Patriots are Loaded, with a capital L

Since the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule for the 1978 season, there have been 1,145 opportunities for a franchise — any franchise, in a given year — to go 16-0 in the regular season.

The 1978 Steelers could not do it. Neither could the ’85 Bears, the ’92 Cowboys, or the ’94 49ers. Even the Jets have never done it, believe it or not.

One has. You remember that team. It did not survive the postseason gauntlet undefeated, but it came as cruelly close as can be.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since the 2007 Patriots’ quest for the only 19-0 season in NFL history ended with a loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. It’s a shame an 18-1 record is remembered mostly for the single blemish, but that’s how it goes when making history doesn’t quite mean what you thought it would.

A decade and two immensely satisfying Super Bowl victories later, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick commenced their 18th training camp together Thursday morning. Amid the anticipation of the new season, there’s chatter that the Patriots again have the goods to go 16-0.

It’s silly to think about, before the first snap of training camp, before the brutally inevitable first snap of an important player’s limb. But almost anything seems possible now. Last time we saw them, they had just completed a rally from a 25-point, third-quarter deficit to win Super Bowl LI in February, and developments like that turn even accomplished cynics into bright-eyed optimists.

It’s possible that the Patriots could go undefeated and gain their last lingering measure of vengeance. It’s a tribute to their talent and determination that we’d even kick around the idea of a perfect season. But it would require so much:

Tom Brady playing like he’s 30 years old rather than 40 (his birthday is Aug. 3) . . . and their core of a dozen or so top players staying reasonably healthy . . . and winning tough road games at Denver, New Orleans, and Miami . . . and surviving tough home games against Atlanta, and even the opener versus Kansas City . . . and there are no random poor performances against underestimated opponents (see the 2015 loss to the Eagles) . . . and there is no external motivation required to want to systematically steamroll the entire league.

It’s a heck of a lot to ask. Not surprisingly, the Patriots aren’t even interested in hearing the question. “To say before we even tackle somebody, throw a pass, that we’re going to beat everybody on our schedule, I think that is kind of disrespectful to the work and what everyone is trying to put in to be a team,’’ said safety Devin McCourty on Wednesday. “Obviously every goal from every team is to not lose. You don’t go out there and plan to lose, but I think to not see anything from a team and say they’re going to win every game and disrespect every opponent on the schedule is kind of ludicrous.’’

He’s correct, though dabbling in the ludicrous from time to time is a side benefit of rooting for a dynasty. There are legitimate reasons to believe that the roster with which the Patriots began camp is deeper than the one that celebrated beneath a shower of confetti in Houston. Receiver Brandin Cooks is the most accomplished newcomer, but cornerback Stephon Gilmore, defensive end Kony Ealy, tight end Dwayne Allen, and running backs Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead should more than make up for the departures of Martellus Bennett, LeGarrette Blount, Logan Ryan, Chris Long, and others who recently earned rings.

The biggest reason the Patriots might be even better this year is actually a familiar one. Rob Gronkowski is back and healthy. I know, that’s always a tenuous thing — he has played 11 games or fewer in three of the past five seasons. I don’t think enough attention has been paid to one remarkable aspect of the Patriots’ 2016 championship — they actually won the Super Bowl without him.

Watch: Rob Gronkowski has no limits at Patriots training camp

We know Belichick would rather eat the sleeves off a brand-new hoodie than emphasize the importance of any single player. So it stood out when, in a bonus clip from the “Do Your Job’’ documentary after the Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seahawks, Belichick explained why that team claimed the Lombardi Trophy while teams the three previous seasons could not.

“All three of those years [2011-13] we had pretty good teams,’’ said Belichick. “Probably the two big factors in those seasons and the ultimate end of those seasons were Rob’s lack of availability and our overall [inability] to play defense in some critical situations . . . Had Rob been healthy in any of those three years, as close as those outcomes were, it might have made a difference.’’

I suppose the sport’s cruel rate of attrition could change the outlook to some degree over the next few months, but right now, I do think this is the deepest roster the Belichick/Brady Patriots have ever had, at least entering camp. The 2007 team may have featured more high-end talent, and 2010 is a fascinating season to look back on since it was one of subtle transition from one powerhouse to the next, with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Aaron Hernandez all on the roster at one point. But this team, right now, is Loaded, capital L. The Patriots’ backups would be favored over the Jets’ starters by a touchdown. Bet they’d cover, too.

They are set up to make a few surprise cuts — I sympathize with the reporters who have to do 53-man roster projections, because they are never going to be right. Stephen Gostkowski is a popular guess as a candidate here. I don’t see it. Sure, he was shaky on extra points last year, missing three in the regular season and another in the Super Bowl. And at 33, he ain’t that young anymore, though I suppose we said the same about Adam Vinatieri a decade ago and he’s still kicking. But he’s a relative weapon on kickoffs, and I don’t see another kicker on the training camp roster at this point. He’s safe, I’d say.

I thought there might be a surprise cut such as Danny Amendola coming at the receiver position, but Andrew Hawkins’s retirement probably makes that somewhat less likely if it were ever likely at all. That position is as set as any on the roster. Linebacker is another uber-deep position, so perhaps there’s a surprise coming there. If David Harris has lost a step at 33, it could be him. Rob Ninkovich is a steady presence, but he’s also 33. It’s possible that Shea McClellin, Elandon Roberts, or Kyle Van Noy gets let go. But those wouldn’t qualify as huge surprises.

I can’t see how Brandon Bolden sticks at running back, even as a special teams ace, but we’ve said that for about three years running now, and here he is, still. I do wonder if there’s a major surprise coming at that spot. Has James White surpassed Dion Lewis? I’d hope there’s room for both, but with Gillislee and Burkhead arriving, there’s a lot of versatility and depth there. I just can’t imagine cutting Lewis, though. He’s their most dynamic runner when healthy. Like with Gronkowski, there’s always that qualifier.

The surprises, good and bad, will be revealed soon enough. The time for training camp is here, which means September and a new Patriots season is near. The desire to fast-forward and discover how it ends is understandable. But try to appreciate the new beginning, too. The journey to the accomplishment is what ultimately makes is so satisfying.

Video: Ben Volin and Jim McBride on Day 1 of Patriots training camp

[fragment number=0]