... I'd only seen it on TV; the stadium was much bigger than I imagined it.

But the real trip was seeing all the big-name players in the flesh—Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Bill Belichick, and all the names I've written a hundred times or more in my articles.

Watching the Patriots practice with the Saints was a real treat, too.

The two teams shared a total of three joint practices on Tuesday, August 10 and Wednesday, August 11. I was able to attend two of them and got to see how my favorite team matches up against the Super Bowl champions.

Here are some of my observations from the two sessions, the 21st and 22nd of New England's practices.

Bleacher Report - NFL