House owners of a 3-7 report over their final 10 journeys to Miami, the New England Patriots have determined to alter issues up a bit forward of this yr’s common season opener in opposition to the Dolphins. As a substitute of flying to Florida on the day earlier than the sport, as is custom, they’re touring on Tuesday — 5 days earlier than the competition.
The explanations for the early flight all the way down to Miami is shortly discovered: the situations, and the Patriots’ need to acclimatize in addition to attainable. The warmth will play an element on Sunday, in spite of everything, with temperatures at present projected within the excessive 80s and humidity at round 70 %.
Whether or not or not head coach Invoice Belichick’s uncharacteristic strategy results in passable outcomes stays to be seen. His Dolphins counterpart, Mike McDaniel, doesn’t suppose will probably be the only real motive for the result of Sunday’s sport.
“I’ve been within the league for an intensive time frame and been below completely different head coaches, so I really feel like I’ve tried a whole lot of various things. Whether or not it’s correlation or causation, I believe my private philosophy is you match it to the wants of your staff,” McDaniel advised reporters on Monday. “I don’t suppose that this has been, like, sort of his mode of operation — Coach Belichick’s — in years previous. So, clearly he feels prefer it’s vital for this staff.
“There’s compounding variables and I don’t suppose will probably be the rationale they win or lose. It’s going to simply be a contributing issue to both. So, that’s sort of the best way I have a look at stuff typically … There’s a bunch of various avenues that coaches go, and you recognize what, they’re all the time proper after they win, and it’s as much as debate in the event that they lose, so I believe that would be the identical shifting ahead with this sport.”
The Patriots have had publicity to warmth all through the summer time. Situations have been on the warmer facet at occasions throughout their coaching camp in Foxborough, and so they additionally held a set of joint practices plus a preseason contest in Las Vegas final month.
Nonetheless, the staff’s warmth publicity is minimal in comparison with what the Dolphins encounter every day. From that perspective, it is sensible that Belichick determined to fly to South Seashore as early as attainable — one thing additionally talked about by McDaniel.
“I believe all of it is determined by the staff and their scenario,” he mentioned. “I do know actually it is sensible from my standpoint, what Coach Belichick and the Patriots are doing, as a result of it is vitally, extremely popular. I believe that as a lot was relayed to us from the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach and staff. They have been like, ‘Whoa, that is completely different.’ It’s. Whether or not that quantities to X, Y or Z, I believe it’s simply part of it.
“As a lot because it’s superior to really feel snug with the warmth, I do know Coach Belichick will likely be saying, ‘Nicely, it doesn’t matter if we don’t execute our elementary core rules.’ They may very well be actually, actually sizzling on Sunday, and if we don’t execute, is it going to matter how sizzling they’re? So, it’s a part, however to make it black and white, I don’t suppose myself nor Coach Belichick — I don’t need to converse for him, however I believe that’s only a part that he’s making an attempt to assist his staff get ready for that sport. But it surely’s not the whole thing of it.”
The Patriots-Dolphins common season opener is ready for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Miami’s Exhausting Rock Stadium.