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.
--Tuesday was another condensed day, as everyone tries to play beat the clock to get ready for Thursday night. The Patriots aren't going to be in pads this week in hopes of trying to stay as healthy as possible for the contest with the Colts -- it'll be the third game in 12 days for New England. It's going to be interesting to see if Rob Gronkowski will be able to give it a go Thursday night. The big tight end was a DNP on Monday and Tuesday, and wasn't in the locker room during media availability both days. We've seen guys get healthy late in the week before, but at this point, I'm thinking he doesn't play. That means the long-awaited on-field reunion of Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, James White and Tom Brady will have to wait another week.
--Good work by Miguel on this story of Kenny Britt filing a salary grievance against the Patriots. Second wide receiver in less than a month who decided to make such a move -- Malcolm Mitchell did the same in September.
--Can confirm the report the Patriots had offensive tackle Andrew Nelson (Penn State) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman (Central Florida) in for workouts. Always keeping those emergency lists updated.
--Happy Birthday, Eric Rowe. Best birthday present, as far as he's concerned? Coming off the injury report.
--No media availability on Wednesday, but we have a bunch of stuff on the way throughout the day, including the latest edition of the BSJ NFL Power Rankings, Miguel's Mailbag, and a story from Doc Flynn on the health of the Patriots heading into Thursday's game against Indy.
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg's breakdown of the win over the Dolphins has plenty of terrific info. As always, well worth your time.
2. I talked to Kevin Faulk and some others in the New England locker room about what's next for Sony Michel.
3. If Gronkowski can't go Thursday night, Dwayne Allen says he's ready to go.
4. Gronkowski, Rowe and LaAdrian Waddle were DNPs at practice on Tuesday.
5. Video: Edelman didn't talk with us in the media Tuesday, but we have video evidence of him warming up at practice.
6. Greg spent some quality time with the guys from Felger & Mazz Tuesday afternoon.
7. Bill Belichick said Adam Vinatieri's "Snow Bowl" kick was the greatest he's ever seen.
8. The Camera Guys catch up with center David Andrews and get the secret to his closeness with Brady.
9. Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star looks at former Patriots defensive back Kenny Moore, a youngster who has made his mark with the Colts.
10. Greg Doyel of the Star says the once-proud New England-Indy rivalry has become a cynical joke. "Remember when Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots was something special? Before it unraveled from the NFL’s finest piece of art to its most embarrassing reality show – before 'Masterpiece Theater' became 'Jersey Shore' – people were comparing Colts-Patriots to Lakers-Celtics, to Ali-Frazier. And Colts-Patriots delivered."
Sounding like Ed Helms in The Hangover, a player walks through the #Patriots locker room as a crowd of media gathers near Edelman. “We are back. We are back. We are getting Edelman back!” @BostonSportsBSJ
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) October 2, 2018