Patriots Training Camp: Day 1 Brings Brady, Cheers and Off Field Surprises

The stands and grass surrounding Gillette Stadium were filled with anxious and excited fans Thursday morning. Day one, practice one of the 2011 Open Training Camp was full of cheers, and meanwhile, off the field, the Patriots welcomed two new additions to the team. The first announcement came in the morning.  

The Patriots acquired via trade, Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle Albert Hayneswoth from the Washington Redskins for a 2013 5th round draft pick. While the deal is not finalized yet, Haynesworth must first pass a physical conditioning test, something he has failed in the past. Haynesworth has a checkered past to say the least, but given that players such as Cory Dilon, Randy Moss and others with less than perfect pasts have come to Foxbourough and had tremendous success, he could seriously beef up the Patriots defense if it works out. Of course there's always the possibility of it not working out like it infamously did with Adalius Thomas.

Speaking to the media this morning for the first time since the end of the lockout, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, spoke of the Haynesworth deal.

"We're in the process, the acquiring process of Haynesworth, that's not complete yet so I can't really comment on that at this point until it's completed," Belichick said.

Belichick also said in the press conference that "they [the team] were excited to get started." 

"Lots of work to do... It's good to see everybody back, and we're just taking it hour by hour," he continued to say.

The second announcement came in the afternoon. Bengals wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, was acquired by the Patriots from Cincinnati and has reportedly accepted a three year-restructured deal from the Patriots.  The Pro Bowl receiver is a great addition to the wideout core of Deion Branch, and Wes Welker.  The infamous "tweeter" Ochocinco, will, at the very least, make for an entertaining pre-season and certainly an exciting regular season, hopefully helping the Patriots to  make a trip to Indianapolis next February.

When the Patriots took the practice field at Gillette this morning, you could feel the energy in the atmosphere.  The players arrived on the practice field at first, a few at a time, but the crowd stood and cheered loudly as a very large group of Patriots led by #12, jogged onto the field.  

The Patriots then huddled on the field and split into their usual groups. This was essentially the first practice for the team and they were not in pads.They wore practice jerseys with sweats. This is both a treat and a tease for the fans in attendance. On one hand, the fans get to see the players' faces all morning, something that is certainly not the case during the season. On the other hand, since it's no pads, the Patriots don't really have contact of any kind and simply run through the motions and their respective defensive and offensive packages.  

Tom Brady threw some passes to Patriots Wide Receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch. He handed the ball off the Danny Woodhead and Julian Edelman. He performed some play action passes and pretty much everything he did drew cheers from the crowd.  

Once the morning session was over, fans bolted to the yellow ropes that surround the field. Why? Another one of the traditions at the Open Camp is that selected players each day sign autographs for the crowd. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostowski, tight end Rob Gronkowski as well as #12 himself, Tom Brady, were among those who signed this morning. It drew a lot of smiles and quite a bit of sweat from the crowd, due to either the heat or the fact that Brady was walking by them. 

It didn't matter though. Football is back. The Patriots are back. Brady is back. The fans are stoked and with the addition of two marquee players, the 2011 season is off to a great start.  

The Patriots will hold two practices again on Friday. It should be noted that the times of the practices have changed since they were first announced.  These practices are free and open to the public. On Friday the first practice will be from 10:00-11:00 a.m. and the afternoon session will be from 2:30-5:00 p.m. The times are always subject to change so check the Patriots Training Camp Hotline before leaving at (508) 549-0001 or go to Patriots.com for more info.