Pat Shurmur enjoyed every aspect of the three days of joint practices with the New England Patriots.

The Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator was open to the idea, and for the second straight year, it was an ideal situation.

"I really looked forward to it after the work we did with them last year, and it was even better this year because our operation is smoother, we're doing more things, we're communicating better," Shurmur told reporters. "We got more out of it, and the competitive part was great. I really believe if you can find a match like we have in the Patriots -- really professional, we don't normally play each other because we're in different conferences -- that's a great situation and both teams can get a lot out of it.

"Coach [Bill] Belichick and Coach [Chip] Kelly set some parameters -- this is the tempo we want, this is what we want to get done -- and we went out there and accomplished those goals."

Like Shurmur, All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy embraced the idea. He believes it has made him sharper.

"Practicing against them, it shows you how veterans practice," McCoy told CSNPhilly.com. "Trying to get the mental reps. I think if you go out there and tell the guys to be tough, that's natural. But to go out there and try to get the mental things down pat against another team, [that's harder], because you're playing against the same guys all the time and they know the good things you do, your weaknesses, so I think we did pretty good.

"Working hard together and looking good. ... Both teams played at another level but also [were] smart. I felt like we played very aggressive, got to the ball, tackled well, blocked really well, [Nick] Foles did a good job. I think all of us together as a team, we took it to another level and played well as a team."