Bill Belichick praises Arizona’s ‘pro-style program’ as Patriots kick off practice at UA campus

Belichick, who has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, estimated that he has coached 10-15 of the players whose names adorn the west side of the stadium. He knows how strong Arizona’s program has been – and how strong it can become under one of his protégés.

Jedd Fisch worked for Belichick in 2020 before becoming the Wildcats’ head coach. Fisch and the UA have opened their facilities to the Patriots this week. The team is staying and practicing in Tucson between road games against the Cardinals and Raiders.

“This is a good program,” Belichick said Wednesday afternoon. “Jedd’s done a really good job of getting things going in the two years. It’s pretty obvious that everything they do is to prepare players to move on to the next level, whether that’s football or wherever they go from here. It’s a pro-style program in a college environment, and that really fits well for us to come in here and be able to utilize all their resources.”

Two current members of the Patriots played for the Wildcats: veteran placekicker Nick Folk and third-year tailback J.J. Taylor, who’s on New England’s practice squad.

The Patriots worked out for a little over an hour Wednesday at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields. They are slated to practice Thursday and Friday afternoons. The sessions are not open to the public.

The team is staying at a resort on the north side of Tucson. Belichick, who isn’t prone to hyperbole, described the area around the hotel as “pretty spectacular.”