Pats ‘on track’ to play Broncos Sunday
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots remain “on track” to host the Broncos, coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday, though it’s still unclear whether quarterback Cam Newton or cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be ready to play Sunday.
Another round of COVID-19 tests performed Monday produced no new positive results, a league source confirmed Tuesday. The Patriots haven’t had a positive test since Byron Cowart’s result from late Saturday night was revealed Sunday morning.
Like every team, the Patriots will be subject to daily testing — now including game days under new protocols — before the Denver game can kick off.
If the team continues to produce negative results across the board, players likely will be back on the practice field Wednesday after three days off — a truncated version of a bye week, which was originally scheduled for this week.
As for Newton, who missed the Week 4 game against the Chiefs, and Gilmore, who tested positive a week ago, Belichick wasn’t ready to commit to a timeline for their return.
“I’m not sure exactly what the schedule is in terms of when those guys will do the things that they need to do,” the coach said. “Again, some of that has to be scheduled outside of the building and so forth. So, I’ll leave that to the medical department. I don’t know exactly what their schedule is.”
Gilmore, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, posted on Instagram Monday that he is “ready to be back in action,” while Newton’s father, Cecil, has said his son has not experienced any symptoms since testing positive.
If both remain asymptomatic, they could return under the league’s provision of 10 days without feeling sick since their first positive test. The only remaining hurdle would be clearance from a team physician in consultation with the NFL’s chief medical officer.
Newton, Gilmore, Cowart, and practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray remain on New England’s COVID-19 reserve list.
After three days of remote preparations and a light practice Saturday, the Patriots and Broncos game was postponed after Cowart’s positive test came to light. The team will report to Gillette Stadium for workouts on Wednesday but will not practice. It’s likely they will practice Thursday and Friday with a walkthrough on Saturday.
As with all plans this season, flexibility will be key, as things can change quickly.
“We continue to make adjustments here on a regular basis, so we will make the most out of the opportunities this week and we’ll be ready to go on Denver here for Sunday,” said Belichick. “So, hopefully we can stay on track and continue our preparations from last week. They’ll obviously roll over into this week with some adjustments, but those will be relatively small compared to the overall scope of the preparation.
“Looking forward to getting back to playing here and coaching.”
The coronavirus has been forcing changes since the spring, so teams have gotten used to audibles when it comes to getting ready to play.
Belichick said the Patriots have been “fluid and flexible” when it comes to the myriad challenges that come up while preparing during a pandemic. It’s been an organizational effort during a time when things are taken “hour by hour,” as the coach said last week.
The players have played a vital role in how the staff goes about making decisions about how to proceed.
“The players have also given us good feedback as to what they feel like is beneficial, what’s working for them,” Belichick said. “So, we’ve made some adjustments from that feedback, as well as just constant communication on the coaching staff where one coach or one group of coaches might talk about something that’s effective for them and then other groups or another position coach will try that as well and get feedback from his players and things like that.
“I think we’ve learned a lot. We’re trying to find ways to teach and communicate and operate better and as efficiently as possible. I’m not sure that we’re there yet. I’m sure we’ll see other things as we go along through the course of the season.”