Do the Bills Practice as Hard as the Pats? Should They?

[hondo in seattle]

During the Pats' Reign of Terror there was a lot of chatter about "The Patriot Way."  Supposedly, the Patriot Way was different than "The Process" in Buffalo or any of the other systems and philosophies of team preparation practiced elsewhere in the NFL.  Then Brady left, the rings stopped coming, and nobody talked about the Patriot Way anymore.  In the minds of some fans, the Patriot Way was merely a mirage and Brady was the only actual thing that differentiated the Patriots from the rest of the NFL.

 

But Edelman recently said something I find interesting:

 

"I swear if I didn't play New England I'd still be playing because we practice so goddamn hard. That's honestly why I retired: I couldn't practice. I was getting three reps of practice and then I go get in the pool because my knee, you know, like I was fu**ed up...  You build your confidence through practice… [A team that practices hard] is a dying breed and that's why football is getting sloppy."

 

I think many fans overrate game-time decisions and underrate all the other stuff a coach does to build a winner.  Edelman's quote makes me think about that other stuff and wonder if McD is practicing the optimal amount.  

 

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/julian-edelman-reveals-how-playing-for-patriots-forced-him-into-early-retirement/ar-AA1e512N?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5d3d7a4baeb245c9bc7b95da3e34f212&ei=50

 

[Saxum]

Quote

I swear if I didn't play New England

 

Notice how he did not say play FOR New England - they practiced on each other injuring players which Gronk perfected.

[Old Coot]

I agree with you. The Patriot Way included focussed attention to detail as well as fundamentals, more so than other teams.

 

It wasn't all Brady. I remember the Patriots' D making open field tackles when our guys would wiff on similar tackles and there D players always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.  It was the Patriots, I think, who first practiced tackling and punching the ball out.

[scuba guy]

Well could say practice very hard

 

 

Or you could say didn't the titNs beat us like 45 to 15 and had no practice 🤔 

[KingBoots8]

21 minutes ago, Old Coot said:

I agree with you. The Patriot Way included focussed attention to detail as well as fundamentals, more so than other teams.

 

It wasn't all Brady. I remember the Patriots' D making open field tackles when our guys would wiff on similar tackles and there D players always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.  It was the Patriots, I think, who first practiced tackling and punching the ball out.

Oh, and cheating! Don’t forget the cheating.

[John from Riverside]

No, the bills practice just fine

[dpberr]

The Patriot Way to me was an emphasis on reducing both the mental and emotional errors when the games counted.

 

You rarely saw a Patriot lose their cool and get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  You also rarely saw the mental gaffes.  That was a big part of why they were extremely tough to beat.  

 

The hard practices were likely as a means to reduce apprehension and hesitancy.  Getting hit with the full force of a grown man is a shocking experience to the body, and it's something that your brain and body have to be accustomed to happening.  

Edited July 20, 2023 by dpberr

[Gregg]

I could see the Pats practicing with Bill doing this.

 

 

[Rocky Landing]

Is this whining, or bragging? Maybe a bit of both? Edelman played for one team his entire career. What does he really know about how other teams practice? And not for nothing, all of the playoff games he played in represent a lot more practice sessions than most other teams during that time.

[machine gun kelly]

5 minutes ago, Gregg said:

I could see the Pats practicing with Bill doing this.

 

 

That’s right Maggott!

 

Good movie.

[Fleezoid]

35 minutes ago, KingBoots8 said:

Oh, and cheating! Don’t forget the cheating.

 

And targeting their opponents. It takes a lot of hard work to learn how to take out a knee just right. 

[machine gun kelly]

12 minutes ago, Fleezoid said:

 

And targeting their opponents. It takes a lot of hard work to learn how to take out a knee just right. 

No that’s that’s the Greggo NO Aints in Bounty Gate.

[Fleezoid]

15 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

No that’s that’s the Greggo NO Aints in Bounty Gate.

 

That too. They got caught. I'm just remembering some moments like Gronk trying to break White's back and the helmet hit on Josh that knocked him out of the game rookie season. And wasn't there a game where Wilfork clearly went after Bledsoe's knee many years ago?

[Augie]

14 minutes ago, Fleezoid said:

 

That too. They got caught. I'm just remembering some moments like Gronk trying to break White's back and the helmet hit on Josh that knocked him out of the game rookie season. And wasn't there a game where Wilfork clearly went after Bledsoe's knee many years ago?

 

If they can perfect cheating like that, maybe Tua can learn to fall down without getting hurt? 🤷‍♂️

 

Practice, practice, practice! 

[Rocky Landing]

13 minutes ago, Fleezoid said:

 

That too. They got caught. I'm just remembering some moments like Gronk trying to break White's back and the helmet hit on Josh that knocked him out of the game rookie season. And wasn't there a game where Wilfork clearly went after Bledsoe's knee many years ago?

I'd like to know who taught Macnchz to alligator roll an ankle, or kick the DB in the nuts when sliding.

[mushypeaches]

So are the Pats just not practicing as hard these days, or are they just missing a HOF QB?

[Saxum]

45 minutes ago, mushypeaches said:

So are the Pats just not practicing as hard these days, or are they just missing a HOF QB?

 

How do you expect Mac Jones to be a HOF QB without heavy practicing?  

He has not even earned an ast*risk yet.

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

No, the bills practice just fine

How the hell would you know?  One way or the other?

 

 

[first_and_ten]

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

During the Pats' Reign of Terror there was a lot of chatter about "The Patriot Way."  Supposedly, the Patriot Way was different than "The Process" in Buffalo or any of the other systems and philosophies of team preparation practiced elsewhere in the NFL.  Then Brady left, the rings stopped coming, and nobody talked about the Patriot Way anymore.  In the minds of some fans, the Patriot Way was merely a mirage and Brady was the only actual thing that differentiated the Patriots from the rest of the NFL.

 

But Edelman recently said something I find interesting:

 

"I swear if I didn't play New England I'd still be playing because we practice so goddamn hard. That's honestly why I retired: I couldn't practice. I was getting three reps of practice and then I go get in the pool because my knee, you know, like I was fu**ed up...  You build your confidence through practice… [A team that practices hard] is a dying breed and that's why football is getting sloppy."

 

I think many fans overrate game-time decisions and underrate all the other stuff a coach does to build a winner.  Edelman's quote makes me think about that other stuff and wonder if McD is practicing the optimal amount.  

 

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/julian-edelman-reveals-how-playing-for-patriots-forced-him-into-early-retirement/ar-AA1e512N?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5d3d7a4baeb245c9bc7b95da3e34f212&ei=50

 

 

Just look at Belichick's record without Brady. His being the GOAT is a joke. 

 

I think McDermott's practice routine in not a problem. I think he needs to get better with game time decisions. 13 seconds was an absolute blunder. He does seem to learn, so I give him credit for that.

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, dpberr said:

The Patriot Way to me was an emphasis on reducing both the mental and emotional errors when the games counted.

 

You rarely saw a Patriot lose their cool and get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  You also rarely saw the mental gaffes.  That was a big part of why they were extremely tough to beat.  

 

The hard practices were likely as a means to reduce apprehension and hesitancy.  Getting hit with the full force of a grown man is a shocking experience to the body, and it's something that your brain and body have to be accustomed to happening.  

They were great at maximizing execution and eliminating unforced errors.

 

Just doing your job correctly, on every play, and not doing dumb crap, can add up to a lot of wins and few losses.

 

BB obviously understands that and preaches it; I suspect he also is the type of coach who motivates through fear...which happens to be a GREAT motivator.