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MINNEAPOLIS -- Neither New England nor Philadelphia is a tropical paradise, so for the Patriots and Eagles, the Minnesota winter weather has been pretty normal for them. That's a good thing as both teams head into their Super Bowl LII meeting on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium trying to treat it like just another 60-minute game.
After the media circus they endured Monday in St. Paul, the players for both the Patriots (15-3) and the Eagles (15-3) welcomed the opportunity to get back to some semblance of normal game week preparation and to focus on the football, even if it's in a new place.
"Today's a real day. We've got to go out and practice and kind of get away from the madness," said Philadelphia defensive end Fletcher Cox on Wednesday after the Eagles practiced at the University of Minnesota. "I just treat it as a regular game week. Things I would do at the facility, I'm doing here. I'm not doing anything different outside of what I would do if I was in Philly."
One thing the Eagles did successfully at home and on the road all season was pressure the opponent's quarterback, and when the Patriots have faltered in two Super Bowl losses to the Giants in the past decade, a relentless pass rush has contributed. But the highly touted Eagles defense, which did not allow a point after the Vikings' opening drive of the NFC title game, is wary about putting too much of their attention on Patriots star Tom Brady.
"It's Tom plus 10 guys on the field. We can't just focus on one guy, if we're going to be real about it," Cox said. "I think we have to focus on their whole offense, because they've got a lot of great players. We have to go out and be ourselves. We've got to go out and do the little things right and not beat ourselves in order to be victorious."
Which of those great players will be in uniform for New England is still a question mark, especially in regard to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who missed the second half of the AFC title game win over Jacksonville due to a concussion. He participated in the Patriots' Wednesday practice at the Vikings team facility, but wore a red "no contact" jersey. New England coach Bill Belichick said Gronkowski is "working his way back" and they are hopeful he will be on the field ready to play on Sunday.
Gronkowski was one of four Patriots to have limited participation in practice on Wednesday, while Eagles defensive tackle Tim Jernigan did not practice due to illness.
"Rob's a tough guy. Obviously, this isn't something you can just fight through," said Brady, who wore only some black tape on his injured right hand at Wednesday's practice. "I think everyone's being really smart and cautious about it, as we should be based on all the information we've learned over the years. He's got to clear everything before he gets out there and plays, but we're hopeful and we'll see how it goes."
While the Patriots offense has revolved around Brady since their first Super Bowl win in 2002, the defense has been one of constant evolution, and the unit adopted yet another new look late in the regular season when linebacker James Harrison came on board after he was jettisoned by the Steelers.
"When you're in a system for as long as he's been, there are a lot of things that are habits that get ingrained, which they should be. Some of those things carry over. Some of them kind of don't," Belichick said of Harrison, who has played 178 of his 193 NFL regular-season games for Pittsburgh. "He's done a great job of trying to separate them and do what we've asked him to do."
While the Eagles will be looking for the franchise's first Super Bowl title, having lost the big game after the 1980 and 2004 seasons, there may be more pressure on the Patriots, who will be seeking their sixth title and their second in a row, knowing that the coaching staff will look significantly different next season. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are both widely expected to be head coaches in Indianapolis and Detroit, respectively, next season.
"I realize and I understand and I appreciate the talent in the coaches in our building. I'm grateful for the opportunity to even be coached by them," said Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, sounding very much like he was saying goodbye. "Whatever their opportunities are in the future, I'll be excited for them."
There's one more opportunity for them on Sunday. And it sounds plenty exciting.
