FOXBOROUGH – While you can make the argument that the Patriots simply caught up to many NFL teams and most Division 1 programs with the New Balance Athletics Center, it’s better late than never. And the building is paying off. With new technology, indoor field spaces, various extra meeting rooms and basically everything anyone needs as a professional football player, it’s allowing the coaching staff and players to be more…

FOXBOROUGH – Former Boston College linebacker Vinny DePalma had a pretty brutal first season as a coach in the NFL. While the opportunity was obviously a dream come true, being part of that forgettable Jerod Mayo year wasn’t easy for anyone. Fast forward to the hiring of Mike Vrabel and the uncertainty that came with not knowing if he’d have a job or not. He did, excelled at it, received…

FOXBOROUGH – Trash talking, big plays and a brief scare for like, 30 seconds. By design, the final day of minicamp in June isn’t supposed to be as exciting and entertaining as it was in Foxborough on Thursday. In fact, more often than not over the last 25 years, the organization frequently cancels the final day. Instead, the Patriots used it as an opportunity to ramp up the competition and…

FOXBOROUGH – If it weren’t for the breeze down in Foxborough on Wednesday, it would have felt like training camp heat had already arrived. On the field, it certainly didn’t look like training camp, though. After a pretty uptempo, intense mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday (by June standards with no pads of course), Wednesday was a walkthrough day. The most competitive and entertaining thing – aside from Maye-to-Brown during early…

By Ava Fernandez NEFJ Correspondent FOXBOROUGH – Just a few weeks after graduating college, I found myself standing on the sidelines at Patriots minicamp on Tuesday, roster and notes in hand, covering an NFL team for the first time as I begin my post-graduate career in sports media. It’s been just 23 days since earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a sports concentration, from UMass Amherst. From selling my…