3 takeaways from Patriots vs. Seahawks practice reports on Friday
· Yahoo Sports
The New England Patriots returned to Stanford Stadium on Friday afternoon to wrap up their on-field preparation for Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. They will hold a final walkthrough on Saturday, but they hay is very much in the barn now.
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Patriots pool reporter Linsday Jones was once again at hand to provide updates, just like she did following practice updates on Wednesday and on Thursday.
Business as usual
The Patriots largely opted against “switching the macaroni” in their final practice of the season, including having assistant coaches go against each other in a lighthearted series of drills. Those coaching drills came after a stretching period early in practice and have become a fixture for the team on Fridays.
“It’s Friday, we’re 48 hours before the game, and that’s just how we normally operate,” head coach Mike Vrabel explained after the session.
Seattle went for a similar approach. Per Seahawks pool reporter Kalyn Kahler, they went with a typical Friday program they refer to as ACT: alignment, communication, technique.
Game preparation
Following a special teams segment, Vrabel sent the entire team to the locker room where it spent 14 minutes to simulate the halftime on Sunday. While normal NFL games have 13 minutes between whistles, the Super Bowl’s intermission is longer and thus a change from the established rhythm.
When the Patriots returned from the Stanford Stadium locker room, they held team drills featuring the starting offense and defense both going up against the scout team. Afterwards, Vrabel gathered his team for a final huddle before smaller groups of players continued working individually.
The final players to leave the field were quarterback Drake Maye, tight end Hunter Henry and rookie wide receiver Efton Chism. In all, practice lasted just under 90 minutes compared to the Seahawks clocking in at 96.
Injury questions
For the first time all week — and in fact since before the divisional playoff round — the Patriots had full attendance at practice. This meant that both off-ball linebacker Robert Spillane and edge defender Harold Landry were available, albeit in limited capacity and later receiving the questionable designation.
“They’re doing everything they can to be ready for the football game and we’ll see how they respond from practice today,” said Vrabel.
Seattle, meanwhile, listed one player — fullback Robbie Ouzts — on its injury report. Safety Nick Emmanwori, who sprained his ankle on Wednesday and was subsequently held out of Thursday’s session, took a normal workload on Friday and was removed from the list.