Andy Hart joins Sports Tonight to discuss the trip to London and Bill Belichick's unusual practice decision.
First, Joe Haggerty raises the question 'did the Patriots do anything wrong by not leaving for London earlier in the week to get used to the time change?' The Rams left for London several days ago.
Hart says no. "I think this is what they wanted. They try to keep it as close as possible to normal."
Gary Tanguay says the travel is very similar to a Super Bowl, where there's a lot of hype, an unusual schedule and team's need to adapt and peak on Sunday, not in the first few practices of the week.
Hart points out the Patriots are keeping the same schedule they used a few years ago when they last played in London, and that ended in a beatdown of the Bucs.
Also on the docket was Belichick's decision to hold practice outside in a public park. Belichick, known for his secrecy about everything, is hardly the person one would expect to hold a public practice, but Hart suggests that's exactly why he did it - because he knew what kind of response he'd get and Hart thinks the head coach loves that kind of reaction.
Tanguay notes that Belichick is still trying to find the identify of his team, so anything he can do to mix up the routine and shake up the status quo could be helpful in loosening up the team and helping discover the key to putting it all together.