Felger: Patriots lack of work being put in during training camp is costing them
The New England Patriots are off to another slow start after suffering a loss to the Miami Dolphins and falling to 0-2 on the season. On Monday’s Felger and Mazz, Felger gave his thoughts as to why the Patriots are continually getting off to slow starts to the season and it involves a lack of work in training camp.
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Is a lack of training camp work costing the Patriots?
Felger: I can kind of see how guys have trouble getting to work when frankly the entire August is a country club and no one does anything in training camp anymore. This another thing that’s just began to bother me, how little work they put in training camp. It’s like you see it and I say it every year, it’s like, how could they possibly be ready? And they’re not. And they’re not.
Fourth straight year, slow start. Fourth straight year. It keeps getting worse, too. They keep doing less in training camp and they keep getting worse in September. So at some point is someone going to say, “why don’t we actually put a little something into training camp here and not start out 0-2, 1-3, or 2-4?” Like this is how they’ve been starting out every year here now. And they do absolutely nothing in training camp. They don’t play in the preseason. They barely hit during practice.
And I don’t want to hear that it’s the new rules. Someone’s winning these games. Someone’s a little more prepared than the other team. So I think they’re doing less versus the field and now they get into September and no one’s ready. Well isn’t that a shock? How are they supposed to be ready in September when they do nothing in August?
Mazz: Yeah. And If you want to tell me Philadelphia did nothing too…they have more talent.
Felger: And they’re not ready either.
Mazz: No, no that’s what I mean.
Felger: I’d sort of be barking about the same thing in Philly.
Mazz: Yeah, but they can get away with it more than the Patriots can because they have better players.
Sept. 17, 2023; Foxborough, MA: Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. (Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports)
Felger: You need a good start. The coach needs a good start. The young quarterback needs a good start. The whole program could use some positive momentum early in the season as opposed to this thing of, “Oh, well, we’ll just throw it out there and figure it out and we’ll be there at the end”.
Do they still think that’s how it’s going to go? Like they should really focus on getting off to a good start, good momentum, positive reinforcement, that sort of stuff. Because it’s already starting to get a little tenuous in there.
You give these guys an excuse to let go of the rope and they will let go of the rope. They’re human beings. So 0-2 and if they lose this week, look out. That’s bothersome.
