FOXBORO, Mass. — This short week has the Patriots thinking in circles.
"Today is a Wednesday," left tackle Matt Light said Monday. "It feels like a Monday, but it's actually a Wednesday. Then we'll have a quick Thursday [on Tuesday] and get on a plane the next day. It's a good turnaround. Good times."
Right, what he said.
The Patriots didn’t have any time to put their toes by the fire and bask in the glow of beating the Colts on Sunday. In anticipation of Thursday's game in Detroit, quarterback Tom Brady said he would start breaking down film of the Lions when he got home Sunday night.
Then, the Patriots reported for Monday morning meetings and a team walkthrough, followed by plenty of film work and other meetings. Basically, the Patriots have to cram six days of preparation into about three days, and Thursday's kickoff with the Lions will be 89 hours after Sunday's final whistle.
"I actually like it," Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch said. "Guys just want to play the game. If we play games like this, two in five days, one day of practice, don't have to worry about Coach [Bill] Belichick cursing us out all the time. That will be great."
The Patriots will have one official practice Tuesday and a walkthrough Wednesday before flying to Detroit. It's a crazy week, one the Lions have to cope with, too, and there's no guarantee that Thursday's game will be a thing of beauty.
On the back end, the Patriots will likely get the entire weekend off to share a post-Thanksgiving celebration with their families, and then they'll begin the prep work for the Monday night game with the Jets. So, eventually, it will all even out.
But for the next few days, it's all about having a mentally strong attitude through meetings and practices, staying sharp on details and accepting the quirky scheduling challenge that lies in front of them.
"It’s such a weird week, but we’ll figure out a way to be prepared," Brady said. "By the time the game kicks off, we’ll be ready to go."
