On Friday morning, Bill Belichick wasn't having any talk of a possible cold-weather advantage this weekend. On Friday afternoon, Tom Brady sounded like a guy who welcomed the edge that chilly temps might provide against a team from Southern California like the Chargers.
“I just think the ability to practice in it like today. It’s very similar to what we’re going to get on Sunday so just knowing again, how many layers you’ve got to put on and how you’re going to feel,” Brady said. “We didn’t have the nice, warm heated benches out there like we will on Sunday. It’s cold and that’s just part of this time of year.
“But it’s good to be playing when it’s cold out. It’s good to be playing this time of year in Foxborough. The weather changed a little bit yesterday. It snowed at the start and then got sunny and then got cloudy, then got windy, then got sunny and it’s just a bunch of different things. Just to practice in it, we’re prepared for it and hopefully, we can use some of the things we’ve learned to our advantage.”
For what it's worth, according to weather.com, it certainly looks like the conditions will favor New England. Here's a look at what to expect in Foxborough the next few days:
For the record, the Patriots have played in 12 home playoff games where the temperature is under 30 degrees since 2001. In those games, New England is 10-2.
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Here are a few more highlights of Brady's Q&A with the media on Friday:
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According to those in attendance, the Patriots had everyone at the start of practice on Friday. Turns out the only player who was limited in the last practice of the week was defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, who has been dealing with an ankle injury. (He's questionable heading into Sunday's game.) The good news for New England is the fact veterans Devin McCourty (head) and Cordarrelle Patterson (knee), both of whom were banged up late in the regular season, appear to be good to go this weekend.
As for the Chargers, Melvin Gordon remains the biggest wild-card. He was removed from the injury report on Friday, but he's had knee issues for a sizable portion of the second half of the season. The feeling is he will be able to play, but it remains to be seen just how effective he might be able to come Sunday.