The New England Patriots landed in Germany with one goal on their mind: To win.
After a bad loss to the Green Bay Packers, New England left a few days early to adjust to the time difference and prepare for a matchup against the Detroit Lions. And they held a session at the FC Bayern Munich training facility just a few hours after landing.
Here's what we're hearing (from overseas):
Rhamondre Stevenson returns to practice
After suffering a new injury in last week's game, various reports made it sound like the Patriots would be without Rhamondre Stevenson for a period of time. So, it came as a surprise when the team didn't immediately rule him out before leaving and then, on Thursday, Stevenson was spotted during the walkthrough.
“I think that speaks to first off, the media right now, really
knowing 100% what they’re talking about a lot of the time,” Maye said. “And then first off, just of a guy that wants to be out there, wants to be back for a team, and that’s what we’re in the midst of, trying to make a run here and win a big one before the bye. So this is a time for players, a lot of players on this team that are trying to get out there, play with teammates and knowing they need a great player to help us out.”
Stevenson has been a crucial part of the Patriots' success this season, leading the team in rushing yards with 399. He is also fourth in receiving yards with 258.
“Anytime you lose players like that, you feel it because he’s such a valuable part of everything you do,” McDaniels explained. “But why we have a lot of guys that are taking reps in practice. We’ve had a lot of guys doing that all year long. They know what to do. It might not be the same volume of experience that certainly Rhamondre has, but we got a lot of guys in that room that we have confidence in.”
Wide receiver DeMario Douglas added that Stevenson is "a dog," adding that he's working to get better so he can return to the field as soon as possible.
A.J. Brown spotted for second straight day
After making his return to practice on Wednesday, star receiver A.J. Brown was back out on the field in the rainy conditions on Thursday.
“It’s been great having him out there,” Maye explained. “Anytime you got a player like A.J. getting out there a little bit and seeing how he feels, we got a lot of great guys that I feel like can make plays. And that’s, the biggest thing I like is to try to give them the ball and see what they can do.”
“Oh, it feels good, you know, just to have that leader back,” Douglas added. "Every time, he’s on the field, I learn just to see how successful he became. I appreciate his improvement."
Marcus Jones has full faith this team can bounce back
The loss has many fans concerned, as the Patriots allowed 45 points on their home turf. But, for Marcus Jones, he knows this team can bounce back because he's already seen them do it once this year.
"Very confident," he said. "We've been there before. We had the situation of the game in Jacksonville early in the year. We understand what we can do, and everything, and that's why I love the game so much. You get another opportunity, and what you do with that is up to us. We went back into the film room, accepted the situation, what we put out there on film, and the job is to not put it back out there again."
Christian Gonzalez is putting last game in the past
On Wednesday, Gonzalez spoke one-on-one with Patriots Wire about his struggles last week, saying that he is ready to move on and put it in the past. When asked by the media on Thursday, he reiterated similar sentiments.
"It's a week-to-week league, like I've told you all week," Gonzalez said. "It's a new week. So, the same confidence I always have is the same confidence I'm always going with."
And Jones does not doubt that this was just a blip on the radar.
"It's his first bad game in the National Football League," the cornerback said. "You play a game where everything is a disadvantage when people run forward, you're moving backwards. You're going to have a bad game. But he's had more good games than bad games. I will say that. I understand the confidence he has. And us in the DB room and everyone in the building, we have the confidence in him as well. And at the end of the day, it's always about bouncing back."
Other notes:
- Does Drake Maye think Bayern Munich star Harry Kane can become an NFL kicker? "I think that would be pretty cool... I don't think he'd have any problem."
- Has Hunter Henry learned any German? "A little bit upstairs. Yeah, a little bit."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What I’m hearing at Gillette Stadium: Thursday rumblings (Week 10)
