Bill Belichick Offers A Snow Warning To Patriots Players Ahead Of Friday's Storm
FOXBORO (CBS) -- Most folks in eastern Massachusetts are hoping for a snow day on Friday. But as we know, Bill Belichick's isn't one to give his players a day off because of a little accumulation.
So on Thursday, Belichick had it abundantly clear that everyone is expected to be at practice on time come Friday morning. Snow or not, there is work to be done before the Patriots leave for Miami for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
Or as Davon Godchaux called it, Belichick gave them a "Snow Speech." Snow is no excuse for tardiness on Friday morning, so Godchaux has a plan in place so he can arrive at Gillette Stadium on time.
"I live in an apartment complex, so I'm sure they'll have it all under control. But I plan on waking up an hour ahead to defrost my windows and leave early," he said. "I've never been in a snow drive on the way to the practice facility, so I'm looking forward to that tomorrow. Gotta get up early so I'm not late to meetings.
"I don't want to be that guy," the defensive lineman added.
Godchaux is a Louisiana native who played his college ball at LSU before spending four years with the Dolphins, so he had very little experience with all of this snow business. Matthew Judon, on the other hand, is well versed in living with the fluffy stuff after spending his high school and college days in Michigan, followed by his five years with the Baltimore Ravens.
That experience will save him a headache -- and a half-an-hour -- on Friday.
"Just gotta get in my car and drive, make sure I'm there. If that's setting an alarm clock 30 minutes earlier so you can warm your car up -- people in the southern states have it lucky," Judon said Thursday. "But I've been dealing with snow my whole life. I'll be alright."
A snow day hasn't been a big issue for the Patriots in a while. Most players actually enjoy playing in the snow. But it was a huge deal back in 2009, when Belichick sent four players home for arriving late, including Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss.
Thomas was pretty peeved by the move and created quite the stir when he was welcomed back to the facilities that week.
"What do you do? It's not the Jetsons, I can't jump up and just fly," a frustrated Thomas told reporters. "What the heck am I supposed to do?"
The 2009 Patriots were a bit of a mess, and the season ended in a huge disappointment when they got thumped by the Ravens, 33-14, in the Wild Card round.
The 2021 Patriots have much higher aspirations, and they hope to end the regular season by avenging their Week 1 loss to the Dolphins by returning the favor and beating them on their home turf. Going from a freezing Foxboro to a hot and humid South Florida isn't the easiest transition, but it's something the Patriots deal with quite a bit.
As for the players who haven't experienced that sudden change, the former Dolphin Godchaux has some advice: Drink up.
"It's going to be hot and it's going to be humid. It's hard to get ready in what is going to be a blizzard tomorrow," he said. "But you have to hydrate before you leave, hydrate on the plane, hydrate when you get to Miami. If you don't hydrate you cheat yourself. Guys have to be ready to play in a hot climate."