Flew to Boston with my 25 year old daughter and 19 year old son, both diehard Patriot fans like their father. And here are my impressions:
1. We went to the first padded practice of the year, Saturday morning. Amazed at how many people there were. Atmosphere more like a small college home opener than a training camp. Lots of games, activities, things to do. Credit to the Patriots staff for always keeping things moving.
2. Two loud helicopter landings just as practice was beginning? Kraft? And who else?
3. Surprised players didn’t run out onto the field. All of them just walked. Underwhelming.
4. Players that I was surprised to see stand out:
Matt Lacosse;
Maurice Harris;
Jacobi Meyers;
Terrence Brooks taking quality reps with the 1’s on defense.
Note: not impressed with Berrios; no quicks, no speed. Much more impressed with “Gunner” but no way would his current build and frame last a 16 game season.
5. Went back Sunday morning. Definitely more physical and more contact than Saturday. Saw Brady’s head bump of Maurice Harris after an impressive catch, and Harris’ reaction afterwards, ‘wait, did TB12 just headbump me?’ Saw Van Noy pumped and jacked after Pennell stumped a runner (Bolden or Harris) at the goal line.
6. On Sunday, Brady entered the field from the top left corner, not the bottom left corner where all the other players enter, and where Brady entered the day before. Is the ‘hill’ that players run there? Was Brady running hills before practice? Maybe someone here knows.
7. The Hall at Patriot Place was amazing. But I thought it was free. Still, at $10 a bargain for any Patriot fan.
8. We stayed at the Seaport Hotel in the Seaport district in Boston nights 1 and 2, then at the Hilton Garden Inn at Patriot Place Sunday night. Both excellent and highly recommended. For grins, I checked availability at the Hilton the night of the home opener against Pittsburgh. To my delight, there was 1 room left for me, a “Diamond” member. To my horror, the rate was $1,249!
9. Skipjack, Red Robin, and CBS Sports Club all good places to eat, all with excellent service. Atmosphere at CBS is amazing. Server at Skipjack told my kids to keep their eyes peeled, because players came in and out of there all day. (We didn’t see any). My kids wanted Mexican food but the only sit down Mexican restaurant, The Scorpion, had bad reviews on Yelp. Oh well.
10. Too many empty store spaces at Patriot Place. Need more shopping and eating establishments, IMHO.
1. We went to the first padded practice of the year, Saturday morning. Amazed at how many people there were. Atmosphere more like a small college home opener than a training camp. Lots of games, activities, things to do. Credit to the Patriots staff for always keeping things moving.
2. Two loud helicopter landings just as practice was beginning? Kraft? And who else?
3. Surprised players didn’t run out onto the field. All of them just walked. Underwhelming.
4. Players that I was surprised to see stand out:
Matt Lacosse;
Maurice Harris;
Jacobi Meyers;
Terrence Brooks taking quality reps with the 1’s on defense.
Note: not impressed with Berrios; no quicks, no speed. Much more impressed with “Gunner” but no way would his current build and frame last a 16 game season.
5. Went back Sunday morning. Definitely more physical and more contact than Saturday. Saw Brady’s head bump of Maurice Harris after an impressive catch, and Harris’ reaction afterwards, ‘wait, did TB12 just headbump me?’ Saw Van Noy pumped and jacked after Pennell stumped a runner (Bolden or Harris) at the goal line.
6. On Sunday, Brady entered the field from the top left corner, not the bottom left corner where all the other players enter, and where Brady entered the day before. Is the ‘hill’ that players run there? Was Brady running hills before practice? Maybe someone here knows.
7. The Hall at Patriot Place was amazing. But I thought it was free. Still, at $10 a bargain for any Patriot fan.
8. We stayed at the Seaport Hotel in the Seaport district in Boston nights 1 and 2, then at the Hilton Garden Inn at Patriot Place Sunday night. Both excellent and highly recommended. For grins, I checked availability at the Hilton the night of the home opener against Pittsburgh. To my delight, there was 1 room left for me, a “Diamond” member. To my horror, the rate was $1,249!
9. Skipjack, Red Robin, and CBS Sports Club all good places to eat, all with excellent service. Atmosphere at CBS is amazing. Server at Skipjack told my kids to keep their eyes peeled, because players came in and out of there all day. (We didn’t see any). My kids wanted Mexican food but the only sit down Mexican restaurant, The Scorpion, had bad reviews on Yelp. Oh well.
10. Too many empty store spaces at Patriot Place. Need more shopping and eating establishments, IMHO.
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