Patriots announce some training camp dates

It might be the summer right now and you might not even be thinking about the NFL. Who are we kidding, if you’re a Patriots fan you’re probably thinking about the NFL year round--like Bill Belichick.

That said, it may excite you to know that Patriots training camp is actually coming up soon--very, very, very soon. That’s exciting, right? Correct!

In fact, they have even announced some of the dates already. According to the team’s website, they will have practices open to the public from July 26-29 on their outdoor practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. Each day, those practices are going to start at 9:15 a.m. EST; the gates will open at 8 a.m., however, and will close one hour after the practices end.

Surely, there will be a lot more dates added in the near future at patriots.com/trainingcamp, but this is what they’re letting the public know right now. Remember, Bill Belichick, Ernie Adams and the Patriots like to work in mystery, so they’re probably not going to give away their secrets right away--even for something like public training camps.

These camps tend to be a very good take for those in the area. First of all, they are free AND it’s an early look at how the team is shaping up. Players sign autographs for fans afterwards too and all that. The first few days tend to be packed, but it usually settles down as things progress which is good for people who hate crowds.

On the Patriots front, it’s also worth noting that they did not make a pick in this year’s NFL Supplemental draft. Honestly though: why would you if you already have the greatest team in NFL history? The answer is: they didn’t, which makes perfect sense.

Regardless, they have a strong team headed into training camp this season.