The New England Patriots had to be a large group of happy campers on Thursday morning.

It was the last time until immediately after Super Bowl LX on Sunday that they will have had to face the media. For some, it will have been the last time for the season.

Look at it like this: Welcome to the wedding you are invited to but only for 90 minutes. There’s the half hour ceremony and then a 45 minute reception.

Here’s what we mean: Each team is required to have media availability during Super Bowl Week.Monday is the Opening Night at the Super Bowl, televised, now a fan ticketed event, etc. at a local stadium/arena type facility, which in this case was San Jose. Tuesday just a few select players at the team hotel, but then the fun began Wednesday and Thursday at the Patriots team hotel in Santa Clara. First Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye had standard press conferences, Vrabel first for about 15 minutes beginning at 8 a.m., then Maye right after till around 8:30. Then, if things are timed right, all players and coaches had to be available from 8:30 to 9:15.

And it’s like a wedding. The media is given a seating chart, the tables are numbered, while as many as 8-10 players are away from the tables on their own platforms with a microphone. It would change from day to day who those lucky ones were.

It’s a frenzy. No cocktail hour, no dancing, but plenty of information available, it’s a more relaxed atmosphere, believe it or not, than a locker room. Here players know if you come up to them, they more or less have talk.

From a media standpoint, it’s perfect. You can get what you rarely are able to get during a normal setting: one-on-ones. Players seem more comfortable. Some obviously are more popular than others; either seated with several media standing around them, or seated with a media member or two talking. For the amount of media, it’s the way to do it and is the one thing in the Super Bowl over the years – since yours truly first one in 1997– that hasn’t changed.

The funniest thing is when there are two or three players, say third stringers, reserves, etc. who are sitting alone the entire time, looking at their phones, etc. You can bet they’d rather be asleep in their rooms until game-related team activities begin. It was a riot watching Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone waving to a couple of players over on the next table on Thursday absolutely bored to tears. But yours truly wouldn’t have been able to snare a one-on-one for about 10 minutes with Marrone without this format.

The scene from Thursday’s Patriots media session, very typical of Super Bowl Week. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

But the frenzy is real. Some players actually enjoy it.

“It’s exciting,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said, as this is the seven-year veteran’s first Super Bowl ever. In fact, with the number of young players and rookies on these Patriots, that’s the case for most of them.

“It’s a littled different,” Bradbury, who was on a riser with not many media at that spot, continued. “But at the same time I’m trying to snap in to ‘All right, we’ve got practice today, we’ve got meetings to prepare to win a game.”

Soon, the players were ushered out of the reception. No honeymoons,no souveniers for the guests to take from the tables, no gifts, but no more interviews, either.

Now it’s just the reality of a football game that will finally be here in 48 hours. At last.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on X (@Telegraph_TomK).