Schiano wasn’t willing to say much about Talib.

“I can’t comment from the Patriots’ perspective and I really can’t comment on Talib since he’s under contract with another club,” Schiano said. “But when Talib was with the Bucs, I enjoyed coaching him, he did the things we asked. I’m not naive, there were some things in his past, but there was nothing more than I said at the time [of the trade].”

Schiano also clarified a statement he made at the end of the season, when he said he wanted competition at every position. That was taken as a knock against quarterback Josh Freeman.

“Josh Freeman is our quarterback,” Schiano said. “And I believe with Josh Freeman we’ll be able to accomplish our goals. That’s my belief and our organ­ization’s belief.”

Harvin available?

There was at least one question Vikings GM Rick Spielman was going to be asked on Thursday: Will Percy Harvin be traded?

“As I’ve stated earlier, we have no intent to trade Percy Harvin,” said Spielman. “Anything related to his contract or any discussion will all be kept internally.

“I think everybody understands what type of player Percy Harvin is. He’s a dynamic player, not only on offense but also what he brings us as a kickoff returner.”

Harvin will be entering the final season of his five-year rookie deal, and there have been rumors for some time that he could be moved.

New England has often been mentioned as a potential landing place. Belichick liked Harvin a great deal when he was coming out of Florida (the Patriots went on to draft his teammates Aaron Hernandez, Spikes, and Cunningham a year later), envisioning him as a slot receiver and kickoff return threat.