FOXBORO -- Depth doesn't just happen. It needs to be developed. And the Patriots, who enter Sunday's game against Washington severely undermanned, especially on the defensive side, develop their depth year-round.
"You never have enough people to back up every single position all the way through the lineup," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. "You have to build it early in training camp. I think this is a bad time to go up to somebody and say, 'You're playing outside linebacker this week instead of inside linebacker.' If you can anticipate that, sooner or later, you have to play more than one spot, (the player is better prepared)."
The last thing a coach wants is to have no idea what he'll get when a player steps on the field in a spot that's not his usual one.
"It takes a while for the player to get comfortable doing it or (for a coach to realize), 'This is the wrong player to try and move,' " Belichick pointed out. "You need to identify that. This is a situation where guys will have to play different spots. The sooner you prepare for that, the better off you are."
Even before this week, the Patriots had a number of players showing their ability to switch. Center Damien Woody, for instance, can play both guard spots and was at right guard last week while right guard Joe Andruzzi moved to the left. Sometimes, that can be like asking a player to print with his opposite hand. Woody and Andruzzi made the switch seamlessly.
As linebacker Don Davis pointed out this week, "We have three linebackers hurt and we're still filling those spots with players who've started in this league."
That's by design, not coincidence.
Rookie Eugene Wilson is another example of versatility. He was drafted as a corner out of Illinois in April, and Belichick has since slid him to safety where Wilson's been better than decent in two games.
"I talked to him about that prior to making the move," said Belichick. "When we decided to make the move, I went to him and said, 'This is what we're going to do. How do you feel about it? Are you OK with this? Here's why we're doing it."
Wilson, of course, was amenable to moving. But that underscores another attribute the Pats look for when signing players. Coachability.
"(Taking coaching) is the only way for a player to improve," said Belichick. "To understand the problem and the weaknesses. If he has an attitude and he won't take coaching, I don't see how a player will get better. At some point there will be a problem,. If he's not willing to change or address that, don't know how he'll get better. I don't know how to get over that."
No-pad practices
Due to the injury situation, the Patriots practiced without pads yesterday and Wednesday. Belichick said that, if the game had been held yesterday (which it thankfully was not), he didn't feel he'd have been able to field 45 healthy players.
It's nothing personal
Redskins coach Steve Spurrier was asked if matching his "offensive genius" against Belichick (and Romeo Crennel's) "defensive genius" was a personal challenge. "I don't really look at it too much like that, to tell you the truth," said the coach. "They are a very good defensive team, ain't no question about that. "(I) just try to do whatever I can to help our team win the game and I'm sure he's probably doing the same thing." . . . Rookie center Dan Koppen isn't the biggest man playing center in the league -- 6-foot-2, 296 pounds -- but Belichick doesn't think he's undersized, either. "I don't think he's at one end or the other (on the size spectrum). He's a solid NFL center prospect." . . . Why are some college wide receivers able to rack up insane numbers then never hook on with a team? They simply can't get off the line with a cornerback in their mug, said Belichick. "A lot of college receivers just don't see press coverage. That's why they have 1,100 or 1,200 yards. Then they get to the NFL and aren't even on the team. A lot of times it's the tight coverage and they can't get away from people."
