Santa Clara, Calif. – The Patriots prep for Super Bowl LX is in full swing with the team practicing on Monday and then meeting with the media over the last few days in the Bay Area.

When the Patriots began their playoff run in the Wild Card round roughly three weeks ago, head coach Mike Vrabel's message to his players was: "Don't switch the macaroni and cheese." Although the stakes rise in the postseason, Vrabel is trying to keep the same recipe that has led to New England's 17-3 record this season. The Patriots might be enjoying the California weather roughly 3,000 miles away from home, but the rest of their work weeks have stayed as similar as possible in preparation for Super Bowl LX.

The Patriots used Monday's "bonus" day to get a practice in at Stanford University. However, Vrabel gave the players their usual day off from practice on Tuesday before getting down to business Wednesday through Friday to prepare for Seattle. Along those lines, the Pats O-Line is still having their weekly dinner to keep the same recipe even though they'll need to find a different spot than their go-to Karma Sushi in Wellesley, MA. Although there are many additional events during Super Bowl week, the mac and cheese recipe will remain the same from a football preparation standpoint.

The other top storyline heading into Super Bowl week was the status of QB Drake Maye's right throwing shoulder, which popped up on the injury report following the AFC Championship Game. After practicing at Stanford University on Monday, Vrabel said the week is off to a great start for Maye and the rest of the team.

"He spoke for himself on how he feels. I can't determine how he feels. I know that practice yesterday was good for him and for everybody to get out there and get moving around," Vrabel said. "We appreciate everybody at Stanford for providing us with the facility that we have. So, I think we got the week off to a great start."

Along with hearing from Maye himself about his shoulder, as Vrabel said, let's empty the notebook on other happenings around the Patriots to start Super Bowl week in Santa Clara.

1. QB Drake Maye Offers Positive Update About Right Shoulder Following First Super Bowl Practice

After appearing on the team's pre-Super Bowl week injury report, Patriots QB Drake Maye told reporters at Super Bowl opening night that he "turned a corner" with his right shoulder injury upon the team's arrival in Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon.

The second-year quarterback injured his right throwing shoulder in New England's win over the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, causing him to be limited in Patriots practice last Thursday in Foxborough. Maye then sat out Friday's session due to his right shoulder and illness, but head coach Mike Vrabel said that his star quarterback would've practiced in a limited capacity if he wasn't feeling under the weather. Many players on the Patriots roster have fought off illnesses during the winter months back home in Massachusetts. On Monday night, Maye offered a positive update on his throwing shoulder.

"I'm feeling good. I'll be just fine. I think I turned a corner landing on the flight, felt good from the flight, and throwing out there today. I really had no doubt in being 100 percent for the game. It's the Super Bowl. You get two weeks to prepare for it. Do whatever you have to do to get it right and I've got confidence and feel good," Maye said. "I threw a good bit [on Monday]. I threw as much as I would in a practice and it felt great."

Maye then added that he came out to watch last Friday's practice after reporters departed: "It's cold out there. Some sickness was going around the locker room, but I'm really feeling good."

To further quell Patriots fans' concerns about Maye's right shoulder, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a one-word response when asked if Maye would have any limitations in Super Bowl LX: "Nope," said McDaniels. The Patriots and Seahawks will release injury reports on Wednesday-Friday, as is the norm for a game week. Until then, Maye's positive update on his shoulder injury sounds like good news.

2. LB Robert Spillane 'On the Right Track' to Play in Super Bowl LX

The other injured Patriot that is fighting through an injury to play in Super Bowl LX is starting linebacker Robert Spillane, who re-aggravated an ankle injury in the AFC title game.

Spillane exited the AFC Championship Game in the first quarter when he appeared to re-injure his previously injured ankle, which caused him to miss the last four games of the regular season before returning for the playoff run. Spillane is a key piece in New England's defense as its MIKE linebacker, relaying the defensive signals as the team's primary on-field communicator and he leads the team with 23 run stops on the season despite missing four games. On Monday night, Spillane said he's trending in the right direction, with the Super Bowl bye week helping his chances of playing on Sunday against the Seahawks.

"We're recovering. We're getting better every day. We're on the right track where we need to be. The goal is obviously to go out there and be dominant," Spillane said. "We have a plan scheduled for me to return to play. I'm just trying to do everything I can to make sure we're right on it."

Although the Patriots have capable linebacker depth in Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, and Jahlani Tavai, Spillane's status will be worth monitoring heading into Sunday's game.

3. LT Will Campbell & LG Jared Wilson to Become First Rookie O-Line Duo to Start Super Bowl

The Patriots will be the first team to start two rookies on the offensive line in a Super Bowl in NFL history, with first-rounder LT Will Campbell and third-rounder LG Jared Wilson expected to start on the left side in Super Bowl LX.

