Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day:
A few thoughts for you in between shoveling jobs this morning...
1. Richard Sherman might not be the same guy who was shutting down whole sides of the field a few years ago. But if you can figure out a way to make the money work and you’re sure that the Achilles that sidelined him last year isn’t an issue going forward, then the Patriots should go for it. However, if you have to choose between Sherman and Aqib Talib and all things are equal, I’d probably favor Talib by the slightest of margins. He’s been in the system before and has played for Bill Belichick. Not that that would give him a huge advantage, but it might play in his favor a little bit.
2. It would have been something else to see Michael Bennett and his tiny shoulder pads in a New England uniform. When he’s right, Bennett is still a game-wrecker, someone who can dominate an opposing offensive line. He defines Bill Belichick’s favorite word when describing an elite defensive lineman: disruptive. In the days leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, multiple players told me the priority above everything else was figuring out a way to neutralize No. 72 on defense — Bennett. The Patriots threw wave after wave of bodies at him, and he still finished with four quarterback hits. If New England could have figured out a way to get him instead of Philly, his acquisition alone would have been a colossal step on the way to a successful offseason for the Patriots.
3. As a football fan, it's sad to see a great defense like Seattle's hit its expiration date. We all sort of knew it was coming (Sherman's injury last season was the beginning of the end), but it was really made clear yesterday with the Sherman and Bennett stories. The Seahawks had a tremendous run as the best top-to-bottom defense of the last decade. Maybe Pete Carroll and John Schneider find a way to rebuild on the fly. But if they lose Sherman and Bennett (and maybe Earl Thomas), and with the futures of Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril in doubt, it all feels like we're witnessing the end of something special.
4.
bill belichick watching the richard sherman rumors pic.twitter.com/WcYp0aOrEB
— HLJ (@harrylylesjr) March 7, 2018
Devotion rewarded. Get ready for the closing chapter of Tom vs Time, dropping on Monday, March 12. https://t.co/UasYWwidmf
— Gotham Chopra (@gothamchopra) March 7, 2018
Best story I heard from NFL combine: A small group of former Browns coaches held a fired Browns coaches party at a local restaurant in Indianapolis.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 7, 2018