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 quick notes before we kick things off this morning:
--Carl Cheffers is going to be the referee for Thursday's preseason finale in North Jersey. The veteran official has been the referee for a handful of Patriots games the last few seasons, most notably Super Bowl LI against the Falcons. He's starting his 11th season in the NFL as a referee.
--On Tuesday night, long snapper Joe Cardona was presented the 2018 New England Patriots Ron Burton Community Service Award for his outstanding commitment in giving back to the community. Cardona is the 16th Patriots player to receive the award and the first to do so while also serving as a lieutenant junior grade in the United States Navy. “Joe is a Patriot in the highest sense of the word, on and off the field,” said owner Robert Kraft.
--No media availability on Wednesday, as per usual the day before a game. The next access we'll get is a conference call with Bill Belichick on Friday. No word yet on how things might shake out this weekend, but we'll keep you posted.
Now, on with the links...
1. We got some time with the assistants on Tuesday morning. Greg talked with Dante Scarnecchia about Trent Brown, and the fact we might see a rotation at left tackle to start the season.
2. Our notebook looks at a second consecutive day of practice for Sony Michel and Marcus Cannon. There are also a bunch of quotes from some of the assistant coaches, including Scarnecchia, Chad O'Shea, Brendan Daly and Nick Caley.
3. Julian Edelman talks about what he was able to accomplish this summer, the state of his knee, and what he's going to be doing during his four-game suspension.
4. I spent some quality time Tuesday night talking Patriots with Adam Jones of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
5. Mike Reiss talks with Scarnecchia about Brown and how he seized the left tackle position this spring and summer.
6. Phil Perry says that as the preseason is winding down, Belichick and the Patriots are keeping their eyes open for potential additions.
7. Ben Volin spoke with some TV broadcasters (namely, Tony Romo) who get the unique opportunity to sit with Belichick before a game in the pre-production meetings. Some good stuff here. (Subscription required.)
8. The Camera Guys catch up with Shaq Mason.
9. The Giants' starters aren't expected to play Thursday night against the Patriots.
10. Former NFL quarterback Zac Robinson -- a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2010 who currently works for Pro Football Focus -- takes a look at some of New England's offensive concepts and shows why the Patriots’ empty sets are so effective at creating impact plays.
Extra Point:
WATCH: A GREAT moment during Bill Belichick's press conference Tuesday...@LevanReid asks about studying other rosters as the #Patriots build their own & Belichick playfully says, "What do you think we've been doing?...We're not having watermelon rolls & badminton contests." @ABC6 pic.twitter.com/mIH2DejM6n
— Nick Coit (@NickCoit) August 28, 2018