We already know the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans will square off in the 2019 NFL preseason, but they might be doing more than that together this summer.
The Titans, of course, are coached by former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who spent most of his career playing for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The Titans requested to play the Patriots in the preseason, and that wish was granted. These teams will play in Week 2 of the preseason.
Therefore, it's no surprise the Patriots and Titans are discussing the idea of holding joint practices in Nashville before they play in August.
“Clearly you know all the head coaches, but you have a better relationship with some of the other ones, and Bill is one that I have a better relationship with,” Vrabel said, via the Titans' wbesite. “So it was, “Hey, we’re putting in to play you guys in the preseason. And Bill was like, “Can we come to Nashville and practice?’
“I think that would be a great idea. We practiced against the Patriots when we were in Houston (with the Texans), and I feel like they are a good team to practice against just because of the same expectations, trying to get stuff done, trying to get things accomplished but not fighting or anything.”
The Titans and Patriots already are fairly familiar with each other after squaring off in each of the last two seasons.
New England Patriots
Tennessee handed New England a 34-10 defeat in Nashville in Week 10 of last season, which snapped the Patriots' five-game win streak. The Pats beat the Titans in the AFC Divisional Round during the 2017 campaign.
Joint practices have their benefits. It's a good opportunity to see what methods other teams use to be successful, and practicing against real opponents who don't know your plays can be an effective way to gauge a team's progress early in the preseason.
While it's not yet official, it wouldn't be surprising at all if we see these teams sharing a practice field in the hot August sun down in Tennessee.
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