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.
It's the last week of the preseason, which means there will be plenty of personnel updates between now and Saturday.
There were a couple of moves on Sunday, as Eric Decker announced his retirement and defensive back Eddie Pleasant was released. I'd expect a couple more between now and Saturday, just as a way to start the process of getting the roster to 53 players.
Someone asked me this during last week's Q&A, and the answer is worth repeating, at least in this context: in my experience, the Patriots have likely settled on 90 percent of their roster at this point. There are questions at the back end of the depth chart at a few positions -- wide receiver, running back, etc. And there will be some trade opportunities that will pop up between now and the start of the regular season. But the truth of the matter is most of the debates have been settled. We'll see if this week brings any real surprises, but all in all, the 2018 team is close to coming into focus.
--The Monday schedule has Bill Belichick's press conference at 12:30, media availability at practice at 1:15 p.m., my weekly chat at 2 p.m., and the locker room opening at roughly 3:15 p.m.
--After three weeks of preseason action, Jeremy Hill is 10th (107 rushing yards) and Mike Gillislee is tied for 11th (100) in the league in rushing. And Cordarrelle Patterson is tied for sixth with 11 catches and is 11th in the league overall with 126 receiving yards.
--If the Patriots really need reinforcements at wide receiver, maybe they want to give old friend Doug Gabriel a call. Part of the 2006 Patriots receiving corps, the guy teammates called "Space Ghost" turns 37 on Monday.
Now, on to the links...
1. My weekend notebook is already a little dated -- it led with the wide receiver situation, but that was before Decker announced his retirement. But there's still plenty of good stuff, including a conversation with ex-Patriots assistant Pepper Johnson on what it's like coaching under Belichick. “You need to be aware of everything,” said Johnson, who was an assistant under Belichick from 2000 through 2013. “You never know what he’s thinking the night before. You get up early thinking you’re prepared with your t’s crossed and i’s dotted, and he hits you with a question out of right field you never anticipated. Basically, you need to be prepared for everything.”
2. Decker announced Sunday he was going to retire, walking away from the game after eight seasons and three-plus weeks with the Patriots. So where does this leave the New England receiving corps? Well, expect a lot of talk about Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and just about every free-agent receiver left on the market. I don't necessarily by those moves, but that's where the situation is at this point.
3. Pleasant is also set to be released by the Patriots. Why would New England make the move a few days before it had to?
4. Greg has his breakdown of the Patriots defense from Friday night. In two words? Not good. But there are a few positives, including Vincent Valentine. (The offense is on the way later Monday.)
5. Tom Brady ended his Monday morning interview with WEEI abruptly after he was asked about Alex Guerrero.
6. I'm going to have a Monday afternoon chat that is set to kick off about 2 p.m. Get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
7. Mike Reiss' weekend notes lead with Patterson talking about the welcome he got from Brady when he showed up in New England. "The first day I met Tom, we did a charity event here and he came up and introduced himself, 'What's up?' and he said my name. I was like, 'Damn, he knows who I am. That's the greatest quarterback of all time and he's saying that to little old me?' It was an honor."
8. Mike also offers his take on Decker's decision to walk away from the game.
9. Phil Perry takes a run at another 53-man roster projection. (Warning.....it's a slideshow. Proceed with caution.)
10. The NFL called fewer helmet penalties in Week 3 of the preseason. (For what it's worth, there were none in the Patriots-Panthers game.)
Extra Point:
Am I going to run or pass? Just kidding, I'm going to run. pic.twitter.com/E6vxd4knra
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 24, 2018