Bill Belichick Explains Struggle of Evaluating Situational Football Without Preseason, Joint Practices

Trying to evaluate how players perform in specific situations became that much harder due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Situational football. That's what has helped the New England Patriots thrive over the past two decades. 

Getting players on the roster that thrive in situational football is easier to do when there is a preseason and some joint practices taking place. It's only then that a coaching staff can fully evaluate how certain players perform in certain situations. But NFL teams don't get that luxury this year. 

Bill Belichick explained Monday during a video conference with the media the struggle of an adjusted summer schedule and how his staff plans to combat not facing another NFL team until the regular season. 

"So, as we get to different points in camp depending on what we're ready for, what we have installed, what situations we're ready for, and then we'll have to create those situations, practice them against ourselves or practice them against a simulated opponent," Belichick said. "We work against ourselves, we do what we do, but that may not be what everybody else does, so we would have to create that. There are other ways we can work on those situations, but ultimately, we're going to have to go out there and do them against ourselves. That's one of the advantages of practicing with another team. When we didn't practice with another team, then it was the same situation. 

"Even though there were preseason games, the fact of the matter is that with a minute to go in the game, the players who are going to be doing that in the regular season generally weren't on the field anyway for that situation. Without the joint practices – which again, sometimes we've had, sometimes we haven't – but then we'd have to create those situations ourselves and coach them and evaluate them and all of the things that go with them. So, that's where we are this year."

Belichick brings up a good point. Having preseason games is a good way to evaluate how some of the younger and/or more inexperienced talent can perform. But trying to figure out how some of the veterans play situationally isn't always possible during a preseason game, simply because they aren't out on the field for a large potion of the game. That's why it's even more problematic that teams cannot hold joint practices this summer, because that is the only time a team can create a specific situation on the field against another team. 

It's just one of the many struggles NFL teams are dealing with this year. 

If the Patriots want to practice situational football this year, it'll have to be against themselves. Hopefully the offense and defense can be versatile enough to create unique, competitive situations that can help the coaching staff evaluate each and every player on the roster.