Bill Belichick gives an update on Phase 1 of training camp
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Friday no members of his coaching staff have opted out of the 2020 NFL season.
As for whether Belichick himself considered opting out?
“I feel very good about the environment that we’re in,” he said. “I feel fine.”
Eight Patriots players have elected to sit out the upcoming season because of concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. With uncertainty surrounding the availability of players throughout the year, a strategy involving quarantining quarterbacks — as a way to ensure future depth at the position — has been floated around the league.
Belichick wouldn’t tip his hand about what the Patriots have considered.
“As always, we’ll try to look at our options and do what we feel is best for the football team,” he said. “That’s what we’ll continue to do.”
According to Belichick, the Patriots remain in Phase 1 of their training, which consists of meetings, conditioning workouts, and daily walkthroughs. Players are running and lifting with the team’s strength coaches and have yet to work with their respective positional coaches.
Phase 1 will last four more days, Belichick said, followed by Phases 2 and 3. The target date for padded practices is Aug. 17.
“My impression is, as an organization, as a coaching staff, the support people, the players, there’s a comfort level with what we’re doing and who’s doing it and how we’re doing it and we’re being productive,” Belichick said. “If concerns or problems come up, then we’ll address those. But right now, I think it’s a good working environment. We’re getting a lot done.”
Belichick noted the organization has taken several safety measures around Gillette Stadium: Everyone wears masks, there’s no longer a buffet line for food, meetings are held in bigger rooms, and the plexiglass bill must be “pretty high.”
“Certainly, there’s a lot of responsibility on each one of us to do things in a way that don’t affect others negatively and that we take the proper precautions that we can and should,” Belichick said.
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