WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia -- Cleaning out the notebook from the New England Patriots' joint practices with the New Orleans Saints:
Now in his 41st season coaching in the NFL, Bill Belichick said it still beats working. "I enjoy all the parts of the process -- the team building, bringing in young guys, going to training camp, getting ready for the season, the week-to-week preparation, the games," he said. "There are some Mondays that aren't the most fun days I‘ve ever had in my life, but this is part of it, and I enjoy this."
Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown, who has ties to West Virginia from his time at Marshall, spent the last two days working with the receivers and punt returners. He was part of coaching meetings as well. "It's so much fun working with these guys," he said. "I'm just thankful that Bill and his staff and everybody let me come out and do this. I'm having a great time."
Devin McCourty's versatility to line up in different spots sparked a question to Belichick on Thursday morning about his value to the defense. "He gives us a lot of leadership and a lot of versatility," Belichick said. "We'll try to work [some players] in different roles, so when we get to those, which we eventually will during the season, that they will at least have some background in it."
Veteran cornerback Tarell Brown on why the second joint practice with the Saints seemed to feature a bit more intensity: "The first day is kind of like going swimming -- before you jump into the pool, you stick your foot in first to see how cold it is. Then the second day it's 'Let's jump into the water.'"
Belichick seemed pleased with the quality of work. He called Wednesday a "really great day for us", saying he learned a lot about his team. "We have a tremendous amount of film with all the one-on-ones and the group drills, in addition to the team drills. That's been great for us," he said. Saints coach Sean Payton said the one-on-one period of practice is something coaches could spent two-and-a-half hours dissecting.
Belichick on former Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson, now in his third season with the Saints: "He's a very talented guy -- first-round draft pick. He's big, he can run, he catches the ball well, he runs good routes, so he's improved throughout the course of his career. He looks good out here."
The Patriots are scheduled to travel to New Orleans later Friday from West Virginia.