It certainly hasn’t been.
In his 10th year as Patriots coach, Belichick is putting the team through arguably its toughest camp. Not that his past camps haven’t been strenuous, but this one - which officially ends today - has been defined by him stepping on the gas pedal from Day 1 and seldom letting up.
Of 26 practices, a whopping 18 have been in full pads.
The camp opened July 30 with eight straight days of two-a-day practices. Overall, there have been 11 days in which multiple practices have been held.
The most recent two-a-day session came yesterday in hot, humid conditions that were so oppressive many spectators stayed away. The Patriots have had days when more than 10,000 fans attended practices, but yesterday it looked like barely 1,000, with gaps in the sizzling bleachers and hillside behind Gillette Stadium.
Yet the conditions didn’t stop Belichick, who also has carefully managed veterans from a health perspective, from calling for another full-pads session. That came after a full-pads session Sunday in which offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Rich Ohrnberger were carted off the field because of heat-related issues. Mankins returned to practice yesterday and joked that he was “alive and well.’’
Theories abound as to why Belichick has made it such a grind for his players and coaches.
The 2008 season marked the first time since 2002 that the Patriots missed the playoffs, so after years of deep playoff runs that led to more wear and tear on players, maybe the longer offseason and healthier outlook of the team sparked the change.
It also could be that the 2008 preseason was sluggish, with little momentum generated by the time the games truly counted, so it was time for a new preseason approach.
Then there’s the viewpoint that Belichick knows he has something special assembled in New England and because of this, he’s more inclined to crack the whip.
Asked what has made this camp as hard as it has been, Faulk said, “It’s the demand of what [Belichick] wants. He’s striving for perfection, knowing that it’s probably not going to happen, but why not shoot for it?
