Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day:
LOGAN AIRPORT -- We made it to Super Bowl week, everyone! The BSJ crew is headed for Minneapolis Monday morning, ready to bring you all the action all week long. A few quick thoughts before we get underway:
--Monday kicks off with opening night, which can be a bit of a mess if you don't have a plan. While last year was pretty easy for me -- as you can see below, I ended up sticking with the ever-quotable Martellus Bennett all evening -- I was wondering if there are specific coaches or players you'd like to hear from Monday night. Let me know in the comments, and we will get to them Monday, as well as over the course of the week. (The great thing is we get availability with just about everyone over the course of the week, so pretty much everyone is in play.)
--Watching Part 2 of "Tom vs. Time" (more on that in a second), and seeing the interaction between Tom Brady and his throwing guy Tom House was a little bittersweet, because I grew close with his old throwing guru, the late Tom Martinez. Martinez had worked with Brady since he was a high schooler until his death in 2012; basically, you can't tell the story of Brady without including Martinez. (For more on Martinez, check out this story here.) Brady gravitated to House shortly after Martinez passed, and the two have worked together ever since. But Martinez was a terrific guy who endured more dopey questions from me on the art of quarterbacking than he had a right to, but he was a good man who was always interested in talking football.
--According to Ian Rapoport, at least as it stands right now, Rob Gronkowski isn't scheduled to participate in opening night, as he's still in the concussion protocol. That could change if he's cleared between now and then, but for now, he's a thumbs down.
--Working on a BSJ get-together for those who are traveling to the Twin Cities for the Super Bowl. Keep an eye out for details.
Monday’s Schedule (all times EST)
9 a.m.-10:15 a.m.: “Not Done” Rally at Gillette Stadium
Super Bowl Opening Night at Xcel Energy Center
8:10 p.m.-9:10 p.m.: Patriots availability
10: p.m.-11 p.m.: Eagles availability
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg has his first scouting report of the week on the Eagles.
2. My weekend notebook leads with the Patriots facing the most important practice week of the season.
3. Tom Brady said Sunday his right hand isn’t “quite where I want it to be right now.”
4. Miguel kicks off Super Bowl week with a mailbag that touches on a bunch of different topics.
5. Three takeaways from Brady’s Saturday afternoon press conference.
6. In the last edition of "Know Your Opponent" this year, our pals from PFF have put together a comprehensive stat pack on the Eagles.
7. Today's BSJ daily briefing also takes a look at Chaper 2 of "Tom vs. Time."
8. The Eagles got into Minnesota on Sunday.
9. Pennlive.com lists the eight Patriots the Eagles should be most concerned about on Sunday.
10. Looking back at the seven days that turned the Eagles into Super Bowl contenders.
Extra Point:
Entering SuperBowl Lll, Tom Brady has played in 7 Super Bowls in his career, as many as the entire Eagles roster combined (7)
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) January 23, 2018