First and 10: Recapping Day 1 of minicamp and resetting things for Day 2

Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Wednesday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.

A few leftover thoughts from Day 1 of mandatory minicamp:



--No doubt there was an added buzz in the air on Tuesday for Day 1. It was fun to watch Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but there was also the fact Julian Edelman and Brady were together on the field again, at least in front of the media. Edelman was under the radar on Tuesday, but it marked the first time he spoke with reporters following a workout this spring.

"I mean, it's been good (to be back)," he said after spending some extra time after practice working with Brady. "Anytime you get to go out and see the fellas and play with them and talk with them and be in the huddle and look at guys and participate in drills ... I mean, that's what you play the game for, ultimately. It was tough to watch it all on the sideline last year. And to come out here and just to do little things, strap on the helmet, puts (it) in perspective (just) how lucky you are to get to play the game."

One other thing about Edelman -- he wasn't wearing a knee brace on Tuesday, and said he has no plans to wear one this season. When it came to cutting, he explained why he was feeling so confident.

“Your confidence is built through your preparation, your fundamentals,” he explained. “We’ve been working really hard at those things. It’s one of those things where each step you take, you’re prepared for that step.”

--Edelman, Gronkowski and Devin McCourty all drew the biggest media crowds after practice. McCourty was asked if things take on a different vibe now and things change because (almost) the entire roster is on the field.

"No. Honestly, it doesn't," he said. "We come out here and play. X's and O-wise, yeah. You put (Rob Gronkowski) out there, defensively we kind of want to know where he's at. Then with Tom out there, you know he's making right plays. He's always tough to go against defensively, but maybe because I've been here for so long we're used to that. But it was a good day getting out here (with) guys competing, and just continuing from what we've already started kind of with OTAs."

--One of the questions that is still to be addressed -- the Patriots have the final stage of the spring workouts set for next week, a non-mandatory series of practices. Will Brady and Gronkowski be there?

--Here's Wednesday's schedule:

11 a.m. — Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick media availability (practice field)
11:25 a.m. — Practice
1:30 p.m. — Approximate end of practice and start of player availability. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Brady will speak, but we shall see. Team BSJ will keep you updated.

Now, on with the links...

1. Greg has a comprehensive recap of everything you need to know about Day 1. His biggest takeaways include thoughts on Brady, Gronkowski, Sony Michel, Kenny Britt, Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn. A ton of good, thoughtful stuff in here. (Greg also talked with Felger & Mazz later in the day about what he saw -- check out that segment here.)

2. I've got a look that focuses on how the energy level was considerably higher with Brady and Gronkowski on the field. The biggest thing that struck me? Gronkowski looked positively giddy when he was out there, whooping and hollering. Guy just looked happy to be playing football again. “It just felt really good to be back out on the field,” Gronkowski said. “That’s what matters most. I enjoyed it a lot (Tuesday). I love playing the game of football. The game of football is fun when you’re feeling good. If you’re not feeling good — I mean, myself, (and) I’ve asked many other players — you really don’t like the game of football.”

3. Spent some quality one-on-one time with Deatrich Wise after Tuesday's workout. Wise is sneaky funny -- on the heels of an interview he conducted with another reporter, I asked him if he had a few moments to speak with me. "No, I was just going to talk to them today," he said with a completely straight face ... before waiting a beat and cracking a big smile. "Nah, I'm just kidding. What do you want to know?" Whew. That story is here.

4. Our Live Coverage page from Tuesday's workout was briefly interrupted by a few raindrops, but we pushed through and provided some quality information as practice continued. (Not all heroes wear capes, you guys.) One thing worth passing along that I think needs to be mentioned? We're talking a lot about how the return of Dont'a Hightower will impact the defense, but Vincent Valentine -- who was out all last year as well -- popped a few times as an interior pass-rush presence. A guy worth keeping an eye on.

5. I got my video camera working and provided visual evidence of Brady and Gronkowski hitting the practice field.

6. There's also multiple videos of Brady and the rest of the quarterbacks going through their paces here and here.

7. Mike Reiss focuses on Gronkowski, who said he skipped out on the earlier workouts because he wanted to "take care" of his body.

8. Props to our pals Moose and Glenn, also known as The Camera Guys. They always seem to get something funny and different. After practice on Tuesday, they tracked down Chris Hogan for a chat.

9. For a national perspective, Jarrett Bell of USA TODAY writes on Belichick saying Tuesday that he's always had a good relationship with Brady.

10. Old friend Nate Solder, now with the Giants, said he never had a problem with how the Patriots operated. To him, the "fun" came in the results. "I never had an issue with that. I feel like you should always push people to be the best that they can, and the fun comes in the level at which you're playing," Solder said of the occasionally intense atmosphere in Foxborough. "I mean, it's not fun to lose games. It's not fun to play bad football. The fun is playing well."

Extra Point: Am I the only one who thinks it's funny Gronkowski referred to himself in the third person in his own Instagram post, but called himself "Roberto"?

True feelings ? "I feel like I'm just going to do what's best for myself and take care of myself, because if I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of anyone else and help out the team." Roberto said. "It just felt really good to be back out on the field, and that's what matters most," he said. "I enjoyed it a lot today. I love playing the game of football. The game of football is fun when you're feeling good. If you're not feeling good, myself, I've asked many other players, you really don't like the game of football. But if you're feeling good, your body feels good, your mind feels good, the joy of playing the game of football is off the charts. At the same time, if you're not feeling good, it can be awful.”

A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on Jun 5, 2018 at 5:06pm PDT