FOXBORO -- Devin McCourty remembers the moment he realized life in the NFL was a little different than the Big East.

On his first regular-season play from scrimmage as a rookie, the cornerback was left on an island against then-Cincinnati receiver Terrell Owens. Quarterback Carson Palmer took a shot in his direction deep down the left side, but the ball landed incomplete. At that moment, McCourty knew life had changed.

“My first play, ever, as an NFL player, they threw right at me,” McCourty said Wednesday. “That was probably my ‘Welcome to the NFL' moment. It’s going to be coming at me all year.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, nine rookies were on the New England roster, and many of them will have a chance to undergo the same trial-by-fire than McCourty when through at the start of the regular season in 2010. They’ve all been talked to about what to expect when it comes to the regular season, but until you get out there, you’re not completely ready.

“We talk to [the rookies] all the way through. We talk to them before the first preseason game, second preseason game. We try to make them aware of some of the things that are ahead for them,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick.  “We have veteran players, people on our staff like Pepper [Johnson] who played in those games, gone through those situations that maybe can give a little bit of insight.

“We’ve all been through those first time things,” Belichick added. “Sometimes you get a little advice that can help you, but the bottom line is there is no substitute for the experience of doing it and going through it. No matter how somebody describes it to you, you really learn it when you experience it.”

“They have definitely talked to me about it, and the coaches have as well,” said rookie defensive lineman Justin Francis. “It’s just you have to up your game now. It’s a whole another level. Preseason is all well and good, but it’s the regular season, the ball is rolling. You can’t have mental errors. You can’t mess things up.

“They speak on it a lot, and rightfully so. We have to take heed of that. That’s what we have to do. The ball is rolling now.”

Veterans say the speed of the game changes when you hit the regular season: In many ways, the transition is the same as it is when players go from college football to the NFL preseason. The next phase comes with the transition from preseason to regular season. And if there’s one common piece of advice that veterans have for the first-year players, it’s that the speed of the game gets taken up a few notches.

“Just the speed and aggressiveness of the game change. Preseason is preseason -- everyone is trying to get their roster together. But once the opening kickoff comes, it’s like a flash,” said defensive end Trevor Scott, who will be playing in his fifth opener as a pro and first with the Patriots on Sunday.

“Everything is moving at a higher tempo and pace. This is what people are playing for. Every stat counts -- tackle, sacks ... every run block, touchdown made. Everything counts.”

“Obviously, the preseason is fast and a lot is happening, but that gets turned up even that much more come regular season,” said special teamer Matthew Slater, who will be part of his fifth opener Sunday. “Those guys just have to be ready for things, because it will all happen fast. Just flying around. But as long as they know their assignments and know what they’re doing, that will kind of help slow things down.”

The other piece of advice for the rookies? Pace yourself. In the preseason, most guys are on a snap count, and are not playing the whole game. When the regular season starts, it’s a different story.

“Everyone is out there. There’s no messing around,” said tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will be part of his third opener against the Titans. “No one is just trying to try out plays or anything. It’s all go -- every play counts. Everyone is going full speed, no matter what the play is.”

“You have to go 60 minutes. You have to go the whole game,” said safety Steve Gregory, who will play in his first opener as a Patriot and his seventh as a pro. “There’s no more playing one quarter and then sitting down. The mentality is you’re going out to play a full football game and to win a full football game. That counts toward your record. It definitely speeds up the tempo of the game and the intensity of the game.”

In the end, it will be a memorable day for each one of the rookie, the fulfillment of a dream. The important thing is to be prepared.

“I’m sure it will be an exciting day for all those guys -- [their] first NFL game. We’ve all had them, at least the coaches haven’t played in them, but it’s an exciting experience and it’s a learning experience,” Belichick said. “You do the best you can to prepare for it, but there are always things that are a little bit different when you actually get into than you think they’re going to be.”