Not one to be held hostage by the financial demands of a player or his agent, Belichick quickly alienated himself from the soap opera that was emerging from Wes Welker's self-indulgent temper tantrum and turned to a free agent market that offered up Danny Amendola not as an alternative to Welker, but as an outright replacement - perhaps even an upgrade.
But not even Belichick's meticulous planning and evaluation could have predicted his depth charts for the people catching footballs thrown by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady would look like as the season was set to start.
At the start of free agency, there was hope among many that Brady's targets would be back for OTA's and beyond, but Welker's mouth got him canned, tight end Aaron Hernandez ended up in the poke and Brandon Lloyd vanished into thin air - and the only target left, monstrous tight end Rob Gronkowski ended up going under the knife to repair some bulging in a lumbar disc...
...and just like that, the Patriots lethal passing attack was a distant memory.
But Amendola quickly caught on to the Patriots' system and was the clear number one receiver going into training camp, and led a group of hopefuls that included bar setting veterans that would serve as a gauge as to the minimum acceptable performance standard that Brady would accept.
But the standard bearers, Mike Jenkins, LaVell Hawkins and Donald Jones each fell of to the side of the road as a fresh new litter of fine young greyhounds passed them like they were standing still - rookies all, the trio of third round draft pick Aaron Dobson, fourth rounder Josh Boyce and undrafted free agent Kenbrell Thompkins filled out the roster, far surpassing any opposition the veterans could manage.
Thompkins caught Brady's eye - as well as just about every ball he threw - early and often in the OTA's, keeping his momentum going all through camp, and by the time the second half of the preseason finale rolled around he was yukking it up on the sidelines as a starting wide receiver for the Patriots.
Let that sink in for a minute. From street punk and juvenile delinquent to catching bullets from Tom Brady as a starting wide receiver for the New England Patriots...
There's a lot of professional polish to Thompkins' game, and at 25 he is significantly older than most rookies - hell, he's even got Gronkowski on that score - showing a maturity in his actions and a sharpness in his routes that came from a life coming full circle, eschewing the old neighborhood and embracing a work ethic bordering on the fanatical to do so.
On the other end of the spectrum is third round draft pick Aaron Dobson, though he may just be a victim of circumstance. Dobson is a glider, possessing an elongated gait that looks as if he were trained to run by giraffes...
...baby giraffes, as he appears to be somewhat uncoordinated his his breaks, but once he grows into the role, his sick body control and his penchant for the spectacular catch should meld together to make him a reliable possession receiver.
He's not a burner, rather, he is a horizontal threat who can use that body control and sticky fingers to move the chains along the sidelines, taking a corner out of the play each time. We didn't see a lot of this from Dobson in the preseason, whether by game plan or default, but with most of his targets coming from backup quarterbacks, we are sure to see better results with Brady throwing the passes.
Fourth rounder Josh Boyce seemed to be a work in progress as well, but that also could have been by design. Boyce has electric speed and magnetic hands and would be best used in a role that takes advantage of his quicks, spliting the safeties up the seam and abusing the corner with an ankle-breaking stutter step to gain separation up the sidelines.
That speed and agility does not translate in space, however. Over and over again in the preseason the Patriots tried getting the ball to Boyce in the flat on the screen, but seemed to have issues setting up and following his blocks, but that could have been because of the lack of execution by the second and third team units - again setting up the thought that, as with all receivers, he would benefit from having the passes coming from Brady.
But the passing game will most likely run through Amendola, who possesses every attribute of his contemporaries, but with significant polish. We didn't see much of the former Rams' receiver in the preseason as he showed early in the process that the time spent with Brady this offseason has helped to form a bond between the two.
Though Amendola is viewed as a replacement for Welker, he is much more. Provided he can separate himself from the stigma of being as fragile as cheap glass, the Texas Tech product can do it all - split wide, in the slot and up the seam, as can his protege, the also apparently fragile Julian Edelman, who possesses a like skill set, and also adds value as a punt returner.
And then there's Gronk.
Much intrigue is surrounding the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski from multiple offseason surgeries, who was kept on the active roster despite being just a couple of months removed from the latest procedure, but the depth chart suggests that he will be back sooner rather than later.
The team had the option to start Gronkowski on the PUP list, but that would have meant being required to hold the All-World tight end out of action for another month and a half, but Belichick appears to be comfortable with his rehab and conditioning to the point that he's kept just two other tight ends on the roster, one an undrafted rookie free agent...
...not your average run-of-the-mill undrafted rookie free agent, Zach Sudfeld quickly gained the confidence of Brady with his speed, ability to separate from linebackers and safeties and intense focus - and the fact that he's 6' 7" tall with sticky fingers makes the natural "move" tight end a nice compliment to Gronkowski's bulldozer style.
Michael Hoomanawanui and James Develin are bulky reserves who are more H-backs than anything else, both bringing the physicality of an inline blocker and the brutality of a fullback to the mix, and are also receiving threats, particularly in short yardage situations - Develin actually listed as a fullback and will see limited carries as the up back in the same short yardage formations.
But the glue that binds it all together is Gronkowski.
When healthy and on the field, Gronk is the most feared and naturally talented tight end in the NFL. At 6' 6" tall and 270 pounds, he is much to big for a safety to handle one on one and too fast and agile for a linebacker to cover, and his precise route running often leaves him open in space - and when that happens and he's able to turn upfield after the catch he becomes a defensive back's worst nightmare...
...not to mention the fact that he is an accomplished inline blocker, combining with the right side of the Patriots' offensive line to open huge holes for the running game - and offering chip blocks on the better rush ends before floating out into the flat where he becomes Brady's security blanket.
There's a lot for Tom Brady to like about this group of pass catchers - and while it's not what Brady or the fans are used to seeing, for nearly a decade now neither is the Lombardi trophy. Hopefully this new group of receivers can help bring that back into focus.
No guarantees, however, with almost complete turnover in the ranks - but with the greatest quarterback of all time throwing to them, these pass catchers already have a decided advantage on the road to success.
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