GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots are holding another joint practice in Green Bay on Thursday.
Say what you want about New England head coach Bill Belichick, but he’s a student of NFL history.
Our Dennis Krause asked him what being in Green Bay meant.
“They’re the oldest franchise in the league,” said Belichick. “Going all the way back to Lambeau and starting the team, and all the success they had with Hutson, Hinkle, Isbell, all those guys, Lombardi, and then most recently with Favre and Rodgers. Now Matt, his first three years here and double digit wins every year, so it’s a great program. A lot of history to the game here. The third oldest sporting field, behind Fenway and Wrigley. So, it’s very moving to walk out of the locker room, down onto the field and think about all the great, great players that have done that, and coaches have done that through the years. So great part of football, great part of tradition. I’m honored to be part of it and be here.”
From Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s perspective, holding joint practices with Belichick’s Patriots is very beneficial.
“You always want to go against people that you respect,” said LaFleur. “He’s been able to be the model of consistency in this league for a long time. And they’ve had a lot of success. It’s no secret that he is highly regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time. So why not try to steal a little piece from how they do things?”
“It’s a little different set up here, but the facilities are great,” added Belichick. “The indoor is great, the outdoor field, the stadium, so great, great facility. Look forward to working here.”