New England reshaping its offensive line by adding four new starters this offseason is a huge reason why the Patriots are here. According to Pro Football Network's offensive line impact score, the Pats graded out as the 12th-best offensive line in the NFL this season. Last season, the group was last, 32nd, in the run and pass-blocking metric, so they've gone from bottom of the league to above-average. The Patriots rookies and the rest of the O-Line will face a Seattle defense that ranks fourth in team pressure rate in the Super Bowl.

"We never looked at it as rookie players on the left side. I don't really get into that much. We talk about maturity, and maturity is based on experience, not age. They have a lot of experience here this entire year," Vrabel said. "I think they're talented. I think that they've worked. I think they've tried to get better each and every week. There are some matchups in this league that are tough. They've had some really good plays and they've had some plays they'd like to have back, but they're out there for the most part all the time practicing and improving."

Campbell explained he had a similar mindset when it came to integrating into the Patriots offensive line, saying it didn't matter whether he was playing next to a rookie or a veteran.

"It's been great. I've really enjoyed playing next to [Wilson] and I look forward to that continuing for a while," Campbell said. It didn't matter if it was a rookie. I was going to have to learn to play next to somebody new, as he was, too. It really didn't matter that we were both rookies. I was going to learn how to play next to someone else, regardless of how old he was."

Wilson added that getting to know Campbell in the pre-draft process set the table for them working together once they both got drafted by the Patriots last offseason.

"It's been fun. I got a chance to get to know him during the pre-draft process and just happy to see how far we've come this year. Our relationship has grown on and off the field," Wilson said. "I think it's just communication, talking on the field, off the field. I think that's the biggest thing in everything is communication."

The Patriots rookie tandem has had some ups and downs, like all first-year players, but it has been more positive than negative this season, as the team's success attests.

4. Campbell Shares Story From Private Pre-Draft Visit with the Patriots in Baton Rouge

Along with his comments about playing next to his fellow rookie on the left side of the offensive line, Campbell was all smiles while discussing his pre-draft workout with Vrabel in Louisiana. The story goes that Vrabel put Campbell through a hands-on workout with the Pats head coach wearing a chest pad to gauge the rookie's playing strength. On one rep during a blocking drill, Campbell supposedly pancaked Vrabel to the ground.

"That was probably like the fourth time that we had been together, been around each other. I knew what was at stake and they had eight or nine people there. It was great. We had a good workout. I took him to my favorite spot in Baton Rouge to eat," Campbell recalled. "If you're ever in Baton Rouge, go to Phil's. I wouldn't call it a sports bar, but Mr. Anthony, he owns it, and it's got all the old LSU jerseys. They got char-grilled oysters. It's seafood. They got everything. If you're down there, you need to go."

Although the on-field workout is when the Patriots might've decided to draft Campbell, he was all smiles talking about taking Vrabel to his favorite restaurant at his alma mater.

5. Defensive Play-Caller Zak Kuhr Breaks Down Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker

As for the matchup against the Seahawks, the Patriots are obviously not divulging much information about their game plan for Super Bowl LX. However, de facto DC Zak Kuhr had a great breakdown of what makes Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker so difficult to defend.

Slowing down the Seahawks talented running back is a huge key to the game, as Seattle leads the NFL in run rate (48.7%) while Walker has 256 total yards and four touchdowns through two playoff games. The Seahawks lost spell-back Zach Charbonnet for the season to a significant knee injury in the divisional round, so it'll be all Walker in Seattle's backfield on Sunday.

"Walker is a stud. He's explosive. He's got great speed. He was with Wake Forest to start. They had started this new trend when they run the zone read, they walk into it. Like the running back kind of walks, walks and is patient with it. You see some of that still where he'll press, and kind of just like Le'Veon Bell, patience. Then the next thing he hits it, he bounces it, cuts it back, whatever."

Kuhr was breaking down Walker's running style while demonstrating how Wake Forest would run read-option plays, where the quarterback would ride the mesh point for as long as he could before making a read to keep the ball or give it to the back, putting defenses in tough spots. Based on Kuhr's praise for Seattle's run game and Walker, one would expect that the Patriots coaches are emphasizing stopping the run as a key ot victory in Super Bowl LX.

6. Patriots Return to the Practice Field to Continue Game Prep on Wednesday

After opening night and their usual day off from practice on Tuesday, the Patriots will return to the practice field at Stanford University on Wednesday, as per their typical game-week schedule. New England will practice Wednesday-Friday, with one assigned pool reporter able to view practice; local media won't be permitted to watch at this stage. We will also hear from Maye, other Patriots players, and the whole coaching staff on Wednesday and Thursday morning (11 am ET). As always, we'll have updates for you on Patriots.com.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer