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.
A few quick notes before we kick things off this Friday morning.
--If you're going to the game on Sunday, I'm trying to figure out the logistics for a (relatively) quick BSJ meetup in Miami, if even for an hour or so at the stadium. I'm getting in Saturday night, so maybe we can make something happen before kickoff on Sunday. I'll Tweet out some info the night before or that morning, and we can try and hook something up.
--Looks like there might be some rain in the forecast for Miami on Sunday. Here's the forecast, via weather.com.
--The line is Patriots by 7.5 points or so heading into the weekend.
Friday’s Schedule
11 a.m.: Bill Belichick press availability (media workroom)
11:40 a.m.: Media availability at practice
1:20-2:05 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and Tom Brady media availability (media workroom)
Now, on with the links...
1. Coach Cory Bailey delivers another winner -- this time, he breaks down the new-look Patriots' pass rush.
2. I take a look at New England returning to Florida for the first time since their September loss to the Jaguars. Three months later, this is a far different team. “We’ve come a long way,” said special teams captain Matthew Slater.
3. Video - Josh Gordon talked after practice about staying "locked in." And we have a pair of videos from the start of practice.
4. Greg and I have our picks for the week. We both like the Patriots to break through against the Dolphins in South Florida, while our best bets' are the Seahawks (Greg) and Chargers (me).
5. The notebook looks at the fact Brady and Rob Gronkowski were both taken off the injury report. There's also the latest on the health of the Dolphins.
6. Greg has a Friday afternoon Q&A that's set to kick off at 1. Get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
7, Mike Reiss looks at the growing relationship between Gordon and Brady. (Speaking of Brady, he also had his Thursday chat with Jim Gray, where they discussed the Dolphins on Sunday, watching film and calling audibles at the line of scrimmage.)
8. Why has Miami been a danger zone for Brady in the past? The splits are unlike any he has in his career: He's 7-9 vs. the Dolphins in Miami, and has thrown 15 interceptions in those games. Brady is 15-1 vs. the Dolphins in Foxborough, with the lone loss coming in a Jan. 1, 2006 game in which Brady played only the first quarter before giving way to Matt Cassel.
9. Our buddy Joe Schad from the Palm Beach Post looks at Ryan Tannehill's run of home success against the Patriots.
10. Dolphins DC Matt Burke, a Bay State native, has been a man under siege this year. On Thursday, he defended his record.
Extra Point: Congratulations to Devin McCourty, who was named the Patriots' nominee for the 2018 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
#Patriots owner Robert Kraft presenting @McCourtyTwins Devin as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Award pic.twitter.com/mS8dpgsH8h
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 6, 2018