Arizona receiver DeAndre Hopkins is a fan of New England Coach Bill Belichick, but not of playing the Patriots. He has just one win in eight games against New England, with the ninth meeting set for Monday night in Arizona. Darryl Webb/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick thinks the world of DeAndre Hopkins. Arizona’s All-Pro receiver has similar feelings about the legendary Patriots coach.
That being said, life against Belichick and the Patriots hasn’t always been fun for Hopkins, who’s in his 10th season, with Monday marking the eighth time Hopkins will play the Patriots. His teams are just 1-7 against Belichick when you include the playoffs.
This game will be the receiver’s second with the Cardinals against Belichick’s defense. He’s still searching for his first 100-yard game against the Patriots.
“My record is one-and-something against him?” Hopkins said. “So obviously I don’t really enjoy those matchups too much. But he does a great job of scheming (against) guys like myself. You can be a No. 1 receiver and Belichick is going to do a great job of limiting you to whatever you did the week before. It’s fun. You have to be very precise playing against the Patriots and that defense. You have to make every play count.”
Belichick praised Hopkins earlier this week. The 30-year-old is a five-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro.
He has six 1,000-yard seasons and certainly earned Belichick’s respect over the years. On Tuesday, the Patriots coach compared Hopkins to Hall of Famer Cris Carter.
“He’s got tremendous ball skills,” Belichick said. “He catches everything. Has great hands. He’s long so he’s never covered, even if he’s covered there’s a place where the ball can be that he can get it and still make the catch. Great coordination on the sidelines. And he doesn’t really look it, but he’s a strong kid. You see him break tackles.
“He’s a smart football player. Very savvy. I’d say his ball skills are at the very elite level of guys that I’ve seen in this league. He’s up there with whoever the top guys are. The Cris Carters of the world. Guys like that. I think he’s every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.”
When told about Belichick’s words, Hopkins said it was “very meaningful” to hear.
“A guy like Belichick, he’s one of the most respected people in the NFL, he’s a Hall of Fame coach, and for him to have that high praise about me, it’s definitely mutual,” Hopkins said. “I love playing against him. After every game, I try to make sure I say, ‘Hey, what’s up’ to him. I’ve got a lot of respect for him for sure.”
THE PATRIOTS WILL be practicing in Tucson next week after Monday night’s game against the Cardinals and ahead of a game at Las Vegas the following Sunday.
Rather than return to the East Coast, the Patriots will head down Interstate 10 and practice at the University of Arizona. The Patriots are following the lead of the New York Giants, who used the Wildcats’ facilities last December between road games against the Dolphins and Rams.
Ties between the Patriots and Wildcats are plentiful.
Jedd Fisch worked for Belichick before taking the UA job in December 2020. Fisch served as New England’s quarterbacks coach for most of the 2020 season.
One of Fisch’s most notable hires was Tedy Bruschi, the former University of Arizona All-American who spent his entire professional career with the Patriots. Bruschi serves as a senior advisor to Fisch.
PRACTICE REPORT: The Patriots were down six players at practice Thursday, including four offensive starters.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (head), running back Damien Harris (thigh) and offensive tackles Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn were all absent. Brown played through illness in last week’s loss to Buffalo, a game Wynn missed with a hurt foot. Cornerback Jalen Mills and practice-squad quarterback Garrett Gilbert were also missing.
The Pats’ absences are especially concerning coming off a long layoff. Players were off last weekend and last Monday. The team did not practice Wednesday.
Thursday’s practice was the Patriots’ first on-field session fully dedicated to preparing for Arizona. If Brown and Wynn are both sidelined Monday night, it’s unclear who would start in their place. In warmups before the Buffalo game, interior linemen Mike Onwenu, James Ferentz and Cole Strange all took reps at tackle, before Brown started on the left side and Conor McDermott at right tackle.
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