ATLANTA -- 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.
--In the midst of the pre-Super Bowl hype here in Atlanta, both teams reminded us Wednesday that -- oh, yeah -- there's a game this weekend. Each team had a roughly 90-minute workout on Wednesday, with the Patriots spending time indoors at Georgia Tech. (Bill Belichick remarked that with so many skyscrapers in the vicinity, an open-air practice probably wasn't advisable.) Meanwhile, the Rams had their usual Wednesday walkthrough in nearby Flowery Branch at the Falcons' facility.
--No big bombshells to come out of either media get-together, but I did think it was interesting Devin McCourty retreated from the retirement hints he dropped Monday.
--Patriots are still 2.5-point favorites.
--Thursday looks to be another busy day, with the Rams holding their availability in the morning, with practice around midday and the Patriots' set to hold court late in the afternoon.
Thursday’s Schedule
9:45 a.m.: Sean McVay press availability
10 a.m.: Aaron Donald press availability
10:15 a.m.-11 a.m.: Player/coach availability for Rams
4 p.m.: Bill Belichick press availability
4:15 p.m.: Tom Brady press availability
4:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m.: Player/coach availability for Patriots
Now, on with the links...
1. I have to be honest with you guys -- this was one of my favorite stories. The NFL isn't always the most empathic league, but Jack Easterby is working to change that, one small act at a time. This is my one-on-one with the Patriots' character coach, a genuine and engaging guy who has become the spiritual centerpiece of the franchise.
2. A win over the Rams on Sunday would secure a unique place in Patriots' history for cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Because he isn't interested in self-promotion, we got some great quotes about Gilmore from his teammates, including former high-school rival Cordarrelle Patterson. “Steph pretends like he’s quiet, but he can talk so much shit, man. It kills me,” Patterson said with a laugh. “These days, he does some talking on the field. He doesn’t say much. But back in high school, we used to compete all the time, and he was always taking smack, man. For real.”
3. Greg writes on Wade Phillips, and the fact he may have a surprise up his sleeve when it comes to Sunday.
4. What does it mean that Malcom Brown (calf) turned up on the Patriots' injury report Wednesday? Defensive line coach Brendan Daly put it all in perspective. “We’ll see how it goes, but I wouldn’t say it’s a five-alarm fire,” Daly said. We have the latest there, as well as summaries of both practices and Devin McCourty walking back any sort of retirement talk.
5. Spent some quality time talking with 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland and 560 WQAM in South Florida.
6. So much video goodness -- Belichick, Gilmore, James White,
7. Mike Reiss tracked down former Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell, who says that despite his numerous knee surgeries, he's still interested in returning to the NFL. “I’m still motivated. I’m still encouraged. I’m recovering -- the last surgery totaled out to be No. 10, and it takes a little while to come back from it,” Mitchell said. “But I am working my way back. And I’ll be back.”
8. Todd Gurley -- who still insists his knee is fine -- and Aaron Donald are among the Rams dreaming of delivering signature plays in Sunday's Super Bowl. “Every year, there’s definitely one play that needs to be made or has to be made that adds kind of like the game breaker,” Gurley said Wednesday. “So somebody’s going to have to make one.”
9. Philip Rivers, who faced both the Patriots and Rams this season, offers up a good look at what both teams have to do to win. (First tip? Don't melt down if your team struggles in the early going.)
10. At his annual state of the game press conference on Wednesday, Roger Goodell faced a lot of questions, but didn't have many answers.
Extra Point:
Robert Kraft held a gathering with reporters after Roger Goodell’s “state of the NFL” news conference, and one thing he said was that there wouldn’t be any reservations about extending Tom Brady’s contract past 2019 based on age. Brady enters the final year of his deal in ‘19. pic.twitter.com/x7zi3YYv9M
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 30, 2019