Bill Belichick really likes seeing how NFC South teams practice.
That’s the conclusion we’ve drawn from a Boston Herald report that the Patriots are talking to the Buccaneers about holding joint practices this summer. We’ve already heard word that Belichick and Saints interim head coach Joe Vitt were talking about getting their crews together and the Patriots had joint sessions with the Saints and Falcons in 2010.
The message to the Panthers: Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
If the Bucs and Patriots do decide to work together, the days leading up to their preseason game on August 24th would make sense. As Jeff Howe of the Herald notes, the Pats have a short week after a game on August 20th but motivated parties have a way of making such things work out.
Tampa makes a natural choice for the Patriots to practice with over the summer because Belichick and Tampa coach Greg Schiano have enjoyed a close relationship over the years with Belichick offering advice to Schiano as he decided whether or not to take the leap from Rutgers to the NFL. It can be hard to keep such friendships alive as competitors, but it looks like Belichick and Schiano are trying to figure out a way to have a mutually beneficial relationship.