Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Monday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Good morning! A few quick wide receiver updates to get your day started:
--Julian Edelman will have his appeal of his four-game suspension heard on Monday, which means there should be some clarity regarding his availability for the start of the 2018 season sooner rather than later. The wide receiver, who was suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, will apparently mount a "vigorous defense that questions the NFL's handling of his case," according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.
--Malcolm Mitchell played coy when he was asked by the Herald over the weekend about his potential availability for camp, only saying "We'll see." He was on the rehab field the last day of OTAs, and so that provided a glimmer of hope that he might be able to go when late July rolls around. But I'd still ticket him to start camp on the PUP list. Regardless, he's one guy worth keeping an eye on this summer.
--A lot of good conversation in the comments regarding my deep dive on Eric Decker from Friday. We also ran a poll that showed BSJ subscribers were in favor of the Patriots signing him. No updates on that front as of yet, but it's another situation worth monitoring as the season draws closer. For what it's worth, I have to imagine that in some small part, the Decker and Mitchell situations are intertwined. The Patriots are all about creating competition at each spot, but if Decker is added, it probably doesn't bode well for Mitchell and his health.
Oh, and a reminder -- the finale of the NFL Network's "Top 100" is Monday at 8 p.m. Can Tom Brady hold on to the No. 1 spot?
Now, on with the links...
1. My Sunday notebook looks at how things might be different for the Patriots this summer without any joint practices. There are also a ton of other nuggets, including how the Patriots stack up against the rest of the league when it comes to sacks over the last five years, whether or not New England will be a player in the annual supplemental draft, and why the rookies are still sticking around Foxborough for just one more thing between now and the start of training camp.
2. I took a deep dive into Decker's game. He might not end up in New England, but a look at his film and inside the numbers reveals the fact he's not your usual end-of-the-line veteran looking for a Hail Mary with the Patriots.
3. Greg had a dynamite Friday afternoon Q&A where he tackled a bunch of different stuff.
4. I've got a Monday afternoon Q&A set to kick off at 3. It's going to be my last Q&A before vacation, so let's have some fun, everyone.
5. Miguel went deep inside the numbers to take a look at what Isaiah Wynn's deal means for the player and the team.
Extra Point: One of our favorite, old-school Twitter accounts pays tribute to one of our favorite, old-school players.
Steve Grogan under center for the Patriots, looking naked without the neck roll. pic.twitter.com/7W8IAMO3L9
— SportsPaper (@SportsPaperInfo) June 24, 2018