Bill Belichick on Having Three Preseason Games in 10 Days: “It’s Certainly Not the Way You’d Want to do it”

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are once again heavy favorites in the AFC East. But they’ve been challenged this summer by several obstacles, including trouble on the offensive line. Belichick is encouraged by the fact that Logan Mankins is rejoining that line, but he still isn’t thrilled with the tight preseason schedule that is forcing his staff to make assessments on the fly.

Bill Belichick joined the Big Show on WEEI in Boston to discuss the tight preseason schedule (three postseason games in ten days) and the issues that arise from it, as well as Logan Mankins’ recovery from knee surgery.

On how difficult it is to make roster decisions when the Patriots have three preseason games in a 10-day span:

“It’s not an ideal schedule and it’s certainly not the way you’d want to do it, but it is what it is so we’ll just deal with it as best we can. You’re right, it’s a lot of games. It’s like playing doubleheaders.”

On if the short gaps between games makes it difficult to install plays:

“Yeah, absolutely. You can’t install anything in (that amount of time). It’s like playing a Sunday game and then playing on Thursday. You don’t really have much of a game plan, you just try to get ready what you know how to do and apply it to your new opponent. Then you go out there and turn around and do it. So yeah, the installation, that’s why this is such a big week for us, because it’s a longer week, gives us time to install what we didn’t get in prior to the New Orleans game. And after this then that’s really about it until the long week before Tennessee.”

On Logan Mankins, who’s recovering from ACL surgery:

“We’re taking it slow, doing one thing at a time and building daily. So it’ll be a little bit of a process but he’s definitely making progress. And the fact that he’s back on the field is a sign that things are going well, and if he continues to progress then he’ll be able to do more.”

Listen to Bill Belichick on WEEI here