Bill Belichick has insisted that pre-season games are important for evaluating the New England Patriots' roster.
The AFC East side have won their opening two games of the pre-season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles.
The head coach told reporters: "I'm not saying they're not important. They are an important part of the evaluation and if it's a good evaluation, it might be the most important. If it's a good evaluation, then it might be the most important thing.
"I think there's still a lot to be said for playing a game prior to the start of the regular season where the players play, come in at half time, go back out and play again if that's possible. I don't think it's like an absolute must but I think it's a good experience if they can experience it. We'll see how it goes.
"We look at everything. I couldn't really tell you how it would break down. Again, there are a lot of things that happen in pre-season games that could be an aberration, one way or another."
The Patriots play the Detroit Lions tomorrow evening.
Sian Cowper
