New England Patriots: Rounding Up Latest Buzz from Training Camp

The New England Patriots have a clear goal of winning another Lombardi Trophy in 2017. While the Patriots—who have won two of the last three Super Bowls—do have a realistic chance of getting back to the big game, they still have a long journey ahead.

New England began the latest stage of that journey when they kicked off training camp.

Training camp is a critical part of the NFL season, even for an established team like the Patriots. Yes, this is a championship roster, but several new pieces have been added to it.

If the Patriots are going to come out of the gate strong, they're going to have to mesh all the pieces together over the next several weeks.

We're here to examine how the process is going for the Super Bowl champions. We'll dig into the latest storylines, rumors and buzz entering the second week of Patriots camp.

Dwayne Allen Looking to Get Back on Track

Steven Senne/Associated Press

The Patriots traded to acquire tight end Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. The plan was to bring him in as a replacement for Martellus Bennett and as a complement for star Rob Gronkowski.

Unfortunately, Allen's first couple months with the team led to questions about whether that plan might actually work. The 27-year-old was plagued by drops in early offseason workouts and seemed like a far cry from the reliable pass-catcher the Patriots wanted.

For Allen to establish himself as a proper No. 2 option, he's going to have to prove himself in training camp—both in the offensive system and as a ball-catcher.

"I think anytime you're adjusted to a new quarterback, new offensive system, everything, there's going to be some struggles," Allen said, per Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire. "And I certainly struggled early on. But I think coming out here, working my tail off, getting better—that's all you can expect from me."

The Patriots naturally expect Allen to do more than just work hard. They want him to be the type of dynamic pass-catcher Bennett was last season. We only saw Bennett and Gronkowski together in a handful of games, but the pairing was incredible.

We'll learn if Allen can fill that role over the next few weeks.

Gronkowski Appears Healthy Again

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Of course, if Allen is going to be New England's perfect complement to Gronkowski, the Patriots are going to need the latter to be healthy and his usual dominant self. He was far from that last season, missing eight games and ending his campaign prematurely with back surgery.

The good news for Patriots fans is that, at least for now, Gronkowski is 100 percent healthy and back on the practice field.

"I'm good to go, out there every play. Whatever they need me to do," Gronkowski explained, via the team's official website. 

Obviously, the next step for Gronkowski is to actually stay healthy throughout the season. He hasn't played a full 16-game schedule since the 2011 season, his second in the NFL. In order to get him off to a good start, the Patriots are unlikely to ride him too hard in camp or play him too much in the preseason.

For now, though, it's good to know that Gronk is Gronk again.

Gilmore Not Getting Easy Introduction

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was one of the biggest Patriots additions this offseason. He was given a massive five-year, $65 million contract that includes $40 million guaranteed to come in and play opposite Malcolm Butler.

Butler's big-contract status hasn't allowed for an easy introduction to Patriots camp. On Tuesday, he was involved in a scuffle with wide receiver Julian Edelman. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, both were ejected from practice after the incident.

At the very least, the altercation was a result of the spirited and intense environment of the Patriots camp. Perhaps, though, this was part of an intentional welcome-to-the-Patriots moment.

At least, this is the theory recently presented by Mad Dog Radio host Evan Cohen. He and co-host Mike Babchik recently guest-hosted The Dan Patrick Show, on which Cohen presented his conspiracy theory:

"Is there any chance Belichick said, 'Hey listen, go after this guy, toughen him up. I need to give you a practice off anyway'? Like why not just go after him? Is it that crazy to say that that could have been calculated? Don't hurt him, right? Don't get into a fight where it's going to escalate and other guys are going to get involved. Just kind of show him how we do things around here."

This is obviously just speculation on the part of Cohen, but it does make for an interesting theory. It's much more likely, though, that Edelman and the rest of the Patriots are just bringing some zeal and physicality into camp, and Gilmore is learning that firsthand.

Brandin Cooks Getting Acclimated to the Offense

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Like Allen and Gilmore, wide receiver Brandin Cooks was brought in this offseason to help bolster the Patriots' roster. Also like Gilmore and Allen, Cooks faces the training-camp challenge of adapting to his new team.

According to Cooks, it's been so far, so good in that regard.

"I think I'm acclimated pretty well," Cooks said, via the team's official website. "It's football at the end of the day. Just paying attention, staying focused, doing your job—as long as you do that around here I think you'll be alright."

Cooks also explained how earlier offseason workouts have allowed him to not enter training camp blind.

"I wouldn't necessarily just say the five [camp] practices," Cooks added. "In the spring we had a lot of time to learn as well. So [when] you put all that together I think I've been learning at a good pace. Like I said, my motto is to catch up so I don't get left behind."

Cooks seems to be doing and saying all the right things, but he has a long way to go to show he's truly adapted to the Patriots system. Getting into football shape and learning the terminology is one thing. Getting the timing right and earning the trust of Tom Brady is another.

Fans should enjoy knowing that Cooks is at least determined to take the challenge seriously.

Gillislee May Have the Inside Track at the Starting Job

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The Patriots are looking for a new leading rusher. Guys such as Dion Lewis and James White are still on the roster but LeGarrette Blount is out. The team brought in former Buffalo Bills runner Mike Gillislee and former Cincinnati Bengals back Rex Burkhead to help replace him.

Players like Brandon Bolden, D.J. Foster and rookie LeShun Daniels Jr. are also in the mix.

Ideally, the Patriots will find their new leading rusher by the end of training camp, and Gillislee may have the inside track at the position. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the 26-year-old received the first goal-line carry of padded practices this summer.

Reiss also called Gillislee the "top candidate" to replace Blount.

At 5'11" and 219 pounds, Gillislee has the size to be a starting running back. He also has the past production. Last season, he averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry while scoring eight touchdowns on just 101 carries. He's the only back on the roster who has topped 100 carries in a season.

We're basing speculation on camp observations here, but if Gillislee is getting the goal-line opportunities in camp, there's probably a reason for it.

19-0 Buzz Is Building

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The Patriots won't admit it, but they likely love the idea of going undefeated this season. They nearly accomplished the feat during the 2007 season before falling short in the Super Bowl.

Accomplishing the feat now would essentially put a bow on the greatest dynasty of the Super Bowl era.

As Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports recently noted, the Patriots are attacking this season as if perfection is the goal:

"We can speculate the reasons why Belichick and the Patriots attacked the offseason with such aggression. Perhaps Belichick knows Tom Brady’s time is running out. Maybe he has retirement plans of his own we don’t know about yet. It’s more likely he simply realized he had the best team in football and there were paths, thanks to a surprising amount of salary-cap room, to put his foot on the gas. Whatever was behind it, the Patriots let the rest of the NFL know they plan to repeat. There will be no letting up."

We've already seen intensity in training camp, and we've noted the moves the Patriots have made in the offseason. This is a team that lost just one game—narrowly—with Brady under center. On paper, it got even better in the offseason. It's a team that's a heavy favorite to win Super Bowl LII—OddsShark has them at 15-4.

New England will try to tune out the chatter, but the 19-0 talk has begun and is going to continue hovering over the team until it actually loses—yes, even during training camp.