FOXBORO, Mass. - Springfield, Massachusetts native and former Holy Cross star Benton Whitley was signed by the Patriots a week and a half ago to their practice squad.

Whitley's in his fourth season in the NFL and the Patriots are his eighth team. But this one's unique, it's the franchise he grew up rooting for.

"It was so surreal," said Whitley, "I've been in a lot of football facilities and you know I kind of thought I was over that but then I came here and I walked to the locker room and it's you're so used to seeing the Patriots logo on everything like at home I'm like I'm in a facility like I'm on the Patriots it's crazy yeah."

For Whitley a lot of the defensive scheme and staff are familiar so he's hit the ground running. "A lot of the defensive staff is a carryover from the staff that I have with the Giants. So honestly, it's very familiar.

And I'm not only home, but I feel at home with a lot of the coaching staff, too."

Benton Whitley is in his fourth year in the NFL his second week with the New England Patriots. And whether it's here on the practice field or off of it, he carries the lessons he learned at Holy Cross under Bob Chesney. "Really just the attention to detail, and I've said it before, but Chesney is not just a football coach, he's a leader of men, I feel like the things I've learned from him aren't just going to carry over from team to team during my football career, but it's going to carry over to how I am as a father, you know, just how I am like as a person in society, just in life. So yeah, forever grateful."