The Super Bowl is every football player’s dream, but once you arrive it can be an overwhelming experience for newcomers. This years Patriots have experience on their side; 20 of the Patriots roster have been to the big game in previous years, compared to New York Giants three players (Armani Toomer, Michael Strahan, and Grey Ruegamer).

Newer members of the Patriots, such as Kelley Washington, look for valuable guidance to help prepare for the Super Bowl. Washington joined the Patriots this season as a wide receiver after four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, but selflessly took a role as special teams. His performance has been valuable collecting 11 solo tackles and 16 overall.

This is Washington’s first trip to Super Bowl, so he has been seeking advice from fellow veteran wide receiver Troy Brown, a Patriot for 15 years and the team’s all-time leading receiver with 557 career receptions.

“I’ve been asking Troy Brown a lot,” said Washington. “I’m probably bugging him with so many questions that I’ve asked him, whether it’s how to prepare myself, whether it’s what going on out at the Super Bowl and what can I expect. We’re just real excited about the opportunity and the experience.”

As a special teamer, Washington will naturally be one of the first players to run the field. He added: “[the veterans] say that you’re supposed to close your eyes the first second after you kick the ball off just because of all the cameras and lights, so that will be an experience.”

The game’s opening kickoff fills the stadium with a blinding array of camera lights, apparently causing some veterans to close their eyes to avoid the flashes.

But not all players share the same sentiment.

“No!” said safety Rodney Harrison. “If you close your eyes you’ll get your head knocked off!

“It’s intense because I know I‘ve been a part of that, playing on the kickoff team. You just see a million flashes and you’re just like, ‘wow’ as you’re running down and, ‘I’m actually part of this.’

“I’m the same kid who watched the Chicago Bears in ’85 win the Super Bowl and I always dreamt of something like that, and the opportunity to be able to go down there (on kickoff) and be a part of that is special.”

Former Tennessee receiver Washington has received other useful tips for the upcoming clash with the New York Giants.

“The best piece of advice so far I’ve got is don’t eat too much and go into the game overweight,” he explained. “They said that there’s a lot of food out there so you can kind of tend to stray off and eat a little bit more than you should and you don’t want to go into the game overweight. That’s been some good advice and other advice is just to stay focused mentally and don’t get strayed off by outside attention.”

Veteran players and coaches certainly all have some words of wisdom for the team’s first-timers directed towards preparation, events before Super Bowl Sunday, or avoiding unwanted attention or distractions.

Linebacker Tedy Bruschi is not only a fan favorite, but also a resource for the younger players in the locker room.

“I would just say to enjoy it, really,” he said. “I think the first couple of days you do have some time to enjoy it. Guys are already planning to go out a little bit, have dinner together and enjoy each other’s company and realize that it is a game and a lot of stress can be built up for these games. But you still go down there to have a great time and realize you have a job to do.”