Jerod Mayo has sat out the last two full games because of the knee injury he suffered Oct. 2 in Oakland.
But, as the Patriots linebacker told Tom E. Curran on Thursday's edition of 'Quick Slants', time missed is not time off.
Rehabbing from an injury takes "a lot of time. You have to put in the same amount of work that you would put in during practice and during film study. You have to put that same time into rehab, getting better. And . . . rest is very important, as well."
The mental aspect can be as challenging as the physical demands, too.
"It is hard," he told Curran. "But at the same time, your teammates are there for you to lean on. A shoulder for you to lean on. And those guys have really been supporting me through this injury."
And so while his teammates enjoy a weekend off in the middle of the season, he's going to continue to work.
"Just stay up here and get better," he responded when Curran asked how he'd spend the bye week. "Just continue to rehab and work with the training staff and things like that."