Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Friday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Another long night of baseball, and starting Tuesday, they'll be more to come. Heck of a year for the Red Sox, and they're not done yet. Personally, I'm rooting for a Boston-LA World Series because it would pair nicely with our prediction of a Patriots-Rams Super Bowl, but we shall see. (Truth be told, Patriots-Packers and Sox-Brewers would also be pretty sweet.) In the meantime, let's kick off the day with a few notes.
--Clay Martin will serve as the referee for Sunday's game. In his first year as a referee -- he was an umpire on Ed Hochuli's crew -- this will be his first New England game as a lead official. Learn more about about Martin here.
--According to weather.com, it's expected to be clear with a high of 50 on Sunday in Chicago. Excellent football weather. Remarkable to think the Patriots were playing in plus-90 heat last month in Jacksonville.
--The Khalil Mack Ankle Watch continues, as he wasn't at practice on Thursday. Not saying his availability will tilt the balance of the game -- I still believe the Patriots take this thing regardless, getting their first road win of year. But it will definitely change up some game plans for both teams if he can't go.
--I wonder what Brian Flores thought of last night's Cardinals game. Yikes.
Friday schedule
11:15 a.m.: Bill Belichick press availability (media workroom).
12 p.m.: Media availability at practice.
1:45 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and Tom Brady media availability (media workroom). Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon also expected to speak with reporters.
Now, on with the links...
1. I was part of a group of reporters Thursday who got a few minutes with Dont'a Highower, and he sounds like someone who feels like he's trending in the right direction. “I feel like I’m getting better each week, and hopefully, I’ll continue to do that,” Hightower said after Thursday's practice. “I still missed a couple of plays (against Kansas City). Missed assignments or whatever. Just going to keep striving to be better each week.”
2. I spoke with anonymous NFL scout on Wednesday, and he had some ideas of what he thinks is going to happen Sunday in Chicago. “Chicago can stop the run,” he said. “But when this Patriots team gets that run game going, that offense is almost unstoppable, now that Edelman is back. And they build that play-action back in there, and they look really unstoppable.”
3. Our Week 7 picks include plenty of love for the Patriots, Rams and Falcons.
4. Video: Devin McCourty visited the media workroom on Thursday, and talked about the challenge of facing the Bears this weekend in Chicago.
5. The notebook looks at the fact Marcus Cannon was the only guy on the roster not present at the start of practice on Thursday.
6. Phil Perry goes inside the numbers to look at how the return of Edelman has transformed the Patriots' offense.
7. Mike Reiss looks at Brady, and says that if New England has a "closer," it's the veteran quarterback.
8. No Mack, and no sign of wide receiver Allen Robinson at practice for the Bears on Thursday.
9. The Bears defense is welcoming the challenge of facing Brady this weekend. “(Brady’s) one of the greats,” said Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan. “(Our young players have) been seeing him play for a while. You’ve just got to be on your P’s and Q’s. You can’t give him little things. And you got to lock into your man, lock him down and you can’t let him get the advantage and go out here and just throw the ball around. You’ve got to make him uncomfortable and make the plays when they come.”
10. According to Pro Football Focus, rushing yards should be at a premium on Sunday -- the Bears have the best run defense in the league, while the Patriots are third.
Extra Point: One of the more underrated moments of Brady's career...
Patriots-Bears 2006: Brady jukes Urlacher! #GoPats pic.twitter.com/53MbUhbOlO
— New Account (@ftbeard_17) October 18, 2018