FOXBOROUGH, Mass — The buses have departed Gillette Stadium, and the New England Patriots are on their way to Chicago for a primetime matchup against the Bears.
But before they left, they held one final practice.
So, here's what I heard on Wednesday:
Injury updates and game designations
Given the injury scare that Week 6's win over the New York Jets brought, the New England Patriots got good news as the short week progressed. And on Friday, only two players were absent from the media-attended portion of practice: G Alijah Vera-Tucker and G Ben Brown. Those two were expected, with Vrabel revealing that it was unlikely the two would be ready to go in such a quick turnaround. However, Morgan Moses has been a limited participant after leaving the game early with an ankle injury, and cornerback
Carlton Davis practiced for the second straight day on Wednesday after having been sidelined with a neck injury.
After practice, head coach Mike Vrabel provided updates and injury designations for key players. Brown (knee) and Vera-Tucker (hamstring) have been ruled out, as well as cornerbacks Karon Prunty (hamstring), Channing Canada (hamstring), and Carlton Davis (neck).
The Patriots also have the option to activate tackle Marcus Bryant from injured reserve, but Vrabel wouldn't commit to whether they would or not, emphasizing they "have until 3:00 p.m. Central Time."
As for who is questionable, the Patriots have S Kevin Byard III (chest), LB Christian Elliss (chest), T Morgan Moses (foot), and S Craig Woodson (shoulder).
Matt Pryor ready to step in at guard
With Brown and Vera-Tucker out, it will be Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse who are set to start after having stepped in on Sunday's game.
"I felt great," Pryor told Patriots Wire. "The coaches did a great job of having the game plan ready, and I'm just ready to go out there and play with the guys."
For Pryor, he emphasized that the opportunity in the Week 6 game provided him with extra confidence as he didn't get the opportunity to get "the extra reps during camp and OTAs."
"Had me lacking a bit," he said. "But they did a great job of bringing me up to speed, and obviously the reps over the past two weeks have helped as well."
Plus, it definitely helped that the offensive line did not give up a sack in last week's game despite being down three linemen.
"Execution fuels motion, and it's been harped on," he said. "That phrase has been with me since my rookie year, and it just fuels us going into the next week. So I'm very excited to get out there and see what the rest of us can do this week."
Rhamondre Stevenson emphasizes importance of the run game against Chicago
The run game is going to be very important against the Bears in this primetime game, and Rhamondre Stevenson is excited for the challenge.
"They've got a good run defense. They've got a good defense, period," Stevenson told Patriots Wire. "But it just comes down to staying on track, trusting our linemen. Me, TreVeyon, and Corey- just trusting the linemen, just getting downhill, trying to get positive plays. No negative runs in the run game."
While the Patriots are dealing with offensive line injuries, last week's final drive with Corey Kiner inspired a lot of confidence, and Stevenson has faith in each of the guys that step on the field.
"Those guys work super hard," he added. "No matter where they're at on the depth chart, I feel like they all come and are learning the same things, hearing the same calls, and really taking a growing approach to try to do things the right way. So very confident."
Charles Woods has earned a new nickname
Cornerback Charles Woods has stepped up a lot over these last few weeks, and one humorous moment at halftime has earned him a new nickname.
Woods asked his head coach if he was allowed to have a Jolly Rancher, which Vrabel found hilarious, and he gave him one. And next thing he knew, Woods recorded his first interception of his NFL career. So now, Vrabel makes sure to always keep grape ones on him, as it's the cornerback's favorite flavor.
"I kind of like him. He got a little street rat in him,” Vrabel said. “The story was, he was like, ‘coach, can I get a Jolly Rancher?’ And I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m like, ‘yes.’ At halftime, it was like I was coaching one of the kids teams, 9-year-old football. ‘Yeah, sure have a Jolly Rancher.’
“Then we won the game. And then I joked about it when he got a game ball, we called him Jolly Rancher or JR now for short. So then last week I said, ‘I’m ready to go. I got your grape Jolly Rancher.’ Put one in and the next play he got an interception. I was like, ‘This is crazy.’”
So, does he have some ready for Chicago?
“I’ve got them packed, ready to go,” Vrabel said.
Eli Raridon's confidence continues to grow
It's been six weeks of experience for Eli Raridon, and the rookie tight end's confidence is continuing to grow with each snap.
"I'm just trying to improve every week and just get better and more acclimated to the offense and just playing these snaps in this league has helped me gain confidence and be more comfortable for sure," he told Patriots Wire. "I'm a pretty big critic of myself, and my coaches are also doing the same, and we're just trying to improve in every aspect."
Plus, the Patriots are down a few wide receivers due to injury, so that makes their ability to catch the ball along with blocking even more important.
"That's what we take pride in, doing both things," he said. "Hunter's a great example of doing that and that's something that we have to be doing."
Other notes
- Vrabel on Bears' returner Kalif Raymond: "I got a lot of affinity for Kalif Raymond. He helped us win a lot of games at Tennessee. He's a great teammate. Probably one of the toughest, smaller-bodied players in the league, and I mean that with a lot of sincerity. He's willing to block, he's got great courage, he runs through the smoke as a returner. He did a lot of different jobs for us, and he's continued to do a lot of those jobs with the Lions and now the Bears. He's just a valuable piece for them. You can put him in a lot of different places."
- Stevenson on playing at Soldier Field: "It was a great environment. A lot of history in that stadium. So, excited to play there again."
- DeMario Douglas on A.J. Brown getting another opportunity on the field: “I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I know it’s due.”
- Dre'Mont Jones on the Bears' rushing attack: "Creativity and volume are definitely keys, but I think a lot of it, about 75% of it, is probably the quarterback."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What I’m hearing at Gillette Stadium: Wednesday word (Week 7)
