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.
Loose group of Patriots in Foxborough on Thursday. Guys laughing and cracking jokes in the locker room the last couple of days. Not 100 percent sure as to how things will play out Sunday, but it sounds like it's been a good week of practice so far.
--As for what we're looking for on Friday, much of it has to do with injury. Trent Brown and Rob Gronkowski are the two guys I'm going to be most interested in. If Brown is a DNP at practice, that'll pretty much mean he'll be out for Sunday. (It'll also break his consecutive snap streak -- he hasn't missed a single offensive play all season.) As for Gronkowski, it'll be interesting to hear from him after his abrupt exit from last week's press conference, followed by his DNP on Sunday night. We should also get a chance to hear from the new guys, Obi Melifonwu and Albert McClellan.
--It was good to see Rex Burkhead in pads on Thursday. I know the idea of relying on Burkhead is incredibly dicey given his injury history, but if he can return to game action in December and give the Patriots two good months, it would be a huge boost to this offense. It might be too much to ask for a healthy Burkhead and Sony Michel simultaneously, but you add those two to a backfield with James White and Kenjon Barner, and that would be a good-looking group.
--Brady talked with Jim Gray at halftime of Thursday's game. Here are a couple of the highlights. (Click here to listen to the full interview):
Q: It seems as though the winning kind of takes care of everything, because it seems as though Alex Guerrero (is) back in good standing with the family. Patriots are happy, Coach Belichick speaking nicely about you, everybody is happy and here we go again.
"(Laughter) Well, I think over the last couple of years there’s been so much talk and so much of it is, you know, things that we haven’t said but that people may insinuate or make assumptions about personal relationships and so forth. We’ve always been about winning. We’ve always been about putting the team first. And, you know, we’ve always had a great relationship. We work hard. We want to win. We’ve been at the same organization for a long time, and I think all of us at the Patriots are happy that we’re in the position we’re in with our best football and the biggest games still ahead of us."
Q: Is Coach Belichick maybe just a little bit lighter this year in his approach?
"Well, he’s been very consistent, I mean, all season long. And, you know, it’s hard to compare one year to the others, always different circumstances. But what he does such a great job of is preparing us every week, giving us a great plan, but also creating the urgency that we need. And there’s never an off day that we have. Every day the pressure’s on us to perform at a very high level. And we’ve been able to do that the last six weeks, which has led to a lot of wins. And, you know, he’s as sharp a critic as ever, you know, when we don’t do things right and when we don’t meet his expectations. So those things never change."
Friday’s Schedule
11:15 a.m.: Bill Belichick media availability (media workroom)
12:05 p.m.: Media availability at practice (Upper Grass Field)
1:45 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and Tom Brady media availability (media workroom)
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg asks if the Patriots' reliance on trick plays last Sunday night was par for the course or cause for concern.
2. I spoke with James Develin about why Cordarrelle Patterson has been such an effective runner. “He’s so fast and so decisive when it comes to running, (it) really lends itself to those types of situations,” Develin said. “He reads the blocks well. He’s been doing it with kick returns and all that kind of stuff. He has great vision. I just have to get on my horse a little bit when I’m out front with him so he doesn’t run me down.”
3. Video: Josh Gordon talks about being off the injury report and the challenge of facing Tennessee.
4. The notebook leads with the return of Burkhead to the practice field, and includes a look at the latest injury report.
5. Our Week 10 picks are in. We both like the Patriots to win on Sunday, but our best bets are the Falcons and the Rams.
6. Mike Reiss looks at the New England cornerback group coming together in the post-Malcolm Butler era. “He’s a great person, great player, and I’m happy for him,” Stephon Gilmore said of Butler. “He’s a great brother. I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
7. Tom E. Curran says the Patriots' offensive MVP of the first half of the season is James White.
8. Butler insists there's no bad blood between him and the Patriots. "It went well," said Butler of his time with the Patriots "It didn't end well, but it went great. Those people showed me nothing but love, and I love them back. I appreciate Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Bill Belichick, all those guys. … No bad blood."
9. The ex-Patriots who are now suiting up for Tennessee say their first goal is simple -- not to be intimidated by their old team Sunday. "We can't be mentally defeated walking out there," said Logan Ryan. "You (got to) go out there and believe in yourself. Do your job to help the team. We've (got to) bring it, man."
10. Neither Tajae Sharpe nor Taywan Taylor, Tennessee's Nos. 2 and 3 receivers, practiced Thursday. That leaves the Titans with just three healthy receivers – leading receiver Corey Davis, Darius Jennings and Cameron Batson -- heading into the weekend.
Extra Point:
? Hip Hop Hooray! Rex Burkhead back at #Patriots practice today #WBZ @RBrex34 pic.twitter.com/qorLkgBdIG
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) November 8, 2018