FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - The Patriots kicked off the first full day of practice at Gillette Stadium Wednesday morning with crowds of fans watching.
Coach Bill Belichick said the team is picking up where they left off at the end of the spring.
“We’ll take it one step at a time and just try to continue to improve every opportunity we get and certainly every day,” said Belichick.
Wednesday’s practice is open to the public.
The training camp has historically drawn big crowds and this year fans are excited to see how the team looks, especially quarterback Mac Jones in his second year.
“We’ve been coming for quite a few years now and it’s become a bit of a tradition for us,” said Patriots fan Steve Streeter.
Belichick said there’s been major improvement after Jones led the Patriots to the playoffs in his rookie season.
“He’s worked hard. He’s made tremendous strides. He did a great job last year but he’s starting it from a much much higher point this year than where he started last year,” said Belichick. “His offseason work has been significant.”
“I think we have a good chance this year,” said another Patriots fan. “Mac Jones has a little bit more under his belt now and we’re going to see a little bit more changes on the offensive side I think this year.”
Special Teams veteran Matthew Slater has advice for the young quarterback on how he can continue to improve.
“He doesn’t need to try to be anybody from the past, the present or the future. He’s just gotta be the best version of mac jones, and we’ll certainly respond to it and rally around him, but that goes for not only him, but a lot of our other players who are in positions to lead on this team,” Slater said.
Tuesday was Report Day for Patriots veterans and Slater, one of the longest-tenured Patriots players, said this time of the year is always special.
“You realize how blessed you are for this opportunity and we’re super-excited, but we realize we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and we’re ready to embrace that process,” said Slater.
The first full day of training camp is set to start at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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