Patriots news & notes: Belichick’s uncanny apology; Covid tackles Bourne

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shocks the sports world on Monday.

So, a weird thing happened on Monday.  New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick apologized to the media.

Yes, that same grumpy coach apologized to the sports media for being short with them following the team’s 27-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night.

Where in the world did that come from Bill?

Who knows, but it is always good to see Belichick’s soft side comes out.  You know, the side a lot of his players and former players see.  Here is how the Patriots coach opened his media session on Monday:

"“Look fellas, I apologize if it seemed like I was a little short with you after the game,” he said, via Patriots.com. “Obviously, a frustrating game. Down 20-0, didn’t do anything well enough. There isn’t really much to say at that point without watching the film. Clearly, we had problems in every area. There was no simple answer and every play could have been better. Every area of coaching could have been better. Every area of playing could have been better. Any of that would have helped. Not really trying to be short, but honestly, there wasn’t really too much to say. I don’t know if there’s a whole lot more to say now, but it’s not your fault. That was a frustrating game.”"

Yes, it was a very frustrating game to watch as the Patriots didn’t wake up in that game until late in the third quarter.  Even with that, the team was a Jonathan Taylor tackle away from having a chance to tie or win that game.

But, back to the apology to the media.  What is Belichicks’ strategery here? Clearly, there’s a reason for the public display of affection towards the same group of people who he has been short with before?

Well, whatever it is, you better believe there will be a different New England Patriots team showing up on Sunday for the AFC East division clash and rematch with the Buffalo Bills.

New England Patriots notebook: Covid strikes Kendrick Bourne

With the spike in Covid cases throughout the NFL, the New England Patriots have been kind of lucky that their team hasn’t been as impacted as some teams around the league.

Well, knock on wood.

On Monday, the team placed four players to the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve, including wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. The other players were linebackers Harvey Langi, Cameron McGrone, and Ronnie Perkins.

Out of that group, Bourne is obviously the name of impact.  As one of the team’s leading receivers, the offense would be impacted if he wasn’t able to go by Sunday when the team takes on the Bills.

Obviously, the concern here is that more players don’t end up with positive results as Belichick braces for each day he walks into the practice facility.

"“I’d say every day is a new day,” Belichick said.  “I don’t think any of us know what to expect.  We’re following the league rules and protocols, which have been significantly enhanced, or been  more restrictive, which I think we all understand, but I think we have to make adjustments and be in compliance with them.  We put up a wall in our weight room over the weekend and things like that to be in compliance like we did last year.  What this week will bring, I don’t know.”"

With the biggest game of the season on the horizon, fingers are crossed that more players don’t land on the list.  If they are, hopefully they are vaccinated and asymptomatic as new NFL protocols would allow those players to  still be able to play in games.