SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Walk into the Santa Clara Marriott, and you’ll be transported to Gillette Stadium.
No, you won’t mistake the outside of the 14-story chain hotel lined with palm trees for a football stadium, currently lined with snow, that seats 68,000 people, but inside you’ll walk in, find Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher’s offices
Signage, laying out the team’s philosophy, and pictures from the Patriots’ facility are displayed on meeting rooms and hallways in an attempt to make a Super Bowl LX week that lacks all normalcy feel as routine as possible.
“They’re doing the best they can,” team captain Brenden Schooler said. “They’re making it feel like home.”
The Patriots still have meetings from 9 a.m to noon, followed by practice. The weather is a little different, however.
“I remember looking around at practice yesterday, I’m in shorts and a T-shirt. I’m sweating. I’m like, I love this,” Schooler said.