On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots devoted time in the offseason to beating man-to-man coverage. Defensively, the Patriots focused on handling an aspect of offensive football that has become more popular in recent years.
Appearing this week on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, cornerback Stephon Gilmore said a significant part of the offseason program was devoted to defending the no-huddle offense, with specific emphasis on dealing with those situations mentally and making proper substitutions. Failure to comply resulted in the running of laps by the defense.