Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Tuesday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Short week, which means lots to get to this morning. With this week's game on Thursday night, it means Tuesday is actually Friday. Got it?
--Catching up with a few ex-Patriots a quarter of the way into the 2018 season:
Chandler Jones (ARI): 3 sacks, 11 tackles
Malcolm Butler (TEN): 1 interception, 4 passes defensed, 23 tackles, 1 sack
Jamie Collins (CLE): 1 sack, 2 passes defensed, 20 tackles
Dion Lewis (TEN): 43 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD; 18 catches, 116 yards
Danny Amendola (MIA): 13 catches, 121 yards
Brandin Cooks (LAR): 26 catches, 452 yards, 1 TD
--Our buddy Ben Austro of "Football Zebras" says Shawn "Son of Ed" Hochuli will work as the referee for Thursday's game between the Colts and Patriots.
--With the Thursday night game on tap, that means Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be on the call. It'll be their first New England game of the year for the duo.
--Sounds like the earliest we're going to hear from Julian Edelman is after Thursday's game.
Tuesday’s Schedule
9 a.m.: Conference call with Bill Belichick
12:40 p.m.: Conference call with Frank Reich (media workroom)
2:30 p.m.: Media Availability at Practice
5-5:45 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and Devin McCourty (media workroom)
Now on with the links...
1. It's been a long time since the Patriots have had Edelman, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and James White all on the same field at the same time. As long as Gronkowski's ankle allows it, they could reassemble, Voltron-style, on the field Thursday night against the Colts.
2. Brady and Belichick had nothing but good things to say about the job Josh Gordon did Sunday against the Dolphins. Good first step for the receiver.
3. The notebook leads with the hypothetical injury report offered by the Patriots. If New England had practiced, Gronkowski would have been a DNP because of his ankle.
4. Another classic Overreaction Monday Q&A with the BSJ subscribers. Lots of good vibes ... as opposed to last week. Camp Sunshine, as one subscriber put it. Check the transcript here.
5. Mike Reiss has the story on the Patriots' welcoming Edelman back with open arms. "It wasn't the same without him, man. In the locker room, especially, with him talking," said Stephon Gilmore.
6. Tom E. Curran writes on how Dante Scarnecchia continues to build a Hall of Fame resume.
7. On the Ex-Patriots Podcast -- always a good listen -- Phil Perry and Rob Ninkovich talk about the return of Edelman, and why expectations need to be managed.
8. Pro Football Focus takes another look at the Patriots' 38-7 win over the Dolphins. The PFF crew writes: "Arguably the best player on the field was running back James White, as he caught all eight of his targets for three first downs and a touchdown while adding a touchdown on the ground."
9. Indy's Zak Keefer writes about Colts coach Frank Reich dealing with the fallout from his controversial fourth-down decision on Sunday.
10. Mike Wells, who covers the Colts for ESPN, says that with his latest performance, it's officially time to stop questioning the status of Andrew Luck's shoulder. "He's thrown for 319 or more yards in two of the first four games this season," writes Wells. "Therefore, Luck's shoulder and durability are nowhere near the top of the Colts' list of concerns."
10. Old friend Harvey Langi is going to try and hit the reset button with the Jets -- he signed with their practice squad on Monday.
Extra Point: Brady was pretty chatty on Monday.
Tom Brady was asked today if he could dunk: "Yeah. I haven’t tried in a while, but I think I can. Maybe I’ll put that on my Instagram one day. See if I could do that."
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) October 1, 2018