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We might be smack dab in the middle of the slowest part of the NFL calendar, but Bill Belichick is in midseason form. The Patriots coach met with the media Tuesday following the team's first day of mandatory minicamp, and laconic is probably the best way to describe his responses to questions about the state of things around Foxborough a full three months before the regular season gets under way.

A sampling, via PFT:

Question: Did everyone report to camp?

Belichick: I don't know. Whoever is here is here.

Question: Is there a reason why Rob Gronkowski wasn't on the field?

Belichick: There are a lot of players that were not on the field. They were doing other things.

Question: Was Rob Gronkowski expected to be there?

Belichick: All of our players are. They're doing other things.

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Bill Belichick doesn't have time for your offseason questions. USATSI

We're not going to fault Belichick for the brevity. It's June and really, barring a serious injury (including mysterious gunshot wounds), there isn't a whole lot going on. Yes, the NFL generally doesn't believe in the offseason -- the draft often draws more viewers than baseball and basketball -- but sometimes, a post-Memorial Day practice in shorts and t-shirts is just that.

If nothing else, Belichick's terseness should remind us to appreciate those rare glimpses behind the curtain, when he's something more than a expressionless automaton.

Oh, in case you're wondering: While Gronk, Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman were missing from practice, Malcolm Butler was in attendance and perhaps most surprising, Aaron Dobson looked pretty good.