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.
The legal tampering period starts Monday afternoon. Here's what you have to know:
--It runs from Monday to the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m., and applies to unrestricted free agents only -- no restricted free agents. Players can't take visits, and while agreements can be reached, deals can't be officially consummated until the start of the new league year. And if teams violate these rules, they can be fined or lose picks. As for the Patriots, we should get a feeling fairly quickly on the market for guys like Trey Flowers and Trent Brown.
A few other thoughts from the weekend:
--Antonio Brown got everything he wanted. He got out of Pittsburgh, got paid, will catch 100 passes, be the marquee talent on his team ... and likely never, ever play a meaningful game of football in January for the rest of his career. As far as how it all impacts the Patriots, I'll be fascinated to see where the Steelers end in when it comes to their place among the AFC elite. Are they still a playoff slam-dunk, without Brown and (presumably) Le'Veon Bell? A lot depends on how the rest of their offseason plays out, but it feels like Pittsburgh is a franchise at a crossroads.
--Love the addition of Michael Bennett, but if New England isn't going to re-sign Flowers, it's going to need at least one more run-stuffing presence. Bennett still has the talent to be a hellacious pass rusher, but Flowers is better against the run. Whether they look to free agency or the draft remains to be seen, but as we've said before, there will probably be some substantial turnover along the New England defensive line this offseason.
--I'd expect to see more clarity around Rob Gronkowski's situation this week.
Now, on with the links...
1. One last shout-out for my weekend notebook, which includes thoughts on the Bennett Brothers, returning receivers, an update on the rest of the AFC's elite...and more.
2. Greg has a breakdown of what Michael Bennett might have left, and what he'll likely be asked to do in New England.
3. Miguel has a look at the cap implications of the Bennett deal.
4. I have a look at the deal and a few early thoughts about the long-term implications for Bennett, Flowers and the rest of the Patriots' defense.
5. I spent some quality time talking with the fellas on 92.9 The Ticket Friday afternoon.
6. Greg had an epic weekend Q&A that tackled a bunch of different topics. Check out the full transcript here.
7. Miguel also details some of Julian Edelman's incentives for the 2019 season.
8. There's been some movement since we first posted it Friday midday -- Bennett was traded to New England, while Eric Weddle signed with the Rams -- but check out some of the other defensive free-agent possibilities for the Pats here. (This is a companion piece to our piece on he offensive possibilities, which can be seen here.)
9. Mike Reiss leads his weekly notebook with a look at how the Patriots are taking pride in their use of analytics when it comes to augmenting their scouting work.
10. Got our weekly Q&A. Send me your questions in now, because it's going to be ... wait for it ... epic.
Extra Point: Hmmm...
Justin Houston has an excellent relationship with Patriots pass rush coach Joe Kim from their time together in Kansas City. Will be interesting to see if New England takes a look at Houston, especially if Trey Flowers leaves via free agency.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 10, 2019