Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Monday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
You know what? I kind of enjoyed the AAF. I mean, no one is going to confuse it with the NFL. But there was a modest feel to the whole thing -- it wasn't trying to be something it isn't, and if it remains comfortable with modest gains, I can see it being a real developmental league for players, coaches and officials. It was also good to see some ex-Patriots like Kenneth Farrow get some quality TV time -- Farrow, who was on New England's practice squad at one point this past season, scored a touchdown for San Antonio. All in all, it was a good start with good TV numbers. The key now, going forward, is going to be all about sustainability. Can it continue to deliver a quality product? And will people tune in? We shall see.
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg has a really good, in-depth look at what a Greg Schiano defense might look like in New England. Greg has spent a lot of time talking with Schiano, both on and off the record over the years, which should give him a pretty good feel for what things might look like for the Patriots' defense in 2019.
2. My notebook from the weekend is chock full of good stuff. We take a tour of the AFC East with three beat writers, examine just how much cap space the rest of the AFC elite will have this offseason, catch up with Otis ("O-T-I-S") Smith to get his thoughts on Ty Law getting into the Hall (and a few other things), and hit on some of the Patriots' looming priorities this offseason. That, and a whole lot more.
3. Brendan Daly's contract is up, and so New England's defensive line coach is off to join the Chiefs. I found Daly to be a smart, passionate guy who was always down to defend his guys. For what it's worth, I echo Greg's feelings -- I can see Bret Bielema taking over for Daly as the new DL coach.
4. Daly wasn't the only departure -- Brian Flores' staff in Miami will have a distinctly New England feel, with Chad O'Shea, Josh Boyer and Jerry Schuplinski among those who headed for South Florida this past weekend. Look for a couple of the coaching assistants to make the leap this offseason, including DeMarcus Covington.
5. Miguel dropped a new mailbag that covers a bunch of questions, including ways for the 2019 Patriots' to create a little cap space.
6. Greg had an epic weekend Q&A. Check out the transcript here.
7. Greg also offered his Super Bowl LIII breakdown of the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball.
8. Mike Reiss has his weekend notebook, which includes his thoughts on why Julian Edelman was the one to take home the MVP award.
9. One more little piece of "Mic'd Up" video from the Super Bowl that may have escaped your line of vision. This is interesting -- Sean McVay realizing the Patriots' defense was taking a page from the Bears' playbook early in the Super Bowl.
10. I'm going to have the first Overreaction Monday Q&A of the offseason. Make sure to get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
Extra Point: Felt weird hanging around all day Sunday. Had to check.
Just needed to double check this afternoon to be sure. #offseason pic.twitter.com/A8xluwrKZe
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) February 10, 2019