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.
So, Eric Weddle was cut by the Ravens on Tuesday. Should the Patriots be interested?
Honestly, if I was a New England fan, I'd volunteer to pick him up at the airport. That's despite the fact the Patriots have to get younger at the safety position this offseason. Weddle? He's 34. But he was the quarterback of the best defense (at least statistically) in the league last year. He's rock solid -- he's played 16 games in eight of the last nine years. And the one thing that's missing on his resume? You guessed it. A Super Bowl ring. I have no clue what sort of dollars it would take to get him, but this is a guy who was apparently awfully close to signing with New England the last time he was on the market, which should make him all the more intriguing.
“Obviously, I was interested,” he acknowledged when he was asked about the Patriots late in the 2016 season . “I have nothing but high regard, respect and admiration – and envy, quite honestly – of the success of the New England Patriots over the years. Obviously, battling them in my career, it’s always been a great game. I love the way they play, love the foundation, love everything about it. It was definitely on my radar. There were talks both ways, it just didn’t end up (working out).”
--Pro Day slate for Wednesday includes Cincinnati, Colorado State, Kansas State and Northern Illinois.
Now, on with the links...
1. I take a look at what the decision to not use the franchise tag this offseason means for the Patriots going forward. The three guys who might have been candidates to be tagged -- Stephen Gostkowski, Trent Brown and Trey Flowers -- will all be on the market when free agency opens later this month.
2. Miguel has a massive mailbag that includes questions on Josh Rosen, Flowers, tag totals and a lot more. Lots of good stuff in here.
3. Pat Daugherty of Rotoworld ranks and evaluates all 32 of the NFL's coaches. Spoiler alert: Bill Belichick finishes in the top spot. "As head coach of the New England Patriots, Belichick has won 11.3 percent of the Super Bowls ever played," writes Daugherty. "The last three times he lost a playoff game, he hoisted a Lombardi the following year. Belichick’s death star has no design flaws. There are only strengths to be improved upon."
4. The Pro Football Focus team puts the Patriots' 2018 season under the microscope. "The Patriots overcame a few regular season missteps to make yet another championship run," they conclude, "and as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are working together, potential championships are always in sight."
5. One of our favorite national guys is Daniel Jeremiah -- proud to say we knew him before he hit the big time. He doesn't deal in groupthought when it comes to the Patriots, a refreshing change from a lot of analysts. Anyway, his latest mock is up over at NFL.com, and he has the Patriots taking edge rusher Clelin Ferrell out of Clemson at the end of the first round. "Ferrell can set the edge in the run game and he's a very powerful pass rusher," he writes. "He'd look good in New England."
6. ESPN takes a look at just how active each team might be in free agency. When it comes to the Patriots, their prediction is fairly straightforward: "Think of the Patriots' approach last year, and how they lost more free agents than they signed, yet they still wound up winning the Super Bowl. Why change what works for them?"
7. As a follow-up to Greg's column on Josh Gordon the other day, I thought this was interesting -- the receiver is training with ex-Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery in Florida.
8. Marcus Mosher of Bleacher Report has one realistic free-agent target for each team, and says Golden Tate should be the Patriots' focus. Man, if they can find a way to get Tate and Weddle and hold on to Flowers, that's a hell of a start to the offseason.
9. I've got to say, in the wake of our J.C. Jackson story from last year where the cornerback added a couple of inches between college and the NFL, this report really doesn't surprise me much.
10. This whole Charley Casserly thing with Kyler Murray feels like a scripted WWE-style shoot designed to get people talking. I'm not saying it didn't happen. It just feels a bit ... off. Wonder what Belichick thinks?
Extra Point: I don't know if it was Greg's column from the other day or just my optimistic (naive?) nature. But I'm starting to buy into the idea of Gordon being a part of this team before the end of the 2019 season.
Tom Brady sent Josh Gordon some @TB12sports gear ? #Patriots pic.twitter.com/LopLX4f3ua
— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) March 5, 2019