By John Ingoldsby, Player Engagement Insider
Spring in New England has always meant baseball and blooming flowers, but now you can put the five-time Super Bowl Champion Patriots Draft Preview in the mix.
On a sparkling Sunday where temperatures finally hit the 70s for the first time in forever, Patriots Nation was happy to head inside Gillette Stadium for the annual event.
And the standing-room-only crowd of Season Ticket Members were happy to be on their feet since long lines were a constant to meet former Patriots Matt Chatham and Patrick Pass, who posed nonstop for photos and while also signing autographs and carrying on conversations with each and every fan who waited.
Not surprisingly, the line beside the two ex-Pats was even longer for fans to get their picture with the newest addition in New England, the Super Bowl trophy from February where the Patriots won in a comeback for the ages, and there was even another line waiting to take photos with Patriots Cheerleaders.
Then after an hour or so of standing, the fans were able to settle into their seats to hear popular Patriots Radio Announcer Bob Socci moderate an all-star media panel that included Tom E. Curran of Comcast Sports New England and ESPN experts Mike Reiss, Todd McShay and Field Yates discussing the upcoming NFL Draft.
And if all this wasn’t enough, the Patriots treated Season Ticket Members in their usual first-class fashion with a free feast that included everything from pizza and wings to subs and dessert.
So suddenly with winning their fifth Super Bowl, spring in New England adds another tradition that now includes the growing Patriots dynasty.
John Ingoldsby is the President and Founder of IIR Sports, Inc. (www.IIRSports.com) a sports media firm based in Boston. He has covered the NFL throughout his career that began as a newspaper reporter/editor, which includes articles in Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine (NFL Player Engagement), London-based Financial Times newspaper (NFL's international strategy), the Philadelphia Daily News (annual NFC Coaches Breakfast) and the Boston Globe (Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll).