After every victory, the New England Patriots honor players that have helped them prepare for the last opponent by naming them "practice players of the week". The coaching staff names those players based on their performances during practice leading up to a game.
Since the Patriots have beaten the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the team announced today that the following practice players have received the honors this week:
LB Trevor Bates
RB D.J. Foster
DE Geneo Grissom
TE Matt Lengel
LB Trevor Reilly
WR DeAndrew White
Of the six players listed, three – Foster, Grissom and Lengel – are currently on the active 53-man roster. Only Grissom and Lengel were actually active against the 49ers, though. Both saw limited action, with the tight end playing six offensive snaps (8%) and the defensive lineman playing one on defense (2%) and 24 on special teams (77%). Neither registered any statistics.
The other three players honored by the coaching staff are currently on the practice squad. White is the longest-tenured of the trio, getting signed to the 10-man squad mid-September. Reilly and Bates joined him on October 20th and November 7th, respectively.
Foster has won his 4th distinction. White has won his 4th in a row. Grissom has won his 3rd. Reilly has won his 2nd.
Previous Winners
Week 1: RB D.J. Foster, DB Brandon King, DB Jordan Richards, DB Vinnie Sunseri
Week 2: QB Jacoby Brissett, LB Elandon Roberts, DT Woodrow Hamilton
Week 3: TE AJ Derby
Week 5: OG Chris Barker, RB D.J. Foster, TE AJ Derby, DB Eric Rowe, DL Geneo Grissom, DB Vinnie Sunseri
Week 6: ED Trey Flowers, DT Anthony Johnson, RB Bishop Sankey, WR DeAndrew White
Week 7: DT Malcom Brown, RB Tyler Gaffney, OG Ted Karras, DB Brandon King, DB Jordan Richards, and WR DeAndrew White
Week 8: S Nate Ebner, OT Cameron Fleming, RB D.J. Foster, ED Geneo Grissom, CB Cyrus Jones, WR Devin Lucien, LB Trevor Reilly, S Jordan Richards, and WR DeAndrew White