New England Patriots Report

Welcome to Tampa & joint practices

August, 22, 2012

8/22/12

4:30

AM ET

By Mike Reiss | ESPNBoston.com

TAMPA -- Welcome to Tampa, where a light drizzle, temperatures in the mid 70s and high humidity greeted us late Tuesday night upon arrival.

We'll get started quickly as the Patriots and Buccaneers aren't wasting any time. The teams will practice together this morning at team headquarters at One Buccaneer Place.

8:30 a.m. -- Bill Belichick addresses media before practice
9 a.m. -- Practice (media access for the first 30 minutes)
11 a.m. -- Player interviews after practice

A quick feel for the area here:

Tampa is hosting the Republican National Convention next week, which those arriving at the airport are reminded of with several signs and banners. Once exiting the airport, a sign along the road reads: Welcome to Tampa, City of Champions. Super Bowl. Stanley Cup. Arena Bowl.

The stadium and Buccaneers headquarters are close to the airport, so everything is close by.

Temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s to low 80s during this morning's practice with high humidity. Bill Belichick said the conditions will be good for the Patriots as they prepare for some of their early-season games, starting with the season opener at Tennessee on Sept. 9.

More to come throughout the day from Tampa.

Mike Reiss

Patriots reporter, ESPNBoston.com

Covered Patriots since 1997
Blogging on Pats since 2004
Joined ESPNBoston.com in 2009

You must be signed in to post a comment

You are fully responsible for the content you post. Content that includes profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior (such as "spamming" or "trolling"), or other inappropriate content or material will be removed. We reserve the right to block any user who violates our terms of use, including removing all content posted by that user.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Mike Reiss

Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter (@MikeReiss).

Mike Rodak

Mike Rodak began covering the Patriots for ESPNBoston.com in July 2010. A native of Grafton, Mass., Mike attended Providence College. Follow him on Twitter (@mikerodak)

Field Yates

Field Yates begins his contributions to ESPNBoston.com in 2012 after having written for a number of football-related sites around the web. Field began his professional career after college with the Kansas City Chiefs, working in both the scouting and coaching departments of the franchise before redirecting his focus to a career in media. He also interned for four summers in the coaching and scouting departments with the Patriots. Follow him on Twitter (@FieldYates).