FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - The New England Patriots kick off pre-season play Thursday night at Gillette against the New Orleans Saints.
The two teams held join practices this week.
The Patriots held just four preseason games before the regular season starts.
All eyes will be on back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as he prepares to lead the team as Tom Brady serves his four-game suspension.
“It’s always different on game day,” Garoppolo said. “It’s a different feel and everything. You get those butterflies in your stomach and all that. It’s awesome. Football is back.”
Garoppolo will not have Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman at his disposal, but regardless of who suits up, there is still a job to be done.
“It’s an opportunity to go out there and perform with your teammates,” Garoppolo said. “It’s obviously different than practice. Different situations will come up and you don’t know how many snaps you’re going to get or how many snaps you’re not going to get. It’s all coach’s call, so when you’re called on, you’ve just got to go out there and perform.”
“We’re all in the boat there,” Coach Bill Belichick said. “None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes, we all have to learn how to move on from them, and I think we all do.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)