A plane, but not simple

More involved in this Patriots trip

October 23, 2009|Monique Walker, Globe Staff

FOXBOROUGH - The checklist seemed to grow longer by the minute. With less than an hour before a team meeting yesterday afternoon, Patriots players loaded their duffel bags with all the necessities for game day. Except this time, the game will be in London.

As the deadline approached for bags to be packed, the locker room became a hectic scene. Players were asking each other what items were going and which were staying. The scene was like a two-minute drill, as players yelled out how much time they had before bags had to be thrown onto the luggage cart.

Yesterday, the Patriots took off for London, boarding a 6 p.m. flight out of Logan that was scheduled to arrive at Heathrow Airport at 5:35 this morning. The Patriots will have two days to adjust to local time and prepare for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium.

Getting more than 50 players, plus coaches and staff, to London is no easy task. The process began in June when members of the organization took a scouting trip to London. This is the third year the NFL is sending teams to play in London, and the experiences of previous teams helped the Patriots plan.

Among the things to consider: where to stay, practice facilities, and whether to go to London for the full week or a couple of days at the end of the week. Matt Caracciolo, the Patriots’ director of football operations, was among those who took the scouting trip to answer those questions. He also spoke with representatives from other NFL teams who have made the trip.

Coach Bill Belichick said he didn’t get very involved with the details, and when suggestions were made, he usually went with the staff’s recommendations.

“We talk about certain things that we want to try to keep constant on the trips and we do that as much as we can,’’ said Belichick.

“It’s not always possible to make them all the same based on where the facilities are and where we’re going, and sometimes the timing changes a little bit. Those things are taken into consideration, but really all the work has been done by other people in the organization.’’

One major issue was whether the Patriots should spend the full week in London. Both the Patriots and Buccaneers opted to arrive late in the week.

One benefit of spending a week in London would be giving the players plenty of time to adjust to the time difference (London is five hours ahead of Foxborough). But that would mean moving the entire operation overseas. The team would have to find a facility that could host meetings, video, and other preparation materials.

“We felt like this was what was best for us, to get our preparation done here and then make the move on Thursday,’’ Belichick said.