SAN FRANCISCO — We proceed our operating diary of Super Bowl LX week with the Patriots’ closing day of follow and the afternoon when relations begin to arrive within the Bay Space.
Thursday marked the ultimate day of media availability with Patriots gamers, so we didn’t must take any early-morning shuttles right down to Santa Clara or San Jose, Calif.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who practiced in full and has been cleared to play in Tremendous Bowl LX, was in all probability relieved to not see the media on Friday. Maye likes to present the media a tough time after we’re within the locker room on Fridays, because it’s the top of the week. Maye talked a ton this week already, answering questions for about an hour on Monday and Wednesday and holding a press convention on Thursday. And he nearly actually had different media obligations with networks this week.
The Patriots simulated the longer Tremendous Bowl halftime throughout Friday’s follow. From pool reporter Lindsay Jones of The Ringer: “(Mike) Vrabel gathered his crew for a protracted closing huddle, after which smaller teams of gamers cut up off for their very own huddles for closing particular person work. Quarterback Drake Maye, tight finish Hunter Henry and receiver Efton Chism III had been the ultimate gamers to depart the sphere.”
The pool report additionally revealed that assistant coach 1-on-1 drills are an everyday a part of Friday practices.
Friday was a great day to see what was occurring within the media heart and to do laps round radio row.
I recorded an episode of my podcast, “Pats Chat,” dwell from radio row earlier than guesting on “Pats Interference,” the podcast of my Herald colleague, Andrew Callahan.
On “Pats Chat,” we recapped NFL Honors and gave a full Tremendous Bowl preview. We broke down how the Patriots’ protection matches up with the Seahawks’ offense on Pats Interference.
As a substitute of doing three up and three down or finest and worst on my podcast, my co-host, Michael Hurley, and I do booms and dooms. We borrowed that from “The Costco Guys” — AJ and Huge Justice — who’re in style on social media. Whereas strolling round radio row, I noticed a buddy of mine interviewing AJ, so I jumped in afterward and had him report a video giving “Pats Chat” 5 booms. It was a enjoyable shock for Hurley.
The outcomes of NFL Honors dominated dialog Thursday evening and Friday.
My tackle MVP: The outcomes had been nearer than I believed they’d be, and I personally would have given the award to Maye, who completed 5 factors and one first-place vote away from winner, Matthew Stafford. I didn’t love seeing first-place votes for Josh Allen or Justin Herbert. I respect my former colleague at PFF, Sam Monson, for proudly owning his vote for Herbert and being prepared to clarify his thought course of, nevertheless.
Friday is all about ending writing for the weekend. You’ll discover a piece on Eliot Wolf’s roster-building philosophy within the paper on Saturday. Sneak peek for Sunday: I requested league sources how shocked they had been concerning the Patriots’ sudden ascent this season and in the event that they consider it’s a blueprint for different groups to repeat.
I additionally went again by way of quite a lot of my interviews from the week. Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs was excited for households to reach Thursday evening.
“I do know my favourite half (of the week) hasn’t occurred but. It is going to be tonight, when the household will get right here, getting an opportunity to soak up the festivities with them,” Dobbs mentioned.
Gamers loved attending to spend extra time with their teammates this week in Santa Clara, as properly.
“Simply being right here with the fellows, having fun with it with them,” operating again Rhamondre Stevenson mentioned. “Blood, sweat and tears all through OTAs and coaching camp, so it simply feels good to have all these guys within the constructing experiencing this with us.”
Virtually everybody on the Patriots’ roster has been by way of some type of private or skilled hardship over the previous few years. I requested beginning heart Garrett Bradbury the way it feels to make the Tremendous Bowl after he was cut by the Vikings final March.
“It’s been fairly a yr, however I couldn’t have dreamed of a greater season to have,” Bradbury mentioned. “It’s been superior. Change may be sort of scary at first, but it surely’s been so rewarding getting to fulfill all these guys and play for these coaches, this crew, these followers. It’s been undoubtedly probably the most rewarding yr my soccer profession.”
Some Patriots followers had been upset when the crew launched longtime heart and offensive captain David Andrews, who was coming off of an harm. Bradbury has been rock stable blocking for Maye all yr.
Bradbury can be will shut with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold from their season collectively final yr with the Vikings.
“He’s an superior good friend, he’s an superior participant. Type of related tales, proper? Each of us weren’t wished again there, however look the place we are actually.”
We’ll have one other diary on Sunday for the craziness of the Tremendous Bowl. Saturday is normally a pleasant day to relaxation and recuperate with no media availability and radio row emptied out.
