Your football appetite was whetted Monday at the conclusion of the lockout, and your withdrawal can be cured Thursday when the Patriots open training camp to the public.
The Patriots can report Tuesday to Gillette Stadium, and training camp begins Wednesday. Their first public practice will be Thursday, although practice times have yet to be announced.
Under the guidelines of the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement, the first day of training camp (Wednesday for the Patriots) will be limited to physicals and meetings, while the second and third days cannot involve pads or contact. That would mean the Patriots' first padded practice can happen Saturday.
The league has also eliminated padded double sessions. The Patriots can have two practices in one day, but the second one cannot involve pads or contact (walkthrough).
Additionally, teams can only practice for four hours per day during training camp. If there is a padded practice, it must be limited to three hours. The other practice can last up to the four-hour limit.
