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Training camp is underway and Bill Belichick is ready to get to work. The New England Patriots are checked in and ready to go.
Bill Belichick had a press conference today where he gave a glimpse into where his mind is at going into training camp and touched on some details. Here are three takeaways from his first press conference of training camp.
Bill Belichick on 2021 training camp
#1 - Minicamp for the next several days
In the press conference, Belichick gave an opening statement in which he said that the team will be basically continuing what they started with in minicamp. The next several days will be a continuation of minicamp before pads are worn next week. This week is all about conditioning and getting back into the football schedule.
It makes sense to avoid the deep end on the first day. It's going to be a long, grueling season. Treating the first few days as an easing-in process prevents the team from getting overwhelmed as the change from months off to working most days can be a shock.
#2 - Training camp is set up closer to how it was in 2019
Bill Belichick also touched on how the team's training camp is organized. He stated that the Patriots are following all of the Covid-19 protocols but the camp will feel closer to how it was in 2019.
Meaning, it will be much less regulated and more free with players, media and fans. However, it will not be a carbon copy of how it was in 2019. There will still be some masks and certain players will be social distancing.
#3 - It's a "clean slate" going into training camp
Bill Belichick also touched on his personal mindset about his players going into 2021. The head coach will go into training camp with a "clean slate" mentality. What the players did in 2020 or earlier will matter very little to the Patriots HC this offseason.
Going into 2021 after a 7-9 season, it makes more sense for Belichick to adopt this mindset. After a losing season, every player needs to be examined.
While he did not explicitly touch on this during his opening statement, it can be inferred that he is referring to Mac Jones and Cam Newton in addition to the rest of the roster. This "clean slate" mentality could set the stage for an upset where Jones takes over by the end of training camp. Nothing is set in stone.
