The Patriots are already on the Left Coast, waiting for a 4:15 kickoff against the San Francisco 49ers. A week later, they have a prime time game under the lights at San Diego. So with two games in a row across the country, the Patriots will change their routine and stay in California for a little over a week.
Considering coaches try very hard to maintain a consistent routine, this move by Bill Belichick is out of character.
The decision isn't surprising. It was a possibility he raised almost the moment after the schedule was released. Nor is it innovative, as the Arizona Cardinals traveled to Washington in week three and stayed in the East until after last week's game against the New York Jets.
While in the nation's capital, the players were encouraged to do some sight-seeing and learn about the history of this country and the current government.
As for the games, the Cardinals allowed a Redskins touchdown with less than a minute left in the game to lose to Washington and 'Zona was blown out by the Jets as New York QB Brett Favre threw a career best six touchdowns. Well, at least they saw Washington.
The Cards' results don't reflect what will happen to the Patriots over the next two weeks, but is spending the week away from home the best move?
The idea behind the decision is sound. With the change in time zones, it would be easier to adjust to a different schedule for a short period of time instead of going back and forth and really disrupting the body's normal cycle.
Jet lag is taxing on the body, leaving people tired at odd times when out of their normal time zone. The time difference between Massachusetts and California is three hours. So the 4:15 start feels like 1:15 to the Patriots players. It would be tougher for the game against the Chargers. When the Pats feel like winding down at 8:30 EST, they need their energy to be peaking for the 5:30 GMT kickoff.
It's going to be an odd week for the team. They are trying to stick to a routine while changing their circadian rhythm for a week. Does that mean early bedtimes for the week or do they try to live alongside Californians? How do the players and coaches synchronize Swatches? I know when I spent a week in Hawaii, I never was able to fully adopt their schedule. On top of that, when I returned to Boston, MA, my timing was off for a few days.
If the Patriots come away with a split over the next two weeks, considering the challenge San Fran and San Diego present, I'd consider it a successful week-long slumber party.
