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.
Good morning! Nothing epic from Wednesday in Foxborough, but there are a few things worth passing along before we get things started.
--Wednesday marks the start of the one month countdown to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. Man, this season has gone by fast.
--No new updates when it comes to the pursuit of Josh McDaniels and Brian Flores. McDaniels continues to be consistently mentioned as a possibility for the Packers and Browns, while Flores is reportedly in the mix with a variety of teams, including the Packers and Broncos.
--Since he went on IR earlier this season, rookie linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley has been off-limits to the media, but on Wednesday, he had a chance to talk with a few reporters about the death of Tyler Trent, a young man he got to know very well over the last few years. Trent, who died Tuesday after battling a rare form of bone cancer, became a important figure to the Purdue football program.
“He was a hero. He was a hero to us all,” Bentley said of Trent. “A captain in many ways, how he lived. He did more in his time than many of us will do in our whole lives. He made an impact in so many peoples’ lives and became worldwide. The Scott Van Pelts of the world, TNT and that crew, just being able to get on the national stage and share his story, not just for the glitz and glam but just to get a motivation out to other people who might be struggling. During his toughest times, he was finding ways to make other people better rather than complaining about what he may have been going through, which was the worst time of his life.”
--Sounds like Thursday will be the last workout of the bye week for the Patriots, at least as it stands right now. While they will still be in for lifting and treatment over the weekend, unless something crazy happens, the players won't have to be on the practice field again until next Monday.
--Greg is going to be on with Felger & Mazz Thursday from 2-4 p.m. Listen live here.
Thursday’s Schedule
11:40 p.m.: Media availability at practice
2:15-3 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room) and Tom Brady (media workroom)
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg takes a last look back at the Jets' win, and focuses specifically on the work of Brady. Summing up? Watching the film, the quarterback wasn't as sharp as we might have initially thought.
2. The notebook looks at a bunch of stuff from Wednesday, including the fact Brady is set to extend his most unassailable record next Sunday in the divisional round.
3. We've got video of a couple of drills from the start of Wednesday's workout.
4. Here's the transcript from Bill Belichick's podium session on Wednesday, and here's what James White had to say.
5. Our pal Kevin Clark of The Ringer has a good look here at the Curse of the Cap-Eating Quarterback. Fascinating story on the delicate nature of the team-building process when it comes to the quarterback position.
6. Ben Cooper of Pro Football Focus says the Patriots' secondary has what it takes to carry New England through the postseason. "The Patriots are one of two teams with two cornerbacks who have played 200 or more snaps and have allowed a passer rating of 75.0 or lower," notes Cooper.
7. Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com looks at the area of strength and area of concern for each AFC playoff team. For New England, the strength is run blocking and early-down consistency. Weakness? Run defense on first down.
8. Jets CEO Christopher Johnson says his pursuit of the Patriots "keeps (him) up at night."
9. The gang at Football Outsiders gives the Patriots a 12.2 percent chance of winning it all this year. That's fourth-best behind the Saints (25.8 percent), Chiefs (24.9 percent) and Rams (12.9).
10. Is it too early for a weather forecast for Foxborough for next Sunday? Probably, but just in case you say no, it looks like it's going to be partly cloudy with highs in the 30s, and a small chance of precipitation.
Extra Point:
Career Playoff Games Started
Tom Brady — 37
Rest of the playoff QBs combined — 46
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) January 2, 2019