There are now less than three months until the 2018 NFL season kicks off - well, 72 days to be exact. That means, pretty soon teams across the league will be beginning their training camps, in preparation for pre-season in August. As usual, expect the New England Patriots to be ready for next season's kickoff.They're usually one of the most well-prepared teams - and expect this year to be no different.

PATRIOTS WANT IMPROVEMENT

That's because Bill Belichick and co. will be hoping to improve on their 2017 finish. 

The Pats were well beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52 so they'll no doubt be hurting and looking to go one step further in 2018.

And to do so, New England is approaching this next season in a slightly different way to normal.

In fact this year, the franchise is doing something that it hasn't done in seven years.

HOW THE PATS ARE PREPARING FOR 2018   

Now, normally, during the offseason, some NFL teams train together, in joint practices. 

There are a few positives to doing this - firstly, it allows players to work against their opponents competitively, but in a controlled environment. 

Also, it gives coaches a valuable scouting opportunity - and they can keep tabs on both their rivals and their own team. 

It's actually well known that Belichick is a big fan of joint sessions, but this year, for the first time since 2012, New England will be training solo all through the offseason. 

WHY NEW ENGLAND WON'T HAVE A JOINT PRACTICE 

Up until now, the Pats hadn't announced who they'd hold a joint practice with - but there were only two options: the Eagles and the Washington Redskins. 

Those are the two teams that New England will be facing in preseason - so they were essentially the only two they could have practiced with. 

But due to certain circumstances, joint practices with either appear to be impossible.

According to NBC Sports Boston, "Washington has a unique partnership with the city of Richmond during training camp, which may have made a multi-day trip to New England difficult."

That's the Redskins out. On top of that, the Eagles have decided to avoid joint practices themselves, leaving the Pats with no one to train with.  

To be fair to the reigning Super Bowl champs, maybe avoiding a joint session with the Pats was probably a good idea.

There's been a lot of drama surrounding the franchise so far this summer, so deciding against sharing a practice with them won't be a bad thing.