Patriots rookie Julian Edelman has come a long way since training camp, when fans laughed at him during punt returns.

After a horrific start to Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game, it hasn’t taken Patriots fans long to become dissatisfied. The boos began raining down after a long Ravens kickoff return with nine minutes left in the first quarter.

Unlike last year, when they alternated single sessions with two-a-days, the Patriots are opening camp this year with two practices a day for seven straight days. Coach Bill Belichick says it will help build the stamina of his players. Kevin Faulk‘s Belichickian response to it? That’s just coach being coach.

It was as if the Patriots’ world returned to its axis Thursday, when QB Tom Brady came back to the practice field. The weather was awful — 45 to 50 degrees with a cold drizzle — which left the 80 or so media members on hand chilled to the bone while giving No. 12 a warm welcome.

We are on the sidelines in the first quarter, and Marshall Faulk is calling plays like Nostradamus. He nailed the pass play to Heath Miller that gave the Steelers the ball at the 1-yard line.

While milling around the field for pregame, Marshall Faulk shared a great story. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald was texting Faulk last night, trying to figure out how to get to sleep.

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson said he would be the difference-maker. With a 62-yard touchdown catch to give the Eagles a 25-24 lead, he very well might be.

Willie McGinest was just saying, “Watch the slant, watch the slant,” as the Cardinals were driving with 3:30 to go in the first half. What happened? Kurt Warner threw the slant, Eagles CB Asante Samuel wasn’t in the right place in coverage and got a “P.I.” (that’s what Willie calls pass interference). On the next play, Warner found WR Larry Fitzgerald on the other side of the end zone for a touchdown.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb talked earlier in the week about living in Phoenix during the offseason. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is a neighbor, as are DE Bertrand Berry and S Adrian Wilson. Well, Wilson sure isn’t acting too neighborly today, with two sacks and a forced fumble.

The Eagles defense and coordinator Jim Johnson are completely ineffective so far against the Cardinals. Arizona is throwing all of its plays out there. They are keeping the Eagles off-balance by running the ball, spreading them out, running crossing routes, screens to the tight ends and receivers, trick plays and the halfback toss that went back to the quarterback and then was thrown for a touchdown.

Willie McGinest is pictured here with Eagles FB Dan Klecko, who dubs himself the “Lucky Marshmallow.”

As the teams take the field for pregame warmups, here are a few observations from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Let’s think about the questions we had coming into the game and how they would be answered.

Kara Henderson and Ty Law weigh in with some first-half observations from Heinz Field.

Earlier in the week, a Pittsburgh writer asked Chargers QB Philip Rivers what he thinks about the fact there are a lot of players and fans who just don’t like him. Rivers said he didn’t understand it because from his experience, he gets along with everyone and that people misunderstand him when they see him and don’t hear what he’s saying. I don’t have to hear what he just said to Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley after being sacked to know it wasn’t nice play.