3. As reported by colleague Field Yates, Bill Belichick altered the Patriots' regular routine on Friday, taking players to the movies at nearby Patriot Place to see a sneak preview of “Lone Survivor.” The movie focuses on a Navy SEAL operation from 2005 in northern Afghanistan, and it turns out the Patriots weren't the only team to view it. On this week's “BS Report” with Bill Simmons, filmmaker Peter Berg said that the Broncos, Browns, Cowboys, Panthers and Redskins received screenings as well. Berg added that Florida State watched the film the night before beating Clemson in October. It's always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories about how coaches attempt to motivate players and bring them together.
4. When the NFL schedule came out, and a Patriots-Ravens game on Dec. 22 in Baltimore was circled, it made sense to think that elements would be a factor. But not like this. The high temperature Sunday could reach above 70 degrees, with some significant winds and a chance of rain/thundershowers. That could test the conditioning of players, and along those lines, Belichick said on "Patriots All-Access" that this is the time of year he sometimes trims things back, shortening some practices and meetings with the idea of keeping players fresh. “There are things we've been doing all year; not that we can't continue to work on them, but there comes a point of diminishing returns where I think mental fatigue could override the actual execution and practice reps on the field,” he said. “We try to balance those things out. ... We still want to be fresh at this time of year.” That could also have been a factor in Friday's trips to the movies.
:shrug_n: ...I guess I was just surprised it hadn't been noted. Didn't the Jets try something like this earlier, Dave and Busters or something? :facepalm:
