The Globe's Christoper Gaspar writes about video games in professional athlete's lives. It sure makes sense to spend your down-time as a wealthy pro to play video games, compared to, oh, say, doing wheelies on your dirtbike or dog-fighting.

Just how realistic is the game?

Caldwell, who said he often hosts his teammates for round-robin "Madden" duels, said that last year -- when he joined the Patriots -- he used the game's create-a-play function to help learn the team's offense.

"That's how I learned our plays," said Caldwell, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards. "I'd design our plays on 'Madden' and run them, and it helped me learn our plays better. I did that in San Diego, too. It's kind of like you're playing and you're studying your playbook."

The team is getting stocked up to go to camp. Expectations have never been higher...