After a week of surprises at practice and on the injury report, the Patriots had a full flight to New York.
Quarterback Tom Brady, who practiced Friday after missing workouts on Wednesday and Thursday due to a knee injury, posted a picture en route to the airport on his Facebook page.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski made the trip and is a game-time decision, ESPN reported. Gronkowski was limited in practice all week with a chest injury. He did not make the trip to San Francisco last week.
Defensive end Jabaal Sheard and defensive tackle Alan Branch were both on board, the Boston Herald reported. Sheard was left home as a healthy scratch last weekend due to performance issues, but put in a solid week of practice.
Branch is appealing a four-game suspension for testing positive for marijuana.
Cornerback Cyrus Jones was downgraded to out for Sunday’s game because of illness.
Unpredictable QB
After 12 years in the NFL, Ryan Fitzpatrick is still about as reliable as a wet paper bag. Good Ryan has put together great games and quality seasons, but Bad Ryan is always a threat to throw a pick-six — or six picks — on Sunday.
In 2015, though, the Patriots saw more of the good than the bad. Fitzpatrick went 1-1 and put up 591 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in two games against New England last season. The Jets lost, 30-23, in Foxborough last October, but got revenge with a 26-20 overtime win last December in New York.
“He’s tough, very competitive, and you’re right, he’s played very well against us whether it was in Buffalo or with the Jets, so we have a lot of respect for him,’’ Bill Belichick said Wednesday.
Overall, the Harvard graduate has a 2-7 career record against the Patriots. He’s thrown 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and has averaged 292.2 yards in those nine games, eight of which came within the division as the quarterback of the Bills or Jets.
This season, Fitzpatrick is 2-6 with a 56.4 completion percentage, 8 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
He also lacks the mobility of the last three quarterbacks the Patriots have played: Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Tyrod Taylor.
Newton claims that what goes up must come down, and if his third law of motion won’t do it for Fitzpatrick, playing without wideout Eric Decker, who is on injured reserve, and potentially center Nick Mangold, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury, might.
The Patriots, however, aren’t counting on the law of averages to work in their favor.
“Fitzpatrick is averaging 26 points per game the past three weeks, so I think we all know what he’s capable of. We’ve seen him many times,’’ Belichick said.
Grass for turf?
Could the Gillette Stadium turf ever be replaced by natural grass?
Ten years ago, in Week 12 of the 2006 season, the Patriots played their first game at Gillette on artificial turf. Two weeks before, the grass field had been destroyed by rain and turned into a mudpit in a game against the Jets. Belichick went to Robert Kraft and said something had to be done, and the field was replaced when the Patriots went on the road in Week 11.
“Going back to that time, it was tough,’’ Belichick said. “We had to re-sod the field a couple of times at the end of the year and in the playoffs, and then in the 2006 season during the season it just got bad. You can’t grow it, so you either play on it or come in and re-sod it. I don’t think either one was a great option then. But I think overall it was a great job to get the field in as quickly as we did and turn it around.’’
Since then, some teams that had played on turf have actually switched back to grass fields.
Belichick said that he’s been impressed with many of the grass fields in northern areas of the country over the last two to three years.
“The technology’s changed in the last 10 years relative to grass growing,’’ Belichick said.
“Not that I’m a big expert on that but that’s what’s been represented to me and I think that’s true. We’ve played on some great grass fields. Cleveland’s field was great, outstanding. Green Bay a couple of years ago was good. Pittsburgh was good this year.’’
Turf provides a more consistent playing surface and is easier to maintain, but natural grass fields generally offer better footing which can decrease the risk of injury. The Patriots are 4-0 on grass fields this season. They are 19-11 (.633) on grass and 69-17 (.802) on artificial turf since 2010.
Brady is also pro-grass.
“I think most players prefer grass, you know. If you could play on a good grass surface, that’s always, I think a little more fun for the players. But I don’t know, maybe one day you guys can ask Mr. Kraft to put grass back in here for us players,’’ he said to reporters on Friday.
“We practice on grass every day,’’ Brady continued. “I think we as players go out there on grass practice fields every day, so you get used to the grass. Growing up, I played on all grass. I think it’s easier to land on the grass than landing on the [turf].’’
So, if grass growing technology continues to improve, could the Patriots go natural again?
“At that time we felt like it was the best thing to do and we did it,’’ Belichick said. “Maybe there will be another point where we’ll make a different decision, I don’t know, but that’s where it was then.’’
Washington State gains Bledsoe
John Bledsoe, son of former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, accepted a “preferred walk-on’’ spot at Washington State, his parents’ alma mater. The Summit (Ore.) quarterback announced the decision Friday on his Twitter account.
Nora Princiotti can be reached at nora.princiotti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @NoraPrinciotti.