In a general year, one of the mantras of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is “no days off. “You even have a blouse dressed in this word with the Patriots logo in your closet.
(It is known whether Belichick receives royalties. )
But this is a general year, and the Patriots, like the rest of the world, are looking to make changes in the midst of a pandemic. The Patriots took several days off last week.
Belichick said Thursday that the Patriots chose to close their facilities because physical condition and equipment protection were the number one priority. By giving up internships on Thursday and Friday, Belichick put his cash where he was.
The Patriots, however, did not end the game after education once, last Saturday, last week, as the NFL postponed the Game from New England Week Five to Week 6. But if any other Patriots player hadn’t tested positive on Saturday, that’s exactly what happened. would take place Monday night in front of the Denver Broncos.
Clearly, there are reasons why the Patriots are one of two NFL groups to revel in a primary epidemic of positive COVID cases. Quarterback Cam Newton tested positive more than a week ago, and the virus spread directly to cornerer Stephon Gilmore at a dinner reported Friday night after the QB test, but before his result returned, patriotic defensive tackles Byron Cowart and Bill Murray are also on the reserve/COVID list.
Patriots in a bubble. Newton was one of 568 people in Massachusetts who tested positive on October 2. Stephon Gilmore was one of the 717 other people in Massachusetts who tested positive on October 6. There is no explanation for dishonoring anyone for contracting COVID. It happened to millions of other people who were doing and not doing the right thing.
So all you can do is take all the mandatory precautions and after Gilmore’s positive case, that’s what the Patriots did, who didn’t return to Gillette Stadium until Saturday, when the team trained with mask or face shields and stayed out of the gates. as much as possible Players will not be back in construction until Wednesday.
“I think it was given the impression that thanks to other doctors and medical experts who have studied and come to know this virus, it is in our most productive interest not to be in combination because there is only a lot of uncertainty. And a lot of strangers, ” said Patriots cornerer Jason McCourty on Saturday. “As captain, as a player of this team, you appreciate the fact that you are not at a snlock and that you don’t have to decide between ‘I’m putting me in danger’ or what’s the case?You are proud that we have done everything we can, as we have re-entered the construction and returned as you call our popular for this year.
Should the Patriots have retained Gilmore from the Kansas City vacation after his meal with Newton?Maybe not. Actually, we don’t have enough data on this dinner or how many other Newton teammates have had similar contacts. Should the Patriots have played without the 20 players who were on that separate flight to KC?Could they have lined up a team right now?
Who knows?
But with a week (now two) to prepare for the Broncos, Belichick put the protection of his players first, and those who know Belichick only wonder about his tireless appetite for victories.
In the end, Belichick was able to skip nearly a week of education to make sure his team and their families are protected, and there is no dancing around this fact.
“Unless we are in a pandemic” is an asterisk worthy of attaching to the mantra “there are no days off”.