FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On the second day of New England Patriots training camp, Bill Belichick turned to one of his traditional coaching methods by calling for a water bottle and going to work.
It was the end of practice and the Patriots were working on field goals. Opening the spout of his water bottle, Belichick began dousing the spot where holder Ryan Allen was to place the ball.
Then he squirted Allen.
Soon, Belichick was watering the ball before snapper Joe Cardona could get his hands on it.
And at one point, Belichick also gave kicker Stephen Gostkowski a shower as he lined up a kick.
In the middle of the drill, Belichick fired the water bottle across the field, which drew a reaction from the crowd as the top popped off the bottle and ice flew through the air. Then he was handed another water bottle to continue his waterworks display.
For Allen, now in his fourth season with the Patriots, Belichick's approach has become old hat.
"I think the first time, when I was a rookie, I was like, 'Really?' I had just started holding when I got here during that '13 season, and it's funny," Allen said after practice. "But I'll tell you, it helps. It teaches you to focus and really zone in to the fine-tuning of holding and being precise for Steve back there."
Allen said the purpose is simple: "If we can make it as hard as possible in practice, it can make the game feel a little less stressful or foreign."
And there's one other added benefit during some hot, humid training camp practices, such as Friday's.
"It actually felt kind of good," Allen joked.