FOXBORO -- Scott Chandler was hard to miss through four days of training camp, and not just because of his 6-foot-7 frame or because of the red-zone catches that he made while working with quarterback Tom Brady.
The newly-acquired Patriots tight end quite literally stood out during certain periods, breaking away from dozens of his offensive and defensive teammates to adjourn to an unused end of a practice field with Brady and fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski.
There, for a few minutes, the trio -- and sometimes one or two receivers, if they were available -- worked on its chemistry and timing. Chandler would run a route, against no defense, and make a sprawling catch in the back of the end zone. Then Gronkowski would do the same.
They would alternate like this while other members of the team focused on special teams. It was their own private getaway to squeeze in some time together, however brief, and hone their connection.
Alongside one player headed to the Hall of Fame and another with the talent to do the same, Chandler explained that those moments were as fun for him as they were beneficial to his adaptation to the Patriots offense. They are moments he savored.
There was a time in his life when that kind of proximity to greatness was nowhere on the horizon. Just maintaining a job was a task unto itself.
"I've been pretty close to being out of this league a couple of times," Chandler said after one Patriots practice last week. "I'm pretty appreciative of the chance that I have here."
New England Patriots
Though Chandler only signed with his new club in March, that understanding of what it's like to be a reclamation project is one shared by several others in the Patriots locker room.
The stories are well-known: Brady was an unheralded sixth-round pick; Julian Edelman, the team's top receiver over the last two seasons, was college quarterback taken in the seventh round; Danny Amendola, a key piece to the franchise's fourth Super Bowl run in 14 years, went undrafted.
Even head coach Bill Belichick, who ranks sixth all-time in wins, had humble beginnings in the league. A special assistant to Baltimore Colts coach Ted Marchibroda in 1975, he made $25 a week, and his duties included running the scout-team offense as well as chauffeuring coaches back and forth to work on a daily basis.
Chandler broke into the NFL in 2007 as a fourth-round pick of the Chargers. After two seasons there, one game played and zero catches, he was released. That began a two-season odyssey during which he was signed and released three times. He hung by a professional thread on the Cowboys practice squad on two separate occasions.
Eventually Chandler found a more permanent home in Buffalo. He made his first-career start in 2011, and for four years he used his size and dependable hands to win a role as a Bills regular, amassing 17 touchdowns and 181 catches in that span -- including four scores against his current team during divisional play.
But that four-year stretch in the league's version of no-man's land sticks with Chandler and drives him to continuously earn his gig.
"There's no doubt," Chandler said. "If you don't draw from every experience you have, not only as a player, but as a person . . . I think you need to be able to learn from where you've come from, the mistakes you made. It helps you appreciate where you're out.
"I look back at all my different stops, where I was on the totem pole or whatever, and appreciate where [I'm] at."
One of the yearly themes of the camps run by Belichick is that every player -- regardless of his resume -- starts from scratch. For many on the Patriots, those who weren't first-round picks, who had to convince teams to invest in them well after their draft stock faded away, it's easy to believe in that Belichickian concept. For them, whether it was with the Patriots or not, it was at one time a stark reality.
"It’s the competitor [in me]," Amendola said last week. "Everybody in this league pretty much has a chip on their shoulder one way or another for whatever reason it is. Whatever reason why people play, it’s just what brings you out to compete every day."
He added: "That's what it's all about: Starting fresh each year, earning your spot on the team. My focus is what I can control and being there for my teammates and putting all the work in in camp and getting the most out of it. That’s what I’m focused on."
Rob Ninkovich, going through his tenth training camp, can relate. After injury issues early in his career, he bounced on and off three different rosters before landing in New England.
It's why, despite long workouts in the heat, he says he still enjoys training camp.
"I'm excited," he insisted last week. "You never know when your last training camp could be here. I just try to cherish every year and come to camp with a positive attitude and know that this has helped me become a better football player. Take every day as a blessing and get better as a football player."
It's also why he won't respond kindly when he hears anyone complain about the summertime grind.
"When someone starts to bitch," Ninkovich said, "I just say, 'You don't know when your last day is gonna be so just keep grinding 'em out.' "
Though it's unsure how Chandler will fit into the Patriots offense, his roster spot is secure. He signed a two-year $5.3 million deal with a $2 million signing bonus in the offseason. And, back on the field after suffering an oblique injury during minicamp, he has seen a good deal of his snaps in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods come with Brady.
Still, given his past, he's taking nothing for granted.
"I'm just out there trying to find my niche," he said, "trying to figure out how I can help this team win."