FOXBORO -- The Patriots are headed to West Virginia on Tuesday for joint practices with the Saints on Wednesday and Thursday. Though they'll be near some good golf spots at the Greenbrier resort, coach Bill Belichick said there won't be much down time to hit the links.
"I don't think we're doing any golf clubs on this trip," he said. "It's a business trip. There's a lot of things we can do to help our football team. We have a lot of work to do when we're down there, with the Saints, but also watching the practices."
Belichick explained that with teams having played their first preseason games, the Patriots coaches and staff members will be busy digesting tape of upcoming opponents weeks in advance.
"Now that the preseason games are starting to roll in, looking at our early opponents as well as the teams that would be upcoming on our preseason schedule, the Panthers and the Giants," Belichick said. "Really, now is the type of time of year when a lot of times you're looking at three, four, five different teams. New Orleans, getting ahead on Carolina and the Giants, Pittsburgh obviously. Teams in the early part of the schedule just to kind of start to get a feel for them. What they did in the offseason, is that what we're kind of seeing now in training camp or preseason games from them? Or are they doing something different?
"What new players do they have, how are they utilizing them, where are they showing up on the depth chart? We don't know that. We can use the spring scouting reports for sure, back in May for example, or June. At least now there's some tape, there's some evidence of this is where a guy is playing, this is who he's playing behind or with, or whatever it is. Honestly we have quite a bit to do. It's a big trip for us, both for our team, but we also have to try to keep staying ahead of the things that'll be coming up pretty quickly. This won't be a big golf weekend."
Not everyone will be making the trip, however. The Patriots have dealt with a rash of injuries to multiple different position groups all throughout training camp, and Belichick said that there will be a process by which the trainers and coaches will determine who travels and who doesn't.
"It's an individual conversation, we'll talk about each player that would fall into that category," Belichick said. "What would be the best thing for him? And then we have to utilize our resources. It could go either way. Some guys we'll take depending on their injury or their situation. Other guys we won't. it's really on a case-by-case basis. If we feel like we can get productive work with them, then that's a reason to take them.
New England Patriots
"I don't think anybody would recommend a lot of travel for somebody rehabbing from injury. I don't think that's at the top of any . . . 'Here's how you get better quick. Travel, jump on a couple planes, fly around the country.' That's generally not part of the prescribed rehabilitation. But if there's good reason for the person to travel, whatever work we do, whatever it is, wherever we are, then that's something we'll talk about."
Belichick also discussed on Monday how the team has handled its depth through camp by juggling its roster. The team re-signed defensive lineman Casey Walker and traded sixth-round linebacker Matt Wells for offensive lineman Ryan Groy to give that spot a little depth.
"Ryan gives us some depth on the interior part of our line, a little bit of experience, he's played in there," Belichick said. "I think he started three or four games last year. Put him in competition with the other players that we have there and in the end kind of felt like he was . . . [He] would give us a little more competition and was better able to compete in his position than the player we traded."