Forecasters are calling for temperatures ranging from 35 degrees to a low of 16, with a 70 percent chance of snow and rain during the game (1 p.m. kickoff).
"By the end of [Thursday's] practice, there was significant accumulation on the field," said Belichick.
Among the challenges the Patriots encountered Thursday: "Wet ball, ballhandling, playing in the snow, field awareness, lack of lines, alignment," Belichick said. "The field, [there] are no markings, so just the spatial relationship of the goal post and the stadium, the field and landmarks that you have to kind of estimate at when you don't have those markings there."
With Eric Mangini and the Jets in town, though, the Patriots will leave nothing to chance. And while everyone in Foxborough insisted the weather wouldn't be much of a factor, Belichick had his team practice outdoors again yesterday.
"I don't know how it's going to be [tomorrow]," Belichick said. "[If] you listen to four forecasts, you get four different versions of it. Sooner or later, maybe we'll play in it. Maybe we won't, but we've practiced in rain, wind, snow, night, afternoon, morning. I'm not really worried about it."
Since 1993, the Patriots are 22-3 when the temperature at kickoff is 34 degrees or colder. In the snow, the Patriots are 9-0 all-time in Foxborough, with three of the last six memorable playoff triumphs, including a 16-13 overtime victory over Oakland Jan. 19, 2002, in the last game played at Foxboro Stadium.
Tom Brady set a team playoff record by throwing 52 times in that playoff thriller. He completed 32 passes (another team playoff record) for 312 yards that snowy night, proving that even in those conditions he was still capable of throwing the ball.
So a little snow and rain is not likely to cause the Patriots to make wholesale changes in their game plan.
"I've never run in the snow," said running back Laurence Maroney. "I played in the rain, but I've never played in the snow. [Thursday] I was just basically trying to keep my feet up under me and just try to run fast and still keep your feet up under you so you won't slip and fall. Don't try to make too many big cuts."
