FOXBORO, Mass. — One final package of New England Patriots notes ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers:
— One of the biggest storylines throughout this week — Antonio Brown’s Facebook fiasco notwithstanding — has centered on how the Patriots will defend Brown, arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver.
“It’s tough,” Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan said Friday, “because the thing about Antonio Brown and players of that caliber is that they’re used to the multiple attention. He gets doubled. He gets attention. Every team tries to do it, and he still has the numbers he has because he’s a great player. That’s what great players do. We just need to execute a little better than what other teams do.
“It’s possible. It’s not impossible. But he’s not a guy you’re going to completely eliminate from the game. We’ve just got to corral him as a team, and he’s going to make some plays, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”
Ryan warned that trying to “pitch a no-hitter” against a talented wideout often results in a defensive back allowing multiple “home runs.” That’s especially true against Brown, who’s averaging 21.2 yards per catch (11 receptions for 232 yards) through two playoff games.
“He makes a living on making plays, so we’ve got to limit some of those,” Ryan said. “But at the end of the day, we completely give credit to great players and what they do. They get paid, too.”
— Ryan called the crowd at last Saturday’s divisional-round win over the Houston Texans “loudest I’ve heard our stadium in four years.”
“It actually gave us some trouble hearing each other,” he said. “That’s something we’re working on with the crowd noise. But that’s why we’re excited, because it’s trouble for the offense, as well. I think we feed off of that a little bit.”
— The Gillette Stadium media room was decked out in AFC title game paraphernalia for much of the week. By Friday, the red backdrop, Lamar Hunt Trophy and dueling Patriots and Steelers helmets had been removed, returning the room to its usual setup.
Belichick, who sarcastically called the add-ons “so exciting” Wednesday, remarked on the change during his morning news conference.
“Where’s all the stuff from Wednesday?” Belichick asked, rhetorically. “It all got thrown out? The helmets and the (trophy)?”
— Belichick sported rolled-up sweatpants with his trademark cutoff sweatshirt Friday, revealing he does not skip leg day.
— Earlier this week, Patriots offensive tackle Nate Solder and New England’s training staff both received awards named after Ed Block, who served as the Baltimore Colts’ head trainer from 1954 to 1977.
The awards hold special meaning for Belichick, who got his start in coaching as a Colts special assistant in 1975.
“I had the great opportunity to be with Ed for a year in Baltimore,” Belichick said. “He’s a tremendous, tremendous person. (Patriots wide receivers coach) Chad O’Shea’s father, Mike, was the trainer, and Ed was the trainer emeritus. He was always there. He was a tremendous person, so it’s always a little special for me when each year, a player we have is nominated for that award — Nate in this case.
“I don’t know if the players now know how special Ed Block was, because they didn’t have a chance to know him. He was pretty special. It’s good for all of those guys who were recognized.”
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
