You couldn’t keep the Patriots out of the past for long. Apparently needing only one season to determine their Jerod Mayo experiment was a noble failure, they have returned to the Bill Belichick coaching tree in ways both formal and less official.

Regardless of who’s around Maye, it’s clear the expectations have been ratcheted up, from a performance and leadership perspective.

New England Patriots rookies and veterans will soon report back to Gillette Stadium to kick off training camp. For the now Mike Vrabel-led Patriots, their first practice of the summer is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m. ET.