FOXBORO, Mass. — No team in the NFL has had a tougher week than the Buffalo Bills, whose focus continues to be on the improved recovery of safety Damar Hamlin.
But it’s also been a difficult, heavy week for the rest of the league, including the Patriots. Beyond having to prepare for what surely will be an emotionally charged game against the Bills on Sunday, New England’s players and coaches have dealt with their own feelings on what happened to Hamlin.
The good news is that the Patriots are in capable hands.
Bill Belichick, who’s seen nearly everything over his long NFL career, opened up on Thursday about Hamlin and how New England has responded to the situation. The Patriots head coach revealed he sought help both externally and internally, with Patriots assistants Jerod Mayo and Troy providing especially valuable support.
Special teams coordinator Cam Achord spoke after Belichick, offering his own thoughts on Hamlin and the 24-year-old’s recovery from cardiac arrest. Achord also commented on the leadership that Belichick has shown throughout a trying week.
“It’s been tremendous,” Achord said. “Coach has done a great job. I mean, from taking insight from players to see how they’re doing, how they’re dealing with it, (to) talking to coaches on the staff. And understanding that, ‘Hey, this is the way we’re gonna control what we can control’ — but understanding we’re people.
” … Coach has done a great job this week, honestly. He’s done a great job handling the situation. You never want to have to handle a situation like this, obviously. … But, I think preparing yourself the best you can and getting the guys to understand people first, then football, is the number-one thing. I think he’s done a great job.”
Achord then was asked to identify what part of Belichick’s message most resonated with him.
“I think the number-one thing, for me, as a coach, that (Belichick) has mentioned and talked about is, ‘Hey, we’re people. We have to understand we are in business but we are people,’ ” Achord said. “There’s a business aspect to it, but there’s also a human side to everything.
“And understanding that we can communicate with one another and rely on one another in times like these because we are such a tight-knit group and we are a family.”
The Patriots and Bills are scheduled to play each other at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
