Felger: What’s with the Patriots light practice schedule?
The Patriots have had what seems like a light workload of practices during training camp this preseason. On Friday’s Felger and Mazz program, Felger was wondering if there was a method to the madness when it comes to the light workload.
Transcript:
Felger: My opening take will be Patriots and just what we’ve witnessed so far this training camp. But I’m not talking about necessarily the crappy offense or the crappy coaching or the fighting against the Panthers these two days. I’m talking about the light schedule and what’s been going on with that. The previous two weekends, the players were off. They had a two day weekend two weeks ago, a three day weekend two weeks ago or last weekend, I should say. I think Bill was here (in Nantucket). So it’s not like Bill’s sort of grinding it out either. So what is up with this with this schedule and how little they’ve done? And, the worry would be that Bill’s slowing down. He’s 70 years old. And like a lot of people, towards the end, just more days off, it’s just more days off. And that’s just what he’s doing. And the players are sort of getting swept up in that. That is possible. That would be the bad sign.
If there’s a method to the madness, maybe they’re trying to turn around what’s gone on here the last three years, post-Thanksgiving. They’ve wilted the last three years, Murray, post Thanksgiving. So is it possible they got together with their nerds, their sports scientists, whatever, and they said, well just, you know, maybe you’ve gone too hard, too early, and that’s why you’re wearing down. Do you think that’s what’s been going on, that they’ve worn out too early because they’ve gone too hard, too early, and so they’re wearing down after Thanksgiving?
Jim Murray: I mean, it’s a logical explanation, but no, I think it’s more than that. I think that there was I don’t know, like, character issues, maybe, with that team towards the end of last year. I mean, they had the bye week. You would think you would come back fresh from it. And then they played their worst football after that point. So no, I think it’s more than that.
Felger: I don’t think that’s what it is. I think post Thanksgiving, as the Patriots know and everyone knows, is when it it ramps up.
Jim Murray: Right. That’s usually like, during the salad days, that’s when they were playing their best football.
Felger: Exactly. Well, because that’s when the best teams start playing their best football. And so the games are harder after Thanksgiving. It’s not because they’re worn out or they’ve trained too hard, too early. I think that’s garbage. And so again, maybe we’ll see this year, maybe with the lighter schedule and he’ll be proven right. I just think as I’m standing here now. No, no, no, no, that’s not what it is. It’s at the end last year, that’s when you get the very best from the Indianapolis Colts or you get the very best from the Buffalo Bills. You get the very best.
You know, they’ve lost their last two wild card playoff games and it’s like, they’re just beating the bad teams. When they’re facing a good team down the stretch, they’re generally losing it. You know, Miami was, weren’t they one game behind you? Were they 9-8 or 10-7 and lose the tie beaker? Either way, Miami was still going for a playoff berth, so you get whacked by Buffalo, you lose in Indy, you lose at Buffalo the last game of the year, you know. And when you really bore down further the last couple of years, last year they were 1-4 down the stretch.
Jim Murray: Right. And that one win was against Jacksonville.
Felger: The year before, they were 1-3 down the stretch. And the one win was the season finale against the Jets. So you want to play around with these numbers the last two years, they are 1-4, 1-3, 2-7, and the two wins are against the Jets and the Jaguars.
Jim Murray: Yeah, so asterisk.
Felger: So, so think about it. Like how trash they’ve been down the stretch. Is that why they’ve gone so light? I don’t think it is. And so we’ll see what happens tonight. They’re supposed to be playing their starters against the Panthers back-ups. We’ll see what that looks like tonight.
