New England Patriots: Tom Brady mellowing out says Rob Gronkowski

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is mellowing out in his older age according to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The New England Patriots had a bit of an unusual offseason. The usually tightly ran ship was a little off-kilter throughout the offseason as some big named players, namely quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski, were absent from voluntary work.

While the duo was not present for the voluntary parts of the offseason, they have shown up when it counts. Both Brady and Gronkowski have been present for the mandatory parts of the offseason, including training camp, which began last week.

It has been business as usual for the Patriots at practice. They are expected to once again be the kings of the AFC East despite some moving parts. Long-time mainstays and contributors from recent seasons in Nate Solder, Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola moved on this offseason.

Despite that change, New England is still loaded with talent. However, the biggest change could be under center from Brady.

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Brady is still the ultimate competitor on the field. He is coming off an MVP season despite being 40-years old. However, he seems to be loosening up and mellowing out later in his career.

During training camp practice this week, Gronkowski said he sees a gentler, more mellow Brady this year than he has seen in years past.

"“I would say, probably back in the day, he was probably a little more on you if you didn’t get it right, a little bit more in your face. But he’s going on 41 now, I feel like he backed off on that a little bit, which is nice. He used to be mean to me,” Gronkowski said with a lighthearted delivery after Wednesday’s sixth practice of training camp. “Now he’s not to these young guys anymore.”"

Hearing that Brady was in player’s face in the past is not surprising. It takes a certain type of player and person to reach the level of performance that Brady has.

Despite the more mellow nature Brady has displayed, he is still fiery at practice. He can get the team going when he needs to according to Gronkowski, something that occurred recently.

The competitiveness that Brady possesses doesn’t seem like it will go away anytime soon. As long as he is able to be under center, he is going to bring it every day. Whether that be in a summer practice or a game against a rival, you know Brady is going to be performing to the best of his abilities.

Brady will be 41-years old when the regular season begins, but he has shown no signs of slowing down. As long as he is playing at a high level, the Patriots are going to be Super Bowl contenders.