One of the things that has stood out through the first few days of Patriots training camp is the absence of Rob Gronkowski.

When Tom Brady holds side sessions with his pass catchers during special teams work, no longer is it Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Darrelle Revis, etc. This year it's been N'Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Matt LaCosse, etc.

Not exactly the same.

Sure, it will get a little better when Edelman returns from his thumb injury, but the point is the offense has a lot to make up without Gronkowski.

The Patriots quarterback spoke over the weekend on what it will take, and made an interesting analogy.

“It’s always challenging when you have significant turnover,” Brady said to NFL Media's Willie McGinest. “I always say it’s like climbing a mountain. Every time you climb the mountain, the next year you start right at the bottom with everyone else and you have a new group of people — a new group of climbers. You have different tools you can use, and everyone starts at the same place.

"You can’t get to the top in two days. It’s a long year. It’s a long grind. And the guys who make the team, they’ll have earned it. They’ll put us in our best position to be the best team we can be. I don’t know how that all shakes out. It’s competitive. I’m competing every day. The receivers are; the line is. It’s competitive between the defense."

The offense may rely more on the running game than in year's past, especially with how solid the group is along with returning the majority of the offensive line. Always great catching up with my guy @TomBrady #NFLTrainingCamp @patriots pic.twitter.com/gnIGnZ1GaK — Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) — Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) July 27, 2019