Mac Jones, DeVante Parker shine as Patriots hit the field for first day of training camp

FOXBORO -- Wednesday was a perfect summer day in New England. And the weather was pretty nice too.

The heat has broken and it was an incredible morning to spend outside. The highlight of the day, however, was what took place behind Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The New England Patriots kicked off training camp on Wednesday, holding the first practice of camp.

As Bill Belichick explained as his players took the field, this is really "Phase 3" of the offseason program. There will be a lot of red area work over the next few days, something the team did not work on during spring workouts, and the head coach expects the majority of the basic offense and defense to be put in place by the end of the week.

Then on Monday, things will really ramp up. That's when players will don pads for the first time this summer and start playing some real football.

"It's good to get started," Belichick said Wednesday. "We've been practicing since the offseason program back in April, so this is a continuation of the spring workouts. Training camp [really starts] Monday when the pads come on. The next four days is really like Phase 3."

Hey, we'll take any football we can get at the moment.

"Alright, welcome to camp," Belichick concluded with a smile.

With that he took the field and began his 23rd training camp in New England. Here are some of the observations from the first practice session of camp:

Mac Leads The Way

All eyes are on the quarterback heading into his second NFL season. Mac looks poised for a big season after bulking up over the offseason, and he led the charge onto the field Wednesday morning.

Then he went out and slung some impressive passes throughout the sessions. It's only Day 1, but it was good to see Mac finding his targets -- albeit uncovered targets.

Parker Fitting Right In

Yes, it's early. Really, really early.

But after one day on the field, it appears DeVante Parker is enjoying himself in the New England offense. 

The Patriots offense ruled the day on the first day of training camp, and Parker was the star of the session.

The Secondary

While the offense was cooking, the Patriots were still trying to figure things out on defense. One of the biggest questions heading into the new season surrounds the team's starting corners, and that question won't be answered any time soon. 

Jalen Mills is expected to take over for J.C. Jackson as the team's top corner, but we don't know who will play on the other side of the field. On Wednesday, it was veteran Terrance Mitchell -- at least to start.

That could obviously change as camp progresses, with Malcolm Butler an option as well. Butler himself is a great unknown, after he spent last year away from the game.

The veteran had a mixed day on Wednesday.

With the offense enjoying success throughout the day, the defense had to do pushups after the session.

Calling Plays On Offense

The other big question is who will be calling the plays on offense. The Patriots continue to keep that under wraps, though Matt Patricia was playing around with a walkie-talkie during meaningful drills on Wednesday.

What's Next?

The Patriots will practice Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before getting Sunday off. All sessions are open to the public, with gates opening at 8:30 a.m.