The little details are important in New England, as Kendrick Bourne learned early after Bill Belichick held him out of practice.
The incident ended up being life-changing for the receiver.
Bourne had spent four seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Patriots in free agency, but as he shared on a recent episode of "Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. & Hatch," he didn't realize the corners he was cutting. After failing a hydration test, of all things, the Patriots coach didn't let him participate and let him know why it was so crucial.
"He taught me really how to hydrate – he sat me out of practice because I failed a hydration test," Bourne said. "I'm like, 'Oh, he's serious about this.' Like, he ain't playing with him. I told him I want to practice, though."
Bourne bought in on what Belichick was preaching about how proper hydration improves performance, recovery, and injury prevention – to name a few benefits. After changing his routine to include a lot more water, he's seeing the difference.
"I just learned how to drink water in the morning, drinking it all through until practice and I just found myself getting better," Bourne said. "Now my body is feeling better, I can make it through practice easy, I can go longer after practice, go extra. … My bodyweight is up. I put on 10 pounds of muscle. It was just a shift. I really bought into everything. And that was one of the smallest details of buying in. It's a small detail, but people don't think about it. They don't drink water."
The results aren't just visible to Bourne, though.
Is it a coincidence that one Bourne upped his water intake he experienced a breakout year on the field to put up some of the best stats of his career thus far? Probably not. But the self-care has opened his eyes up to the benefits of proper nutrition.
Bourne doesn't anticipate he'll quit fast food cold-turkey, but he plans to tighten up his diet a bit entering season two with the Patriots.
"Bill Belichick -- man, 100 percent, Bill Belichick changed my life," Bourne said. "He is the best coach in the world. Shout out to you, Bill Belichick."
You can watch Bourne's full episode of "Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. & Hatch" here.
