FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots will be without Adrian Klemm for “a little while,” according to Bill Belichick. In his absence, assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates will fulfill at least some of his duties.
“Yeah, we’ll work through it on the offensive staff,” added Belichick Wednesday morning. “Billy, of course, will be a part of that.”
It is unclear precisely what Klemm is dealing with. When asked if he could shed more light on the absence, the head coach first joked, “You want us to put him on the injury report?” But then he turned more serious, “You’re trying to get to me to violate HIPPA laws and that kind of thing? (the response to that was ‘no.’). I’m not going to comment on someone’s personal medical status. I appreciate the question, but I’m just not going to do that. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to do so. I’ll just skip over that one.”
Told that we were just looking for clarity on the reason for the absence, Belichick did confirm it was health-related.
Klemm and the rest of the coaching staff were scheduled to do media availability on Tuesday. Still, during that window, a Patriots PR staffer announced that the coach would not be present (in the virtual meeting room setting). Odd but not entirely uncommon, especially for a team with a knack for massaging league rules; media availability is not different. In reaching out to sources, the first explanation was that meetings had run long, but shortly after that, I was told he had an offsite appointment.
The 46-year-old Klemm is in his first year as the line coach in Foxborough, coming over from the University of Oregon. He was hired to replace Matt Patricia, who did double duty as offensive coordinator and line coach. He’s also Belichick’s first-ever draft pick here in New England, taken in the second round in 2000.
The line has made strides in recent weeks, solidifying with the return of Cole Strange at left guard and the moving of Mike Onwenu from right guard to right tackle. Team leader David Andrews spoke shortly after Belichick revealed Klemm would be away from the team, saying, "Definitely thinking about AK. We all have things that happen and, you know, sometimes you get in the football building, and it's football, football, and there's still life going on and things. I've known Billy Yates for three years, and I've worked with him, and he always does a great job. It is what it is. You have to deal with it. Move on. Thoughts and prayers with AK, but I think having a good group of guys to handle it maturely and try and move forward."