FOXBORO -- The Patriots claimed offensive lineman Matt Tennant off waivers over the weekend, and before Monday's practice, Bill Belichick called the former New Orleans Saint a product of the advantages joint practices provide.
The Pats had joint practices and a preseason game with the Saints at Gillette Stadium during training camp, and part of that process included scouting the other team's players.
"After we practiced against them and played them, we looked at all their players," said Belichick. "I mean, we talked about everybody. All 80 of them, or however many it was that practiced. Here's their offensive linemen, here's their tight ends, here's their receivers, here's their backs. We talked about those guys. Some of them we knew, some of them we didn't know. So we went through their whole roster, as we did with Tampa. It's one of the advantages of working with some of the teams. You really can get to know their players."
The Patriots are hoping that Tennant can quickly learn New England's system.
"He was here one day, he's working at it," said Belichick. "Players will be off tomorrow, so that will give him a day to catch up. I think some of the things that they did in New Orleans are similar to what we did. But, I'm sure there's plenty of differences, too.
"He's a smart guy and he's got some experience in the league. We'll give it to him and see how quickly he can grasp it. But even yesterday, I think he was able to go out there and do some things. So, hopefully it won't be too long."