Two NBA coaches were on hand during Day 4 of the New England Patriots’ training camp, per Trevor Haas of Boston.com. Nick Nurse, who recently led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title in his first year as head coach, was spotted talking with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has won six Super Bowl titles during his stint with New England. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, a familiar sight during the Patriots’ previous training camps, was also seen mingling with Belichick and other New England coaches, including offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Nurse and Stevens caught up with each other at the sidelines while the Patriots were busy training as part of their quest to win a seventh Super Bowl ring. Stevens’ star player, Jayson Tatum, also visited the Patriots’ training camp and chatted with Belichick and veteran quarterback Tom Brady. This was not the first time that the Patriots were visited by coaches from different sport as they want to personally witness how Belichick prepares them for the regular season.
Tatum recommends teammate as tight end
During an interview with the media, Tatum discussed how his talk with Brady went. According to Tatum, interacting with Brady and how he goes about his business is cool, adding that the 41-year-old quaerterback “is the guy.” The 21-year-old Tatum added that the Patriots could use his teammate Semi Ojeleye as a defensive end or tight end, which is ideal for his 6-foot-7 and 260-pound frame.
The Patriots are currently in need of a dependable tight end following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, who played nine years with the Patriots. Aside from Gronkowski’s retirement, the Patriots will also miss veteran tight end Benjamin Watson, who was suspended for the first four games of the season due to violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Earlier, Brady claimed that playing without Gronkowski will be a huge challenge for the Patriots in 2019.
Bennett attends Day 4 of training camp
Fresh from Hawaii, veteran defensive end Michael Bennett attended Day 4 of training camp after skipping the first three sessions due to persona reasons. During a media interview, Bennett thanked Belichick for allowing him to skip camp and to attend to a family issue.
“It’s nice when you have a coach that sees you as a human, sees you as a human being, not just a number and you’re able to go talk to him, tell him what’s going on, and you’re able to go take care of it,” said Bennett. The veteran defensive end said he will pay Belichick’s kindness by playing harder in the 2019 season. Bennett, who was acquired by the Patriot from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2020 fifth-round pick, also denied rumors that he retired, saying that he simply took care of a family issue. According to Doug Kyed of NESN, Bennett had a strong return to the field, despite having to travel from Hawaii early Sunday.
