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.
Hard to believe it's been almost four months since the start of training camp. But here we sit, a few days before Thanksgiving, at the dawn of the stretch drive. The season has gone by awful fast.
--A rare Tuesday availability session (the holiday means this week's schedule will be a little different) means we'll get our first practice peek a day earlier than usual. We'll be keeping an eye out for the status of both Rob Gronkowski and Shaq Mason, the latter of whom said he was ready to go for this Sunday).
--We'll have a complete look at the AFC playoff picture later Tuesday morning, but the Rams' win over the Chiefs Monday night is good news for New England. It puts Kansas City at 9-2 and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Patriots (7-3) in the race for home-field. New England owns the tiebreaker, thanks to the Week 6 win over the Chiefs.
--Greg is on with the fellas from Felger & Mazz Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. Listen live here.
Tuesday’s Schedule
11:30 a.m.: Bill Belichick press availability (media workroom)
12:35 p.m.: Media availability at practice
3:45-4:30 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and James White availability (media workroom)
Now, on with the links...
1. Chris Hogan may look like an intense guy when he's on the field, but on Monday, while he was at his locker, he was pretty chill talking about his situation. He's had over 100 snaps the last two games and just four targets and no catches to show for it. But he said he's not getting worked up about the situation. “You can’t really concern yourself with that,” said Hogan. “You don’t let any of that really consume you. I think for me, I just kind of go out there and do my job the best I can and try and show up on film as much I can. And whenever the opportunities come my way, be able to make those plays.”
2. I also had some fun talking with guys about Rivalry Week. So it turns out Mason (a Georgia Tech product) isn't talking to any Georgia guys -- David Andrews, Sony Michel, etc. -- until after this weekend's game. (Or at least he's going to try not to speak with them.) And I asked Ohio State's Nate Ebner if he thinks Tom Brady would wager control of his Instagram feed on this weekend's Michigan-Ohio State game. “That sounds interesting. (But) I don’t think the big dog will let me do all that when Ohio State wins,” he added. “I’ve been getting the best of him since, shit, since I’ve been in the NFL. Every year. We’ll see what happens this time. I still don’t think it’s his year this year. But we’ll see.”
3. Another classic Monday Q&A is in the books. Had a lot of fun taking questions from BSJ subscribers about the Pats on both sides of the ball, as well as any potential personnel changes that might be looming down the stretch.
4. Brady took questions from California firefighters on Monday night, and revealed his most fearsome opponent: Ray Lewis.
5. Sounds like Mason is ready to go this week against the Jets.
6. Our buddy Tom E. Curran says the bill for the Patriots' dynasty is coming due this offseason, noting the many expiring deals that are looming. "In little more than two months, we’ll see whether it ends with a head-down walk off the field or fluttering confetti and a trophy presentation," writes Curran. "Either way, it’s coming. Because this is the offseason when the bills come due and decisions they’ve dodged must be faced."
7. Phil Perry has the story from Josh McDaniels' conference call on Monday, where the offensive coordinator explained New Orleans' decision to copy a Patriots play is fairly common practice in the NFL. "I think that’s football," McDaniels explained. "Certainly, if there’s something that we’ve done that somebody else takes, that’s great. We probably steal as much as anybody else, and there’s a tremendous amount of great coaches in our league that do great things and there’s a lot of great players that make those plays go."
8. It sounds like Sam Darnold has a chance to play this weekend. He didn't practice Monday, but unlike the previous practices he missed, he didn't have a walking boot and, afterward, he sounded encouraged by his progress. "It feels good. It feels great," said Darnold, who has started jogging. "Nothing for me to complain about. No pain, either."
9. The Jets sound like an upbeat bunch heading into this weekend's game with the Pats, even after their loss last week to Buffalo. “Morale is up,” coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “We lost the game. We lost it in a bad way. We understand that. You either fight or you fall. All we know how to do is fight. I trust the guys in the locker room and coaching staff to fight.”
10. The Patriots are a 9.5-point favorite this weekend against the Jets, according to OddsShark.com.
Extra Point:
The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to score 50 points and lose. Entering Monday, NFL teams to score 50+ points were 216-0 all-time, per @EliasSports. pic.twitter.com/vZmVva3iPL
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 20, 2018