FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. With the Patriots making a flurry of personnel moves to open the 2017 league year, a significant aspect of the team’s trade for Colts tight end Dwayne Allen didn’t necessarily receive its due: It was the first trade between the teams in 32 years, signifying that once-frosty relations have warmed up. With the heated Patriots-Colts rivalry in the early 2000s when Bill Polian was Indianapolis vice chairman, then successor Ryan Grigson a catalyst of starting Deflategate, the Colts were one of the last teams that Bill Belichick would ever think of contacting for a trade.