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Running back Sammy Morris is interviewed after an afternoon walkthrough at SJSU's football practice field. The Patriots are staying in San Jose and using SJSU's athletic facilities this week to avoid excessive traveling. New England played at San Francisco last Sunday and will play at San Diego next Monday.

SJSU makes room for NFL's Patriots

By: Matthew Kimel

Posted: 10/9/08

The NFL's New England Patriots, last year's AFC champions, started practicing at the SJSU football practice field on Wednesday afternoon for their Sunday night game against the San Diego Chargers.

"We appreciate the opportunity to use the facilities," New England head coach Bill Belichick said. "It's a good setup here, they run a good program."

Last week, the Patriots defeated the 49ers in San Francisco and decided to stay in California instead of flying back to Massachusetts to avoid jetlag, Belichick said.

Five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour said the extended stay in California saved the Patriots approximately 10 hours of travel time.

"It's good if we can take advantage of it," Seymour said. "I think it will pay dividends."

Belichick said it was nice to be in California and it gave the team a chance to spend more time together.

Patriots' quarterback Matt Cassel, who attended USC prior to being a seventh-round draft pick in 2005, said he liked the setup at SJSU and was glad to be back in California.

"It's nice; look at the sunshine," Cassel said. "It's beautiful; you can't complain."

Belichick said Spartans head coach Dick Tomey has been great in terms of cooperation and making things work out for the Patriots.

"They've been very accommodating," Belichick said.

Tomey said the two teams don't conflict at all.

"We're going to stay out of their way," he said. "They are going to stay out of our way. They've got work to do; we got work to do."

Tomey said he didn't mind sharing the field with the Patriots because he wanted to see linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

Tomey coached Bruschi while both were affiliated with the University of Arizona.

"Tedy is one of my absolute all-time favorite people in the world," Tomey said. "I don't see enough of him."

Bruschi said that seeing Tomey "brings back fond memories" of their time spent together in Tucson.

"I attribute a lot of my success to what coach Tomey taught me," Bruschi said, "and I see he is doing great things with the program here."

SJSU defensive line coach Joe Salave'a was a teammate of Bruschi when they played under Tomey at Arizona.

"I feel like I sort of relate to this program," Bruschi said, "because I have been keeping up with it all. Coach Tomey is my coach. He is the one who helped me develop in my college years and take me from an 18-year-old freshman to a 23-year-old fifth-year senior."

Tomey asked Bruschi to give the Spartans a pep talk on Friday prior to their game against Utah State on Saturday.

Tomey said he admires Bruschi for being a guy that makes everyone around him better.

"He just rubs off in a positive way," Tomey said.

Bruschi said he is looking forward to talking to the SJSU football team even though it's a different university than Arizona.

SJSU will be wearing different logos on the side of its helmets, Bruschi said, but he feels they are being brought up the same way he was by Tomey.

The Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders consecutively later in the season, but Belichick said he is not sure if the Patriots would return to San Jose for the occasion.

Cassel said the team has not been able to see much of San Jose as he has not been out of his hotel much.

"We just need to get our business done as usual," he said.

Belichick said the team was spending a lot of time doing its normal football routine.

Laurence Maroney and Ben Watson, however, were spotted at Alcatraz in San Francisco by local Bay Area media.

"Hopefully in civilian clothes," Belichick said jokingly.