Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day:
--Interesting weekend. Apparently, Rob Gronkowski sounds like a man primed to return, but it also sounds like he has some things he wants to hash out with Bill Belichick. And Malcolm Butler shed some more light on what happened when it came to his Super Bowl benching. The next lead actor in this drama who's going to be heard from? Tom Brady. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say he's going to have his say sometime around his annual Best Buddies Challenge in a couple of months.
--Start the countdown clock: We should see the preseason and regular-season schedules released sometime this month. The first day that teams with returning head coaches (like the Patriots) are allowed to start their offseason workout programs is April 16. And there are only 24 days until the draft. Football never stops.
--Monday's notable Pro Days: Indiana State, Southeast Missouri.
Now, on with the links...
1. My weekend notebook looked at a ton of good stuff, including whether or not a new rule proposal could have a serious impact on the Patriots' offense, how 2018 will bring a new coaching milestone for Belichick, why the 2004 Patriots were so special, some potential late-round gems for New England to consider in the draft, some key dates to remember over the next month-plus ... and more.
2. There's something in this story for everyone: For the glass-is-half-full types, Gronkowski sounds like a guy who is coming back for 2018, as long as the quarterback is in the fold. For the glass-is-half-empty crowd, there's apparently some beef between the tight end and the coach that needs to be worked out. Biggest takeaway here? It's good news, but it's certainly tempered. From this viewpoint, I think he's back for 2018, but I still believe that the draft might be the ultimate litmus test when it comes to how the Patriots view the whole situation.
3. Greg had a Friday afternoon Q&A. It was epic -- check the transcript here.
4. Butler said if he had played in the Super Bowl, the Patriots would have "probably" won. The cornerback also talks about his departure and his feelings toward Belichick, as well as a few other things. The more time passes, the more layers start to peel away on this story.
5. Predictably, the Eagles disagreed with Butler's assessment.
They still would have lost!!! #FlyEaglesFly
— Alshon Jeffery (@TheWorldof_AJ) March 31, 2018
.@BostonSportsBSJ QB draft profiles:
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) March 30, 2018
Mike White (WKY) https://t.co/5aNylMCQdm
Chase Litton (Marshall) https://t.co/JjiY0yvYSL
Kyle Lauletta (Richmond) https://t.co/XRP725Eurc
Luke Falk (WSU) https://t.co/PxqHnHIjFP
Logan Woodside (Toledo) https://t.co/zvBTtEBkkA
More to come....