean the action isn't important. Clearly the defending Super Bowl champions have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. Quarterback Tom Brady is slinging the ball like a much younger passer. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks already has displayed the speed and playmaking ability, even if just in shorts, that will add a new dimension to what is annually one of the best aerial attacks in the league.
Defensively, prize free agent Stephon Gilmore has looked solid in his own shorts action, joining a secondary that sports Pro-Bowl talents in fellow cornerback Malcolm Butler and safety Devin McCourty.
But that potential production, and the competition to fill out roster spots and roles on an expected Super Bowl contender, will come down the road.
This week of work in early June was about preparing for that heated competition to come.
"It's a teaching camp. The most important thing for us is to get the information taught so the players have a chance to go out and execute it competitively in training camp," Belichick said.
An old-school coach who makes it clear he'd like to have more time in the spring to work with his players, Belichick has learned under modern rules to maximize the action that is permitted.
"It's not real football, but it's as close as we can get at this time of year," Belichick continued. "It's all we can do. We'll try to get the most out of our opportunities here, and there will be other ones in training camp and there will be other ones in preseason games. It's just a little more real football than what this is, but it's a start and we'll get out of what we can get."
One thing that Belichick is quite clear about - mirroring the seemingly never-ending drive of his soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback, Brady - is that there is nothing the coach would rather be doing as he enters his 18th season in New England and 43rd year in the NFL.
Belichick was asked this week what's left to accomplish coming off his fifth Super Bowl title as a head coach.
"I'd like to go out and have a good practice today," Belichick said simply before the second of the three sessions this week. "That would be at the top of the list right now."
It's that consistency, that business-like approach to the process for a team set to collect its Super Bowl latest rings in a Friday night ceremony at owner Robert Kraft's house, that Belichick continues to lean on.
It's a formula that's worked so well for so long. The first part of the build-up is complete with the conclusion of minicamp on the heels of the offseason team-building. There will be one more week of OTA sessions. Then it's on toward training camp, the preseason and a regular-season campaign filled with hope for another run at a second straight title, a third in four years and a sixth overall for a dynasty that shows no sign of slowing down.
None of that talk, though, will ever resonate with Belichick. That's for fans and media to deal with. He's too busy working.
"Just kind of grinding through it," Belichick said to close out minicamp, as always focused on the short- and long-term goals he knows so well.
