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.
The last open camp practice of the summer -- the 14th session since things started late last month -- wrapped on Wednesday afternoon on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. We'll put the capper on camp later Wednesday, but for now, we've got one quick note.
Happy 68th Birthday to Sam Cunningham, one of the finest backs in franchise history. The USC product and Patriots Hall of Famer rushed for 5,453 yards in nine seasons with the Patriots, and was part of the great 1978 New England team that set a record for team rushing yards in a season that still stands.
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg has a look back at Wednesday's practice, which included multiple players leaving early and a bit of a scare of Phillip Dorsett, who is apparently OK after getting dinged up late in the proceedings. (He had to be helped to the medical tent.) In all, it was another rough outing for the passing game.
2. I took a look at Eric Decker's early drops, and the fact that dropped passes were an issue earlier in his career. Pro Football Focus had five dropped passes for Decker last year, but that was down from an average of nine a year between 2011 and 2015. Thought this quote from Tom Brady on Decker was interesting. “I’ve watched him play a lot of football over the years,” Brady said of Decker. “He knows how to get open, and now, it’s just about learning what we do and how we do it … which is always a little different than how other teams may do it. But you know, he’s worked hard (and) he’s been out here every day. You can tell he’s a real pro, and hopefully he can add something to the group.”
3. Here's video of Brady's media session on Wednesday. Among the highlights? He said he's preparing to play Thursday against the Eagles.
4. My Live Coverage page from the last day of open camp kept you updated all Tuesday afternoon. Lots of good nuggets in here.
5. Really nice story here from our buddy Mike Reiss on the wristband that bonds Patrick Chung and Jack Berry, a 10-year-old who is battling cancer. "People think we just play football, but how I was brought up is that we all bleed red, no one is better than anyone. When people are going through things, you want to help them," Chung said.
6. Tom E. Curran says the Patriots are still afraid of making a long-term commitment to Brady.
7. Andrew Hawkins -- who is a smart, funny, insightful follow on Twitter -- has a theory behind Decker's drops. "From experience, adjusting to the Patriots system has you thinking about what to do SO MUCH, that you lose concentration on routine things," he writes.
8. The Camera Guys catch up with James White.
9. Did you know that Tom Brady not shaking Nick Foles' hand after Super Bowl LII was still a thing? Apparently, it's still a thing. It's not like Foles is going to go looking for a makeup handshake Thursday, though. “I think everyone’s making a big deal about this, and it’s not a big deal at all," Foles said Tuesday of No-Handshake Gate. "I’ve already talked to him before, he’s a guy I’ve always looked up to. You’ve got to admire someone who’s probably the greatest ever and still going strong at even at his age."
10. Pro Football Focus lists the five best tight end contracts heading into 2018, and Rob Gronkowski is at the top of the list. (Their measuring stick for each position? The league’s best players under the lowest amount of guaranteed, annual money.) "Staying on the field has been the only issue for him, but with just 24 percent of his salary guaranteed, the Patriots are somewhat protected there," writes Gordon McGuinness. "Since arriving in the NFL, his rookie season is the only year that he produced a PFF grade of under 90.0 on offense."
Extra Point:
If you went to this game @ Schaefer Stadium on August 15, 1971, did you get home before 3 AM? Or was it closer to 4 AM? @jerrythornton1 @patspulpit @SeanGlennon @cpriceNFL @Chezsports pic.twitter.com/w8WJ4POYRl
— Bob Hyldburg (@BobtheStatMan) August 15, 2018