Players get message
Learn perspective at Air Force
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun addressed the Patriots during a stretch of meetings at their team hotel in Colorado Springs.
Calhoun, who was there at the request of coach Bill Belichick, described the types of people Air Force Academy recruits, whether they play football or are strictly there for academics and the military career that follows. He told the Patriots the cadets all have to conquer the challenge of surviving in the mountains with nothing but their own devices.
“It was a super strong message,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said. “Knowing what they go through, it just shows how strong they are and shows what type of person it takes to be able to make it here in the Air Force Academy, which takes a lot, a lot of dedication, for sure.”
Gronkowski then showed his soft side when asked which type of animal he’d hunt in the woods.
“I like animals, so I don’t know,” he replied.
The Patriots who addressed the questions yesterday uniformly said they couldn’t survive that type of challenge.
“Everyone sat there and thought about it like, ‘ Yeah, that wouldn’t work out for me,’ ” running back Brandon Bolden said. “My hat’s off to those guys. Those guys knew what they were coming in for, and they went out there to do it. And they knew it was a possibility that you might not be able to finish because you might have to go serve your country. A lot of those guys took that and said, ‘You know what, I want to do it anyway.’ Hats off to those guys. I have the utmost respect for them.
“Hearing (Calhoun’s story), it starts off and it’s like, ‘OK, it’s not that bad. Oh, that’s kind of like camp.’ And then they have another week when they just go out into the mountains, and it’s just them. And it’s like, ‘Oh, you kind of lost me on that.’ You’ve got to get your own nutrition and stuff like that. And he made the comment, ‘I hope there’s a rabbit.’ I’m not the fastest guy. We’ve got to trap him. I’m not catching a rabbit.”
Bolden laughed at the notion that he could hunt to survive.
“I’d have to go with the guy from the Discovery Channel and just start chopping up a tree because that’s about the most stationary thing I could get my hands on,” Bolden said. “And I’d just have to eat bark for a whole week. I’m not chasing a rabbit. Hopefully a bird just falls out of the sky and lands right in my lap. Beside that, it’s not going to be me out there. It’d be my flare that they’d have to come get me out. Maybe an airlift because I’m not moving.”
The point of the message wasn’t lost, though. Sure, the players had fun with it, but they appreciated the experience to meet with Calhoun.
“Anytime I catch myself going through something, I appreciate looking at their situation and not complaining,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “You’ve got to respect it.”
Brown in
The Patriots had a welcome addition at practice, as defensive tackle Malcom Brown rejoined the team after a three-week absence. He injured his ankle in Week 7 against the Falcons and missed the first two games of his career.
Brown wasn’t on the sideline Sunday when the Patriots played the Broncos, so it appeared that he traveled to Colorado separately from his teammates, likely to continue to treat and rehab the ankle.
Right tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle) and wide receiver Chris Hogan (shoulder) are still in Foxboro and aren’t expected to play Sunday against the Raiders in Mexico City.
Special teams captain Matthew Slater is dealing with another hamstring injury that could lead to an extended absence. He missed two months earlier this season with a torn hamstring.
Just dropping in
As the Patriots wrapped up practice, Belichick pointed the team’s attention toward the sky, as the Air Force sent a series of paratroopers to land on the field.
“We saw an airplane flying around, and I was hoping to see someone jump out and they had like eight guys jump out,” Gronkowski said. “So it was super neat to see them, and they landed right in front of us on the practice field.”
Festive mood
Gronkowski was asked if he had a message for the people of Mexico.
“My original message,” he said. “Yo soy fiesta, baby.” . . .
Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 30th time, which extended his record. Running back Dion Lewis was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time. It was the second time in franchise history the Patriots have doubled up on awards, with Drew Bledsoe and Adam Vinatieri accomplishing the feat in Week 12 of 1998.