Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Thursday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
I'm not going to say it was a slower Wednesday than usual down in Foxborough, but I'll just say there was leftover pizza in the media workroom at the end of the day. And there's hardly ever leftover pizza on Wednesdays.
That's just one sign the Pats are not exactly in the media spotlight this week. (Of course, there is a big baseball event going on...) Part of it is because of the World Series. Part of it is because it's a Monday night game, which means everything gets pushed back a day. And then, there's the fact the Bills maybe aren't as compelling as some of New England's recent opponents. Anyway, BSJ was front and center at Gillette on Wednesday, and have a couple of updates worth passing along.
--No sign of Rob Gronkowski and Sony Michel (among others) at practice. The Patriots do have the extra day, but we shall see how it all shakes out the rest of the week. And we saw Marcus Cannon walk out at the end of the open media session. My guess is Cannon be listed as limited if New England had to put out an injury report on Wednesday. (The first injury report of the week is Thursday because it's a Monday night game.)
--One thing worth keeping an eye on -- Josh McDaniels sort of hinted in his Tuesday conference call at the fact the Patriots might not have done such a great job handling things in "that type of environment" at times last year. "We lost 70 yards, I think it was, the last time we were in Buffalo through negative plays, sacks, penalties. We didn’t play very well (and) didn’t handle it very well last year on our side of the ball," he said of last year's game in Buffalo. "We’ve got to do a lot better than what we did." I did wonder if McDaniels' statement was at least a partial reference to Gronkowski's infamous encounter with Tre'Davious White late in the contest. Regardless, a prime-time game in Buffalo has the potential to be ... eventful.
Thursday’s schedule
11:40 a.m.: Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott (conference call — media workroom)
12:30 p.m.: Media availability at practice
3:45-4:30 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room)
Now on with the links...
1. Had a blast doing this story -- I talked with a dozen guys in the locker room on Tuesday after practice, and I asked them two simple questions: Which guy currently on the roster would make the best coach when they were done playing? And why? Some good thought and input from a bunch of players here.
2. Video: James White talked about asking questions "like a coach" and why he does it.
3. The notebook touches on a few different things, including the fact it sounds like Patrick Peterson is no longer on the trade market.
4. Kenneth Farrow, who remains a possible depth addition to the 53-man roster, talked to Mike Reiss about his spot on New England's practice squad.
5. Phil Perry says Bill Belichick won't let the Patriots sleep on the 2-5 Bills.
6. Rookie corner Duke Dawson, who made an appearance at practice on Wednesday, might be in the mix for a spot on the 53-man roster sooner rather than later.
7. A lot of players in for workouts this week in Foxborough, but no running backs.
8. Former Patriots coach Rod Rust passed away at the age of 90.
9. New England is the largest road favorite of the season this week against the Bills.
10. Nick Shook of NFL.com has a trade proposal for each NFL team -- he says New England should deal for Denver's edge defender Shane Ray before the deadline.
Extra Point:
With Derek Anderson slated to start Monday, that will mark the 13th different starting QB the #Bills will have deployed since Tom Brady entered the league in 2000. #Patriots
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 24, 2018