Mike Vrabel had a simple message for the New England Patriots after their win in Tampa on Sunday: it’s Wednesday already.
With the team set to welcome the New York Jets to Gillette Stadium on just four
days of rest, being able to quickly flip the page to Week 11 will be key for Vrabel and company. And while a majority of players on the Patriots’ roster has gone through this process before, it will be a new challenge for the 18 rookies between the active team and practice squad.
Among them is first-round draft pick Will Campbell, who spoke to the media on Monday — or, as the team would call it, Thursday.
“This is my first time doing this,” said Campbell about preparing for Thursday Night Football.
While playing in prime time will not be a new experience for Campbell and company after a Week 5 bout with the Buffalo Bills, the shortened preparation time is something the group is unfamiliar with. Over the first 10 weeks of their season, the Patriots operated on a Sunday-to-Sunday schedule.
In order to have his rookies ready, Vrabel did not just tell them to adjust their internal calendars. He also urged them to latch onto the more experienced players on the team for tips and tricks.
“Your whole preparation schedule and your routine has to get shrunken down,” said Campbell. “That’s something that’s different. And I understand what he’s saying when he says that, especially for guys who haven’t done it before. He told us that the guys that haven’t done it before, make sure to get with some of the older guys and figure out some things that they do on a short week to help them mentally and physically to put themselves in the best shape possible to go perform on Thursday.”
For Campbell, that process has already yielded some advice: it’s all about the little things.
“It might not be as physical as a normal week would be,” he explained. “So, you really got to just be locked into the details of the game plan and take every mental rep that you can.”
