Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Friday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Got that Friday Feeling. OTAs are rolling on, training camp is now next month, and as of Friday, there are exactly 100 days until the Patriots' opener.
So let's dispense with the formalities and get right into the links:
1. My column looks at what the return of Dont'a Hightower means to the New England defense. Devin McCourty told me it was simple. “It’s been awesome,” he said of Hightower being back in the middle. “He’s in the middle of our defense most of time, and that gives us great communication and leadership. It’s been great (having him back) because I think we got better last year throughout the year — and now adding him back, it just makes us better. Then, there’s simple fact that he’s really good. That helps us out the most.”
2. Greg has his OTA report with a ton of good stuff, including a looming battle at the punter position. There are also some thoughts on the return of Hightower, as well as the sight of Trey Flowers and Julian Edelman and where they are at this point in the offseason. Also, it's becoming clear that you don't mess with Brian Flores: "De-factor DC Brian Flores is not shy about making sure things are being done right," Greg writes. "He was heard barking throughout practice."
3. Hightower and McCourty were among those talking about the notion that they don't have a lot of fun in Foxborough. Hightower: “Every guy in that locker room I love like a brother. We have fun, whether we’re out here struggling together, working through blood, sweat, and tears, or back in the locker room, or hanging out outside of football. There’s a time and place for everything, but we know when we walk through the building, it’s time to work.”
4. We got most of Hightower's appearance on video at the on-field press conference after practice.
5. We also have Bill Belichick's pre-practice meeting with the media on video here.
6. Greg was also working the video camera early in the workout and getting shots of a bunch of position groups. Check that out here and here and here.
7. Here's the Live Coverage page from Thursday's practice with a few notes, including some specifics on how Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling during the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 portions of practice. Short answer? Better and sharper than last week.
8. Mike Reiss says the biggest offseason addition to the Patriots might be the return of Hightower. "To the surprise of some, the New England Patriots didn't select a linebacker until the fifth round of the NFL draft, and also didn't sign a linebacker in free agency," writes Mike. "The trickle-down effect is that they will be relying on captain Dont'a Hightower, more than ever, to return to form after missing the second half of the 2017 season and playoffs with a torn pectoral muscle."
9. Tom E. Curran writes on McCourty and Hightower offering their thoughts about the apparently fun-free Patriots, and explains why he did. "Did it to hear from guys who are part of the culture whether they take particular exception to drive-by critiques from people who either have never been here or couldn’t cut it," writes Tom. "They didn’t disappoint."
10. In the new episode of the "Quick Slants" podcast, Tom, Phil Perry and Jerod Mayo discuss Cassius Marsh's comments and Mayo reveals some of Belichick's brutally honest motivational tactics.
Extra Point(s): Martellus Bennett -- who re-defined the term fun -- had some thoughts on Thursday. (Check his timeline for more on the topic.)
After losing for 10 years I found winning extremely fun. What it took to become a winner wasn't fun but the results were sand the guys I won with were plenty fun.
— Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex) May 31, 2018
Players that don’t like their Patriot experience are the ones that can’t take tough coaching, get eaten up by the pressure, blame others for failures and expect things are supposed to be given to them.
— Tedy Bruschi (@TedyBruschiESPN) May 31, 2018