Patched Into the Patriots at Gillette

Bill Belichick took the podium inside the media room at Gillette Stadium Wednesday morning to talk about his plans for the bye week as well as what he said to his rookie players before they head out for a few well deserved days off.  

"Bye week, practiced yesterday, practice today, see if we can improve in a few areas, then give the players an opportunity to get some rest, relax a little bit, get a way from Football for a couple days, then come back and get ready to go against the Steelers," spoke Belichick. "Hopefully we can take advantage of those couple days to catch up on some things that have piled up on all of us."

When asked what his major plans were personally during the days off, Belichick smiled and said simply, "get some rest, yeah." 

The mood in the locker room was light as several players including Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and the recently returned Kevin Faulk, spoke to the media about their own plans during the bye week.  Tom Brady made a brief appearance in the locker room and returned to the weight room shortly after, most likely ready and relieved to rest up over the next few days.

Patch spoke to tight end Rob Gronkowski about his comfort level in the offense from last year to this.

"My comfort level is obviously way higher than last year.  A whole year makes a big difference. This year coming in I just feel like I have a better understanding of the game, way better understanding of what's expected of me here.  Having all that you can just focus on the details, get better, and that's where I feel like I'm ahead of the game as compared to last year," said Gronkowski.

When speaking on his plans for time off during the bye week, Gronkowski noted, "Not much really, just kind of chilling right now. I've got a few things, see my family and friends you know. I've got a couple days off so I'll probably figure it out tomorrow."

The Patriots go into the bye week with an AFC best (5-1) record. With the Bills loss on Sunday, the Patriots stand in sole posession of first place in the AFC East. They return to action on Sunday, Oct. 30 when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, who will play the (1-4) Cardinals on Sunday.  Pittsburgh stands at (4-2) heading into their game against Arizona.  Both the Patriots and the Steelers have battled each other at the top of the AFC food chain for nearly a decade now.  It will certainly be a battle again when the Patriots return to action on the 30th.  

Kickoff for the game is 4:15 p.m. 

Check back on Patch next week for Media day before the Pittsburgh vs. Patriots game and then after the game against the Steelers for a full report.