FOXBOROUGH — With only three days between two games, Mike Vrabel offered Patriots players a couple of perks this week.
Vrabel was willing to shave 25 minutes off a full team meeting so players would have more time to recover, and told the Patriots they could practice in the bubble on an afternoon when Foxborough temperatures dipped into the 30s with colder wind chills.
Team leaders declined both of Vrabel’s offers.
Following a 27-13 win over the Jets on Thursday Night Football, defensive captain Robert Spillane explained why New England’s players didn’t want to take the coach up on easing the workload.
“We play outside, we play in inclement weather,” Spillane said. “We are in New England, so we’re going to have to play in lots of inclement weather games. We want to use that as a winning edge for us. Something that we can hang our hats on. We are not going to slow down when the weather’s cold. Hopefully, the other team does.
“When it comes to meeting time, meeting is crucial for our success on the field. I know it looks like a bunch of chaos on the field, but it is such controlled chaos. Each person has an individual role, and those meeting times are where we really detail out those roles and finalize everything.”
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