What Bill Belichick said to his players during impromptu mid-practice huddle at Gillette Stadium
"You gotta know how to practice and keep guys healthy."
FOXBOROUGH — Monday’s training-camp practice was going to be circled on the calendar for every player on the Patriots’ 90-man roster.
For the first time in camp, the pads were going to be put on and contact was permitted during competitive team drills.
It’s a major step forward in New England’s preseason ramp-up, giving New England’s coaching staff a more thorough look at various roster battles once the physicality and competition starts to ramp up.
And on Monday morning, the Patriots’ roster needed a refresher from their head coach when it comes to the double-edged sword that full-contact practices can become.
Before the Patriots’ final red-zone session of the morning, Belichick opted to corral the entire roster and coaching staff in a huddle with about 20 minutes left in practice.
According to veterans Jabrill Peppers and Davon Godchaux, Belichick’s message revolved around avoiding injuries in the midst of some competitive drills.
“Just about learning how to practice,” Peppers said of Belichick’s comments. “We know how to practice, but guys are just excited. We’re competitive. But you gotta know how to practice and keep guys healthy.
“Just going over some stuff,” Godchaux added. “Be smart, stay up on your feet, stuff like that. Just a small talk, but a good talk for the players. Just trying to stay healthy.”
As expected, the introduction of pads in practice led to a number of injuries during Monday’s session.
While key cogs in Matt Judon, Trent Brown and Rhamondre Stevenson were already limited before Monday’s practice began in earnest, New England lost another starting offensive lineman early on when Cole Strange became tangled up with Lawrence Guy during a blocking drill.
After getting worked on by the team’s training staff, Stange eventually returned to practice but was on the outside looking in at competitive team drills with his helmet off.
Christopher Price of The Boston Globe tweeted that Strange’s injury, per a league source, is “not serious.” Still, given both Brown’s status and Mike Onewnu’s current standing on the team’s PUP list, New England can’t afford any other injuries to its starting O-line.
Tight end Scotty Washington, guard Chasen Hines, and wide receiver Jalen Hurd also spent time in the medical shed on Monday, while defensive back Brad Hawkins needed to be helped off the field following an awkward collision during an 11v11 drill.
While teammates try to remain aware of the potential injury risks that come with contact drills, Godchaux acknowledged that players sometimes need to be reminded to dial things back, especially in the early days of camp when individuals are trying to prove themselves.
“It’s very hard. Like I said, everybody wants to improve what they can do. But just the first day in pads, nobody’s gonna make the team today,” Godchaux said. “But you can improve to get better each and every day. So everybody wants to be aggressive in the first day in pads, but it’s just the first day. So we’ve got to keep moving, keep stacking good days.
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