Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Wednesday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
--First, a quick word: I'm going to be taking a few days of vacation the rest of the week. There are a couple of stories I already have ready to roll, so you'll still see a few things from me the next few days. But "First and 10" will be taking a few days off.
--No tags on the first day the window was open. Teams have until March 5.
--Here's a final series of links to our positional snapshots: running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, quarterback, special teams, defensive line, linebackers, and secondary.
Now, on with the links...
1. I finish up our positional snapshots with a look at the defensive backs. In a year where they were the stingiest defensive group from start to finish, it was Stephon Gilmore who led the way.
2. Miguel has a look at the history of the Patriots' approach with the franchise tag under Bill Belichick, and what history might be able to tell us when it comes to what might happen this year.
3. Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN Tuesday Rob Gronkowski is continuing to mull his options when it comes to retirement. “He’s thinking it through, he’s giving it a lot of thought. ... I imagine a decision will happen in the next couple of weeks,” said Rosenhaus.
4. What are the odds the Patriots could reach some sort of accord with the Steelers on a possible deal for Antonio Brown? History says it isn't great.
5. The Dolphins added another former Patriots' assistant to their staff Tuesday when Mike Judge joined Miami. Judge was a coaching intern with New England from 2001-04, and was a quality control coach with the Patriots in 2005-06. Most recently, he spent the past 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Navy.
6. C.J. Anderson told FS1 on Tuesday Todd Gurley II "was more hurt than what we thought." Well, yeah. Anderson also had some really interesting stuff to say about what happened in Super Bowl LIII, noting New England "slowed down a lot of our big plays and it was frustrating."
7. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus looks at 10 immediate impact free agents, and Jason McCourty makes the list. "The 31-year-old corner allowed all of 84 yards in three games during their postseason run and notched four pass breakups," writes Renner. "He’s obviously getting up there in age, but the production is still there."
8. Nate Davis of USA Today has one franchise tag candidate for every team. When it comes to the Patriots, he goes with Stephen Gostkowski. "He'd come much cheaper than DE Trey Flowers or LT Trent Brown," reasons Davis.
9. UMass receiver Andy Isabella says he's been training with Randy Moss when it comes to preparing for the draft. I'd expect a ton of Isabella talk between now and draft weekend, especially locally.
10. Forget the Antonio Brown/OBJ talk. If I'm the Patriots and I see Emmanuel Sanders unwilling to accept a restructure, THAT gets my attention. I honestly don't know how much he might have left, but he drew New England's attention a few years ago. Is he worth revisiting this time around? If he hits the market, I say bring him in.
Extra Point: Had some thoughts about this video...
-Given the magnitude and context of the siuation, No. 10 should be MUCH higher.
-By my count, on No. 3, he had more time snap-to-throw than any pass all year. Almost 6.5 seconds.
-No. 2 was one of his more underrated passes of the year.
-Surprised we didn't see at least one throw from the Chicago game. Maybe that fourth-down pass play to Josh Gordon?
???. Enough said.
The Top 10 Tom Brady plays of 2018! pic.twitter.com/4LhnLLTOA8
— NFL (@NFL) February 18, 2019