Here’s how the Patriots stayed loose during a week away from Gillette Stadium

There’s a reason why players spend so much time at their team facility the week before a game. They’re weight lifting to keep up their strength. They’re getting massages and medical treatment to try and stay healthy. They’re also on the practice field trying to get ready for a battle come Sunday.

For the Patriots, this past week has been a big challenge. Mentally, it was hard being home after a total of three teammates tested positive for Covid-19. [...]

There’s a reason why players spend so much time at their team facility the week before a game. They’re weight lifting to keep up their strength. They’re getting massages and medical treatment to try and stay healthy. They’re also on the practice field trying to get ready for a battle come Sunday.

For the Patriots, this past week has been a big challenge. Mentally, it was hard being home after a total of three teammates tested positive for Covid-19. Physically, however, it was almost impossible to replicate how they typically get their bodies right before a game.

"I am a guy who is 33, this is Year 12, I usually do multiple massages throughout the course of the week and obviously with everything going on you are not going to put somebody else in harms way with going out and getting any time of body work," said Jason McCourty." We haven’t been able to get treatment and things of that nature just because we are trying to do things the safest way as possible. I think those types of things have a physical impact.

"You’re not able to practice, so I tried to out and go to like a park and do some stuff by myself, nobody around me, nobody coming together, just me, but it is not the same. I think the biggest challenge this week has been for us physically of just trying to get out there, making sure we are running a little bit because you don’t want to just show up on Monday and just roll the ball out there and say, ‘Hey, we haven’t done anything football-oriented since last Monday, but we’re pro athletes. We can just roll the ball out there and play.’"

Players said this week has been a challenge, but it’s something they’re all trying to work through. McCourty mentioned he found an empty park to work out in. That’s one way to keep your legs fresh, but it certainly isn’t the same.

Most players said their goal was to stay loose. Lawrence Guy said he did a lot of stretching, yoga and drank water. The last thing he wanted was to go to practice on Saturday and get injured because he’d been sitting down too long the days before. He also went outside to workout some this past week.

"Just going out there and finding a patch of grass, running, trying to keep our distance, get your legs going, stretching," Guy said. "The big thing you have to do is stretching, get your hydration up, make sure you're eating correctly, taking notes, watching film, asking those questions."

Guy was happy with what he saw at practice on Saturday and said that his teammates looked loose and he could tell people were taking care of themselves. Of course, the real test will be on Monday when the Patriots play against the Denver Broncos.

"It was difficult not being able to come here and practice and have all the things available to us that we do on a week to week basis," said running back Damien Harris. "But I just do what I could. Any opportunity I got to get up, move around, get my legs loose, stay loose, stay mobile, keep my conditioning -- any opportunity I had to do that, I tried to take advantage of it."

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