Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
So what game are you most excited for? Brady-Mahomes III? The banner drop against the Steelers? Or maybe a chance at revenge when the Patriots visit the Linc in November?
Regardless, the 2019 schedule -- released Wednesday night -- is chock full of intriguing matchups. It's hard to look past the rematch of the AFC title game in November. (Which would have made a perfect opener, for what it's worth.) But New England-Pittsburgh is always great theater, and I'm going to be fascinated to see how the Steelers respond to an environment where they'll have to sit and watch another Super Bowl banner being unfurled.
Something alert commenter "Patsjam" noticed -- the four-game stretch at the start of the regular season looks relatively easy. Four games against four teams that failed to make the playoffs last year. If you are looking to use the first month to find your footing, this is the sort of schedule that can help you. On the flip side, there's a five- or six-game stretch (that's wrapped around the bye week) that includes five straight games against five playoff teams from 2018, as well as a young and hungry Browns team.
One last note, via Pro Football Talk: The Lions will have an NFL-best 12 more rest days than their opponents over the course of the season, while the Patriots will have an NFL-worst 13 fewer rest days than their opponents, according to Brian Burke of ESPN.
Now, on with the links…
1. Greg delivers a great column here looking at the pros and cons of a potential Patriots' trade for Josh Rosen. He talks with some execs around the league about the idea of New England trading for the young quarterback, and comes away with this terrific quote from one front-office man who painted this picture of what it might be like if the Patriots did land Rosen: “There would be a lot of swear words.”
2. We go deep on our draft coverage with a look at the running back position — not a position of need for New England this spring, but Bill Belichick has surprised before. We have two early possibilities and three late ones. And call me crazy, but I’m really starting to buy into the idea of Stanford’s Bryce Love as a late-round pickup and stash for 2019.
3. The 2019 regular-season slate was released Wednesday night, and we take a look at each New England game on the schedule. A few surprises — five prime-time games in 2019, as well as a November replay of the AFC title game, and a handful of intriguing matchups against some high-profile opponents and ex-assistants.
4. Miguel offers a detailed look at Demaryius Thomas' deal with New England, a contract that appears to be stacked with incentives.
5. Check out the full 2019 regular-season slate here. Two Patriots' games make NFL.com's list of the Top 10 revenge games of 2019. And using Warren Sharp's analysis, we can see who has the easiest slate.
Football is a very fun game.
Schedule 2019: Bad #Patriots lip reading edition. pic.twitter.com/qVcil6ALLg
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 18, 2019