FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Patriots players and coaches hit the practice field in Foxboro Wednesday, beginning organized team activities this offseason after the team was recently stripped of two of its OTA sessions.
The Patriots lost the sessions after they reportedly held meetings longer than their allowed time at Gillette Stadium, violating league rules.
Asked about the impact of the lost sessions on Wednesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick joked that the team “Had a good long weekend.”
“There was a situation with some scheduling in Phase 2,” Belicheck told reporters. “So, got that all worked out. Good to be back out there. Obviously a lot of work to do here in the spring.”
Belichick took responsibility for the team’s punishment this week.
In separate comments, other members of the team also shared their thoughts.
“I don’t believe that we’re an organization that’s going out of our way to break a rule or to gain an edge,” said Patriots Special Teams Captain Matthew Slater.
“It’s in the past,” Belichick said. “We moved on. We’re looking forward to getting out on the field today.”
In the team’s first on-field work of the offseason, quarterback Mac Jones said he is feeling confident.
“Sometimes, the most confident people come from a year where they might not have been their best,” Jones said. “I feel like that’s where I’m at and we all feel like that. We’re all hungry.”
This new season will bring with it Jones’ third offensive coordinator in three years. After a forgettable sophomore season, Jones said he is trying to be a sponge and soak up everything offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien says.
“He has such a great experience in this league and football and the football world,” Jones said. “It’s like a walking dictionary. Just pick his brain, and see the game how he sees it and how I see it and come together and mesh and create a really good offense.”
Jones said he is looking forward to working with O’Brien, adding that there is considerable familiarity between them in lingo and terminology due to their shared experience in the University of Alabama system.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)