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 Texans have an opening for a new GM. The last time they had such a vacancy, they wanted Nick Caserio before settling for Brian Gaine. (The Patriots denied Houston a chance to talk to Caserio.) As of Friday, Gaine is gone ... so will they come after Caserio again? From this viewpoint, there’s certainly nothing wrong with Houston at least inquiring about the possibility of talking to Caserio again. The Patriots’ personnel chief has interviewed once before for a GM job — back in 2014 with the Dolphins — before returning to New England. Could the Patriots give him permission to talk with the Texans this time around? Would he be interested? And what would New England do if Caserio did depart? All legit questions at this point, as a whole new intriguing offseason subplot could be brewing in Foxborough.
--Good questions in the comments section of this week's NFL Notebook on college "touches" and how much they might impact the career of a running back at the NFL level. Here's the all-time list of the most college carries. One, I have to believe Ron Dayne's ridiculous workload in college contributed to what can only be described as an underwhelming professional career. And two, it's interesting to see where some ex-Patriots are on this list -- Ralph Webb (33rd overall, 931 carries), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (38th, 920 carries) and Kevin Faulk (73rd overall, 856 carries).
Now, on with the links…
1. One last shoutout for my weekend notebook, which includes a conversation with former Patriots fullback Heath Evans about the state of the New England running game, as well as his thoughts on James Develin. There’s also look at the possibility of the Texans poaching talent from the Patriots’ front office, get New England player rep Matthew Slater’s thoughts on what’s next when it comes to the looming labor talks, I talk to the guy who is currently wearing No. 17 for the Patriots to get his thoughts on whether or not he has what it takes to reverse the curse … and much more.
2. In the wake of the three-day minicamp, I emptied out the notebook with a ton of stuff on as many guys as I could. Proud of this one — set aside some time to check it out heading into summer break. (At the very least, check it out for the comments, where there’s some really good back-and-forth about a number of different players.)
3. Greg had an epic Q&A Friday that pretty much ran the gamut. Check out the transcript here.
4. Mike Reiss looks at the influence Julian Edelman has already had on rookie N’Keal Harry.
5. The highly esteemed Gil Brandt of NFL.com projects stats for the top five rookie receivers, a group that includes Harry. Brandt has the Patriots’ first-round pick finishing 2019 with 45 catches for 601 yards and five touchdowns. That yardage would be tops for any rookie receiver in the Bill Belichick Era. “Harry has a legitimate chance to set a new high-water mark. First, he'll have plenty of opportunities as part of a receiver depth chart that looks (on paper, anyway) rather pedestrian, aside from Edelman. If Harry can prove himself a reliable target for Brady, he could be fed the ball a lot,” says Brandt.
6. No word — as of early Monday, anyway — whether or not the Texans have requested permission to talk with Caserio for their suddenly vacant GM job. Martin Mayhew and Ray Farmer are the two who have interviewed for the gig to this point.
7. Ex-Patriot Jacob Hollister is opening some eyes in Seattle. “Terrific acquisition, he has had a great camp,” Seattle OC Brian Schottenheimer said of Hollister late last week. “The speed element is awesome, really good route-runner. A lot like Tyler (Lockett) in terms of the instincts, just the ability to get open. He has a great feel for coverages, man and zone, things like that … He has been a great acquisition, he really has.”
8. Mike Johnson of Pro Football Focus looks at the league’s most balanced offensive lineman by PFF grade from 2018, and Shaq Mason makes the list as an honorable mention behind Dallas’ Zack Martin. Says Johnson: “Mason’s 78.4 run-blocking grade ranked first among offensive guards, while his 79.1 pass-blocking grade was a career-high mark. In total, Mason allowed 20 pressures all season long and only allowed one sack.”
9. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report looks at the one player for each team with the most on the line heading into training camp. In New England, it’s Matt LaCosse. “LaCosse has a chance to seize a major role in New England's offense or fade into obscurity,” says Sobleski.
10. Got our usual Monday afternoon Q&A set up and ready to roll. Get your questions in now, because it’s going to be … wait for it … epic.
Extra Point:
Best combined regular season & playoff win-loss percentage for any team in a DECADE since the NFL-AFL merger.
The Patriots have won 77,7% of their games since the start of the 2010 season. They could finish 2019 with a 3-13 record and still would be on top of this list! pic.twitter.com/4RF5f6L3u9
— René Bugner (Rainbowcave) (@RNBWCV) June 6, 2019