Hey all --

Is it really November 26? It is an absolutely gorgeous day today, and as a result, Route 1 was thick with fans trying to get here as early as possible and enjoy the day.

Obviously, we made it through the throng and are in our seat in the press box. Lonie Paxton is the lone player out on the field right now.

And what a field it is. I promise this will be my one and only reference to the FieldTurf today (online anyway), but after seeing the colossal mess that was the natural grass here over the last couple of years, to look down and see a perfect expanse of green is a wonder. Here's hoping the Krafts do something to thank the men who not only got the job done, they got it done four days ahead of schedule.

Think about that -- nearly every FieldTurf installation previous took at least a month, and the team from RAD Sports and Northeast Turf had it done in seven days.

We're off to get some pre-game work done (and, we confess, some lunch) and will be back in a bit.

shalise