Bill Belichick gushes about Raiders' "magnificent" practice facilities ahead of joint practices
BOSTON -- The New England Patriots are out west for a pair of joint practices and a preseason clash with the Las Vegas Raiders. They won't join forces with the Raiders until Tuesday, so the Pats get the facilities to themselves on Monday.
Based on what Bill Belichick had to say ahead of Monday's practice, the Raiders' practice spot in Henderson, Nevada is pretty fancy. World-class fancy.
"This is magnificent," Belichick said Monday. "I've been to a lot of good facilities and some amazing college facilities, but I'll put this one up to any of them. The field, the weight room, the indoor offices, the proximity, the ease of anything. This is as good – better – than anything I have seen.
"It's outstanding and great for us to be able to work here," Belichick added. "Ideal work conditions."
That is some high praise from Belichick. And looking at the pictures of the Raiders Headquarters, Belichick has every right to gush about New England's home away from home this week. There are three outdoor fields to work on, plus a 150,000-square-foot field house that houses one-and-a-half indoor football fields, in case that Vegas heat gets to be too much.
The Patriots will practice with the Raiders on Tuesday and Wednesday, with their preseason finale slated for Friday night. The Patriots arrived in Nevada over the weekend, and Belichick foresees an important week of team-bonding in addition to all the work they'll do on the field.
"It's a much better opportunity. There's nowhere to go, we're in one spot," he said of the opportunity to come together as a team. "They enjoy hanging out and doing things together, football or non-football. It gets us ready for the games we'll have on the road; whether it's the travel, the routine, getting things when we're on the road whether it's food or treatment. They try to pass the time constructively, in the training room. There are a number of things we can take advantage of while we're here and guys are doing that."
The Patriots held joint practices with the Carolina Panthers in Foxboro last week, sessions that were marred with a handful of fights between the two teams. Belichick is hoping for a lot more focus on football this week in Nevada.
"We're here to play football, we're here to get better, and we're here to improve," he said. "I know that's what the Raiders want to do, so hopefully that is 100 percent of it and not 98 percent of it."
Tune in to Friday's Patriots-Raiders game on WBZ-TV -- the home of the New England Patriots -- and streaming on CBSBoston.com! Pregame coverage begins with Patriots All Access at 7:30pm, kickoff is set for shortly after 8pm, and stay tuned after the game for Patriots 5th Quarter!
