FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots will enjoy three days off from practice this weekend, the result of having earned their seventh consecutive first-round playoff bye.
But while the Patriots have been in this situation plenty of times before, this year’s teams is in much better physical shape entering wild-card weekend than last year’s squad.
“I mean, I feel better,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said Wednesday. “It’s sometimes hard to even remember back a full year ago. I think me — I was battling with an ankle injury — so that was tougher. I think overall, you just look at the list of guys on (injured reserve) who are in better health. It’ll be a little different I think than last year just for the health of the team seems to be better.”
New England lost four of its final six regular-season games last season and was ravaged by injuries en route to a loss in the AFC Championship Game. This time around, they enter the playoffs riding a seven-game win streak and are, for the most part, healthy, with tight end Rob Gronkowski’s season-ending back injury being the most notable exception.
Wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola both missed Week 17 with injuries, but Amendola, who hasn’t played since early December, returned to practice Wednesday.
“Hopefully, we can take advantage,” McCourty said. “I thought last year was different, but we try to take advantage in the way we could last year. That was a little different than this year. But that’s the thing in this league, year by year you hope you get the bye week. How it will play out and how it will work might be a little different, but I think the mentality stays the same.”
The Patriots will hold one more practice Thursday before beginning their three-day break. They’ll reconvene Monday to continue preparation for their divisional-round game next Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
Some additional notes from Wednesday:
— McCourty sported a “Blount Force Trauma” hoodie at his Wednesday presser, a nod to Patriots teammate LeGarrette Blount.
“Yeah, he gave me a hoodie a couple of years ago,” McCourty said. “I figure I’d throw it on, put it in the rotation. I’m a little bit of a fan of him, I guess. He does all right for us.”
— McCourty also took the opportunity to congratulate teammate and fellow Patriots captain Matthew Slater, who on Wednesday was announced as the 2017 recipient of the Bart Starr Award.
“Honestly, it’s been an honor to play with him as a teammate and to learn from him and see how he prepares at a professional level and what the does to take care of his body,” McCourty said. “The guy is here until like 6:30 p.m. every day, trying to do little things to get ahead. But I think for me the best thing is being a friend. I think the opportunity to call him a friend and get to know him, his wife, his child, his son, has really blown me away. The amount I’ve learned from Slate, I mean, you can’t even explain or write it down on one sheet of paper. He’s been a tremendous leader and role model for everybody in the locker room.”
The Patriots surprised Slater by announcing he’d won the award during a Bible study the entire team attended.
“I think for the guys to be a part of him receiving that award, and seeing it and seeing what it meant to him was really cool,” McCourty said. “I’m proud of him and happy he got the acknowledgment that he’s really deserved throughout his whole NFL career and really his whole life. It didn’t just start now. I’m honored just to play with him and call him a friend.”
— Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, defensive tackle Malcom Brown, running back D.J. Foster, defensive end Geneo Grissom, fullback Glenn Gronkowski, tight end Matt Lengel, linebacker Elandon Roberts and tackle LaAdrian Waddle were recognized as the Patriots’ Practice Players of the Week for Week 17.
It’s interesting to see Brown on that list. He came off the bench in the last two games, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick said last week he’d like to see “more consistency” from the second-year pro.
Brissett was credited with helping wide receiver Michael Floyd acclimate to the Patriots offense. Floyd had a great game Sunday, catching a touchdown pass and laying a massive block on another score in a win over the Miami Dolphins.
— How many kickers do you know who have endorsement deals? Here’s Stephen Gostkowski starring in a new Pepsi commercial:
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
