Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith has admitted that he would love to work with Rod Marinelli again one day, but knows that it is not possible at this moment in time.

Smith said that Marinelli would impress a lot of people as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and said that the pair still talk often.

"I miss [working with Rod], but he's a brother for life," Smith told the Cowboys' official website. "Sometimes, you can't be with family members always. That's how I'm looking at it, but what he's bringing, he's just bringing the best possible leader you could possibly be around.

"It's not about wanting to [work with Marinelli], it's couldn't. Rod had a contract somewhere else. Would I want to work with Rod Marinelli again? Of course. There's a pact that we formed back at the Holiday Inn Express in Tampa way back in 1996. But you can't always do that. Again, I'll be looking from afar knowing good things are going to happen."

Marinelli was appointed as Cowboys defensive coordinator in late January.