Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Thursday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Good morning. We're here to remind you that even though it's the first week of May, team-building isn't done yet, as there are a lot of really intriguing veteran free-agent possibilities who are still on the market. Not saying any of them are going to end up as Super Bowl MVPs, but there are a few here and there who might still have enough in the tank to draw the notice of several teams, including the Patriots. Here are the most notable names still out there:
Offense: Adrian Peterson, Shane Vereen, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin, Eric Decker, Antonio Gates, Luke Joeckel, Austin Howard.
Defense: Connor Barwin, Junior Galette, Jonathan Casillas, NaVorro Bowman, Bashaud Breeland, Delvin Breaux, Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro.
Of that list -- at least as it relates to the Patriots -- there are a few possibilities, including old friends Casillas and Vereen. (They both drew the attention of New England during the earlier stages of free agency.) We've already raised the possibility of Gates. In addition, the Patriots had Breaux in for a visit as well. The names at linebacker and on the edge are particularly interesting, including Barwin and Galette, two guys who would certainly fit in the Chris Long/James Harrison tradition of short-term veteran edge defenders the Patriots have gone after the last few years.
--We're scheduled to have some quality time with new offensive lineman Trent Brown Thursday at Gillette Stadium.
--Quick reminder -- fan voting for the 2018 Patriots Hall of Fame ends on May 14. If you haven't voted already, cast your ballot here.
Now, on with the links...
1. The Patriots didn't pick up the fifth-year options on Danny Shelton, Phillip Dorsett or Malcom Brown. What does it all mean? No worries, at least when it comes to 2018.
2. Chris Hogan is all-in on the TB12 method, saying it changed his career. "It really has," he told the What Got You There podcast. "I’ve really bought into what he talks about and pliability and keeping everything fresh, and it really has. I do it every single day — sometimes twice a day. I don’t think I could play without it anymore. It’s amazing."
3. New guy Trent Brown? He's a pretty big dude.
4. I'll be fascinated -- if the proposed changes in kickoffs go through -- how it will impact the Patriots' roster-building process. We got into this in our Q&A earlier in the week, but I wonder about the future of guys like Matthew Slater and Nate Ebner, as well as some back-end-of-the-roster types who only get a chance to show themselves on special teams, at least in the early stages of their career.
5. Phil Perry has some final thoughts on the Patriots and the 2018 draft.
6. In their newest power rankings, NFL.com has the Eagles and Rams ahead of the Patriots.
7. Connor Orr of The MMQB has an interesting column: "Why Listening To Tom Brady Speak Has Reached A Point Of Diminishing Return."
8. Warren Sharp always produces worthwhile content. This time, he ran the numbers when it came to strength of schedule for 2018, and came up with what I believe to be a truly indicative formula for determining SOS at this time of year. Interesting stuff at it relates to the '18 Patriots.
9. Dion Lewis is settling in with Tennessee, which sounds like it's going to use a backfield-by-committee approach. “There’s always competition, no matter what sport you play, no matter what your spot on the roster is, you’ve always got to compete,” Lewis said of working with his new teammate Derrick Henry. “We’ve been working great together. We work hard together. We compete in the drills we do in practice, and we help each other. We’re both learning a new system for the first time, so just helping each other and trying to grow together.”
And my favorite story of my career when signing an undrafted player:
I once told a player we would sign him for a $500 bonus. His response: “I only have about $100 now, but I can get you the rest next week.”
“No,” I answered, “We pay you."
Good luck to all the undrafteds...
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) April 28, 2018