Chance of snow? Temperatures in the 30s? Winds at 17 MPH? Sounds like just another winter day in Foxboro, Mass.
Quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are well prepared for the cold, windy and wet conditions expected Saturday when the Kansas City Chiefs come to Gillette Stadium because Bill Belichick doesn’t let up during the week.
“I think the best thing that we do is we practice in it every day, so there is no condition that we’ve faced on the game field that we haven’t already practiced in,” Brady told the Kansas City media Tuesday in a conference call. “We have a bubble here, but we go in there maybe once a year or for a walk-through when it’s raining out. To practice in these conditions and elements I think that definitely gives you an edge mentally knowing that you can perform in any type of conditions and just getting used to it.
“Your body gets used to dealing with cold weather and how many layers to put on, how to learn how to play in the cold-weather environment. I think just being able to practice in it every day is something that’s critical, especially this time of year. You get to this time of year and you get teams that haven’t played in this environment, and you feel like you have an advantage over them because it’s a different brand of football. The Chiefs, obviously, play in a lot of cold weather, too, so they’re a bunch of tough guys, and they’re very physically and mentally tough anyways.”
Players deal with the cold differently. While Brady was wearing long sleeves and pants Monday, center Bryan Stork was in shorts with cut-off sleeves.
“I think once you’re out there, you’re out there and it doesn’t matter,” Brady said. “You’ve got to execute regardless. Maybe you’re asking the guys today, ‘What’s the weather like out there? Is it going to be cold?’ just to know what to prepare for so you can bring the right kind of clothes and wear the right amount of layers. You don’t want to get out there and freeze to death. You want to make sure you have the right amount of clothes on so you can go out there and if it’s going to rain, you’ve just got to be mentally tough enough to push through it.”
That all sounds great, but does it make difference? Well, Brady and the Patriots, for what it’s worth, are 31-5 in games at Gillette Stadium when the temperature is 39 degrees or below.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
