FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots know they've got to get creative to beat Wednesday's snowstorm, and they'll do whatever they've got to do to arrive at Gillette Stadium on time.
If that means leaving extra early, shacking up at a local hotel or pitching a tent at the 50-yard line, that's what they'll do. It's playoff time, and they've got to work whether they like it or not.
The players are expected to arrive on time for their usual morning meetings before practice in the afternoon, which is scheduled to take place outside on the grass fields behind Gillette — just a few hundred yards away from the heated Dana-Farber Field House.
"Our bubble is just for naming rights," Patriots tight end Alge Crumpler said. "It’s not for us to practice in."
Depending on the amount of snow that hits Foxboro, the Patriots might not really have a choice for their practice location, though, and they may end up at the indoor facility. One detail that isn't subject for debate, however, is their punctuality, and wide receiver Deion Branch even referenced last season's incident when four players, including Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas, were sent home for showing up late on the Wednesday morning of a snowstorm.
And that, of course, was during the regular season. The margin for error in the postseason is far slimmer.
"We’ll be here on time, and I think all the guys may need to leave their homes a little early," Branch said. "I heard about the thing that happened in the past, so we don’t need that to show up. This is not the time for that."
