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.
When it comes to the combine, here’s the weekend workout schedule, as well as a few things to keep in mind:
Friday: Running backs, offensive linemen, special teamers, kickers.
Saturday: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends.
Sunday: Defensive line, linebackers.
Monday: Defensive backs.
--I say this every year, but every year, it bears repeating: Keep an eye on the 3-cone times, as well as the short-shuttle work. I'm a bit of a 3-cone obsessive, but I truly believe it's one drill above just about everything else that can make the Patriots take notice. Straight-line speed is one thing, but New England really prizes short-area quickness. So let everyone else drool over the 40 times -- if you're a Patriots' fan, watch the drills that measure change-of-direction skills and agility, particularly when it comes to the receivers and defensive backs.
--You're going to have more and more players meet with the media over the next few days, and they'll talk about the teams they met with. Pay attention to it, but take it all with a grain of salt. A lot of players meet with a lot of teams, and it can all start to cause paralysis by overanalysis if you read too much into every single situation.
--Have fun. Even though players aren't necessarily doing football things, this is a time for you to get a good look at some guys and see how their skills might translate at the next level. Get to know the next generation of talent. Pick a draft binky. (My own personal favorite was Connor Barwin. I was convinced he was the answer to the Patriots' pass-rush woes in 2009.) This is your chance to play amateur GM -- take your best shot and try and figure out who might look good in a New England uniform in 2019.
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg continues his grading of the 2018 team, with this segment focusing specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Bottom line? The offensive line was awesome, but there were some dropoffs in some other areas.
2. At the combine, Rams coach Sean McVay had a chance to revisit some of the coaching mistakes he made in Super Bowl LIII. When you lose a Super Bowl, I'm always curious as to how the loser views the game film, and whether or not they can view it dispassionately -- I remember Matthew Slater saying once it took him a long time before he could work up the appetite to revisit a Super Bowl loss.
3. Another great offseason Q&A that ran the gamut, from Robert Kraft to the franchise tag to draft possibilities. All sorts of good conversation -- check the transcript here. (We'll return to our usual Monday afternoon sessions going forward...)
4. As reported by several outlets, the Patriots' character coach Jack Easterby has left the organization. Easterby was a remarkably unique guy on the staff -- I got to know him over the course of Super Bowl week, and had a lot of fun writing this story on him. A truly special guy who has held in very high esteem throughout the organization.
5. Jim Whalen was named the NFL's Most Outstanding Trainer for his work this past season, it was announced Thursday. The award is voted on by the NFL Physicians Society. Whalen has served as an athletic trainer in the NFL for 19 years -- he started as an assistant with the Bucs in 2000, and became the head trainer for the Patriots in 2002.
6. John Simon tells Mike Reiss he would welcome a return to the Patriots.
7. Jason Witten is coming out of retirement. For the record, the "Monday Night" crew of Joe Tessitore, Witten and Booger McFarland had a 1-0 mark in New England games in their one season together.
8. Matt Patricia used to be the defensive coordinator with the Patriots, and is now the head coach of the Lions. Darrell Bevell used to be the offensive coordinator with the Seahawks and is now the OC in Detroit. They say they have agreed not to talk about Super Bowl XLIX. “Totally was not part of the conversation at all,” Patricia said at the combine. “I think there was kind of a mutual eye connection that said we’re not going to talk about that and we’ll just move on to now.”
9. Jon Gruden has a lot of love for Tom Brady. A lot of love.
10. Interesting piece here from Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report on Kansas City pass rusher Dee Ford, who said he's not going to let one mistake -- like lining up offsides for a key play in the AFC title game against the Patriots -- define his career.
Extra Point: Look, when it comes to Martellus Bennett, it can be tough to know when he's just goofing around when he might be serious. But two things come to mind here: One, if this was true, I would drive to the airport to pick him up myself -- he's that good a quote. And two, I'm thinking this was a result of Witten's decision. Either way, it lightens up the offseason a bit.
@RobGronkowski ????? pic.twitter.com/GOvXT2lBUG
— Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex) February 28, 2019