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.
One day away from the preseason opener, as Washington will come to town Thursday night.
--Schedule for Wednesday is a little different. Practice is set to start at 1 p.m., and will run until 2:45 p.m. (For what it's worth, with the preseason opener set for Thursday, I'd expect a relatively light practice session on Wednesday.) UPDATE: Practice is CLOSED to the public on Wednesday.
--Happy 64th birthday to the great Horace Ivory, one part of the best single-season rushing group of all time. Ivory ran for 693 yards and 11 touchdowns for the 1978 Patriots, who still have the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season by one team (3,165 yards).
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg says that based on what's happened this summer, if the Patriots' passing game starts slowly, people should blame Bill Belichick, not Tom Brady.
2. I talked to a few of the Patriots' defensive lineman about the impact of new pass-rush consultant Joe Kim. Honestly, when I spoke with Deatrich Wise after Tuesday's steamy practice, he couldn't stop smiling when it came to the new coach. (Of course, I'm not sure Wise stops smiling for just about anything. One of the most good-natured guys you'll ever meet.) Anyway, he was fired up. “He’s brought a different element to our rush so far — more moves,” Wise said. “He’s also taught and critiqued my pass rush a bit to where I could be in the best position possible. When looking at my moves, he taught me little, small things to look for, so that pressures becomes sacks.”
3. Greg's practice report from Tuesday includes the news of a good day for the youngsters, including quarterback Danny Etling and running back Ralph Webb. Honestly, it was probably Etling's best day of the summer. I mean, he's not going to go to the Pro Bowl, but he looked fairly steady throughout the session.
4. I had the Live Coverage for Tuesday's session locked down. It was a hot one -- the hottest of camp so far. Good day to get some good work in.
5. Mike Reiss was part of the group who got to know Eric Decker on Tuesday after practice. The new Patriots receiver says he quickly noticed the similarities between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. "These guys have played a lot of football and they understand how to win, what the formula is," Decker said. "I took a lot of just the habits, you know how he came to work, how he took care of himself physically, the way he watched tape, the way he practiced, the extra work he put in. Those things that translate over to Sunday and I believe Tom’s the same way just being around him the last few days."
6. Decker has a jump start on learning the offensive schemes because of his time with Josh McDaniels in Denver, according to Phil Perry. "There is (some carryover)," Decker acknowledged. "There's obviously things that have changed over time. There's some carryover. I was able to take and quickly learn. And there's a lot of new stuff too that I need to catch up on and get ready to go."
7. What did Rob Gronkowski do on his two off days? Recovered. Oh, and played "Call of Duty."
8. Bashaud Breeland? Anyone? I wonder how much of it is just due diligence and how much is genuine interest. If this was a regular season game, spending some quality time with Breeland -- a former Redskin -- would certainly make sense. But this is only the preseason. We'll see.
9. You want a blueprint for leaving an organization in a class way? This is a blueprint. "My heart hurts, but I smile when thinking about all the love, support and patience you have given me."
10. Our buddy Kevin Clark of The Ringer has an interesting look back 10 years ago to the birth of the Wildcat. (It's part of their "2008 Week.") That Patriots-Dolphins contest was one of the more memorable games I've ever covered -- it was the first (and maybe the only time) I've seen a Bill Belichick-coached team caught completely unaware.
Extra Point: The Camera Guys never disappoint:
Back in the day. The Patriots used to drive their cars to practice at an old psychiatric facility in Wrentham. This Patriots OG helped change it all. @WillieMcGinest @TheHall @Patriots pic.twitter.com/p90Klc8gK0
— The Camera Guys (@NBCSCameraGuys) August 7, 2018