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          NFL Nation

          Patriots newcomers impressed with atmosphere at training camp

          Tom Brady and the Patriots practiced Thursday under the watchful eyes of more than 15,000 fans. Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports
          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterJul 28, 2017, 09:00 AM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Those who have been around the New England Patriots in recent years weren't too surprised at the immense fan support on the first day of training camp, with the club announcing an overflow crowd of 15,349. But just imagine what it was like for newcomers.

          Top draft pick Derek Rivers relayed that he was eager for his first training camp practice, and the sheer volume of fans -- many of whom filled the Gillette Stadium ramps overlooking the practice fields -- added to the atmosphere.

          "When you walk out here," he said, "it's like, 'Wow.'"

          Rivers said he was locked in mentally during practice so the crowd didn't affect him, but he certainly noticed it before and after the workout. How couldn't he? During Rivers' 2016 season at Youngstown State, only five of the team's 16 games had more fans in attendance.

          That was a point veteran receiver Julian Edelman, a Kent State alum, had also made.

          "It's certainly more than we had at my college games, so that's pretty cool," he said. "Nothing surprises you with our fans. We always feel and love the support that we get here in this community."

          For veteran linebacker David Harris, who spent the first 10 seasons of his NFL career with the New York Jets, the opening of training camp was his first taste of life as a Patriot.

          "I don't think I've ever seen this many fans for a training camp practice," he said, flashing a smile.

          And finally, there was cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who spent his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. "I've never seen this many people before [for practice]," he said. "Fun environment, a lot of people out, a lot of cheering."

          For Patriots coach Bill Belichick, this is the type of atmosphere he first experienced in 1978 as an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos.

          "We were up at Colorado State, Fort Collins. We used to have 10,000 fans at practice," he recalled. "It's a good experience for the fans. You know, you get to see the team under different conditions than game conditions, which is where most of it is. We get great support from our fans. If they can be here, great."

          Belichick felt that same support from New York Giants fans throughout the 1980s, although the volume wasn't the same because the training camp facilities weren't set up for big crowds.

          "It didn't hold a lot at Pace [University] or Fairleigh Dickinson [University], but people take their week or two weeks' vacation to come and watch us practice," he said. "I mean, I don't think I would be on that list, but yeah, there was a couple thousand. It was all it would hold. There wasn't as much space as what we have."