Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day:
Good morning -- a few early thoughts before we start prepping for more foul weather...
-- One of the least surprising pieces of information popped up Tuesday: Brian Flores will call the defensive plays next season for the Patriots, but he won’t have the title of defensive coordinator. According to a report from Yahoo, New England will go without an official DC in 2018, but Flores will be the lead voice for the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball, much like Matt Patricia in 2010 and 2011 before he was officially promoted to DC. Flores deserves the promotion, and provided everyone stays healthy, he should get the title sooner rather than later.
-- Greg has a terrific column on what he sees happening with the Nate Solder situation. There's a lot at play there, and while I still think he's going to come back in some form or fashion, it's important to remember that if Solder does leave, Marcus Cannon has some experience at left tackle. After starting his college career at right tackle, he was flipped to left tackle his senior year at TCU, and that season (2010), he received All-America honors from Rivals.com, SI.com and Pro Football Weekly while ending as a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection for the second straight year. It wouldn't be an ideal situation for the Patriots, but it's important to note that the position switch wouldn't be a completely foreign concept to Cannon.
-- In my Tuesday afternoon Q&A, someone asked if we were going to do a BSJ mock draft. I explained why I was inclined to say no -- after all, we're focused on the Patriots, and the first responses in the Q&A pretty much followed the same idea. Not sure you guys are paying good money for another mock draft. But I'm still open to hearing more thoughts from subscribers. Bottom line is that BSJ is a subscriber-driven site, so if you guys want one, I can do one. Let me know what you guys think in the comments.
Now, on with the links...
1. Here are five things we learned from the combine.
2. The Patriots are picking up the option on Kenny Britt. They’re not picking up the option on Alan Branch.
3. I had a Q&A. It was epic.
4. Miguel has two pieces — one on the new cap number for 2018 and another on what Shaq Mason and Trey Flowers are going to make next season.
5. Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans was just one of several prospects who talked up the Patriots while at the combine.
6. Greg has a column on the Nate Solder situation.
Extra Point:
Friendly public-service reminder:NFL Draft is in 50 days.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2018