Players enjoying time together while they can
FOXBOROUGH — The decision Robert Kraft will make about whether Bill Belichick remains the Patriots’ coach is a hot topic here and around the NFL.
But the players are aware that changes are coming no matter if Belichick stays or goes. It’s simply what happens after a season like this.
“Basically everyone on the roster besides the rookies knows that,” safety Jabrill Peppers said. “The roster is not going to look the same year in and year out. It’s never going to be this group again. Some guys might be here, but we know everyone is not.
So, we’re definitely enjoying this time doing some things off the field together. We’ve always been a close group, but toward the end of the year we’re doing a little bit more to enjoy this last little end of the ride.”
It didn’t take Peppers long to figure out how ruthless teams can be when it comes to personnel decisions. The Browns traded Peppers to the Giants after his second season in a deal that brought Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. Peppers said he found out about the trade on Twitter.
“That’s when I was like, ‘Oh [expletive], I know what I’m dealing with now,’ ” Peppers said. “It’s been countless instances, we all know that. But you can still have the tight-knit family feel and also know that it’s a business, as well. That’s how I go about my business.”
For tight end Pharaoh
Brown, who played for the Raiders, Browns, and Texans before signing with the Patriots, going through a losing season is nothing new.
“Every year has been pretty much similar,” Brown said. “I’ve been in the league for six or seven years. I’ve had a new coach every year. GMs getting fired. Coaches getting fired every year if the team is not winning. So, this is just another trip of, ‘Who knows what’s going to happen?’ It’s not a great season, and we’ll see what happens down the line. Hopefully there’s not a lot of changes. It’s a great group. I know it’s not a great season, but great group, great coaches, obviously. But we have to wait and see what those kinds of decisions are. It’s above all of our pay grades.”
Brown said that when he was younger, he would worry this time of year about possible changes, but his perspective has changed.
“Since I’ve had kids, man, it’s just like you just kind of control what you can control,” Brown said. “You could complain and be like, ‘why this?’ but you just have to control what you can control and let your opportunities come when they come. That’s what I’ve found to do to keep sane and keep my mental wellness right.”
In the end, tough decisions are made every year. Brown learned that lesson during his rookie season with the Raiders.
“I needed three games to get a credited season,” he said. “One of the tight ends was hurt and I knew he was like, ‘You’re going to be able to come up,’ because I was not playing. They wait.
They didn’t bring me up on Sunday, they waited until Monday after the game to bring me up, so I played the last two games and didn’t get my credit for the season. If I had gotten the credit for the year, it would have played a factor. It was like a couple hundred thousand [dollars], nothing big to these owners, but that’s when you find out that it’s a business.”
Slater reflects
Special teams captain Matthew Slater did not say whether Sunday would be his last game. Slater, 38, has been with the Patriots longer than any other player on the roster. On Thursday, he reflected on his journey from being a fifth-round pick with long odds of making the team to becoming a 10-time Pro Bowl selection.
“When I started, I wasn’t thinking much about legacy at all,” Slater said. “I think the only legacy I had when I started was that I’m [Pro Football Hall of Famer] Jackie Slater’s son. People didn’t even know my name, didn’t know my story. I didn’t have a big vision for what my legacy might be. I certainly didn’t envision being in one place for this long.
“So I think for me, the thing that I value the most and the thing that I hope people remember me by when my time is up is what I did off the football field, how I engaged with the community, how I tried to use my platform the right way to connect with people, uplift them, and bring the people around me up. That’s always been my approach and that stems from my faith in Christ. I believe he was a great servant, a great leader, and I try to emulate that in every aspect of my life. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but I hope when people think about me they don’t just think about a guy who was running up and down covering kicks.”
Injury update
Trent Brown (illness) was the only player who did not participate in Thursday’s practice. The limited participants were defensive lineman Christian Barmore (knee), tight ends Hunter Henry (knee) and Brown (ribs), linebackers Anfernee Jennings (knee) and Jahlani Tavai (tooth), cornerbacks Jonathan Jones (knee), Shaun Wade (hip), and Myles Bryant (illness), wide receiver DeVante Parker (ribs), Peppers (hamstring), and Slater (hamstring).