A look at the start of Patriots training camp amid coronavirus testing

The Patriots released their protocol schedule Friday in preparation for next week.

Football is getting closer. On Friday, a schedule was released in regards to how the New England Patriots will conduct business next week.

As training camp gets underway, New England enters this season with a lot of new pieces and questions going forward. In what was a wild offseason, the new pieces are finally going to get put to the test.

Next week is more about testing players so that they can get access to team facilities. Friday and Saturday are perhaps the most important of all these days, where players with two negative tests during the course of the week can gain access to the team facility.

As ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes, New England has a strategic plan in place to ensure everyone is ready to go.

On Friday, the players agreed to a season happening as well. In a 29-3 vote, they accepted amendments to the collective bargaining agreement. This means that training camps will open on time. Many of the amendments were related to COVID-19 protocols.

This is certainly big for the Patriots, as it will give them some more time to get used to a new-look offense. There’s bound to be adjustments and new wrinkles in the offense. This will also give the organization enough time to look at Jarrett Stidham and Cam Newton as the two battle it out for the starting quarterback job.

On the defensive side of football, they will be able to tune up and refocus after a good year last year. With a certain level of offensive uncertainty this year, a ready-to-go defense could be paramount for New England’s success.

With so many new pieces this season, starting training camp on time is the best possible situation. They will need as much time as possible to prepare for the toughest schedule in all of football, as well as an AFC East Division that is getting stronger.

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