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When asked on the Hugh Hewitt Show if he might persuade the president not to be upset with players kneeling during the anthem, Carson replied: “Well, I don’t think he has manifested as much animosity in that region lately. And I think we just continue to work with him. He’ll get there.”

Carson’s take runs contrary to Trump’s tweeting over the weekend. He retweeted Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Matt Gaetz of Florida taking issue with the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voting to repeal the policy that required players to stand during the national anthem.

“It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter,” the directors said.

Jordan said, “Let me get this straight, UNITED STATES Soccer won’t stand for the UNITED STATES National Anthem.” In retweeting Jordan, Trump said, “And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!”

There has been renewed interest in the kneeling issue following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked the issue four years ago when he refused to stand during the national anthem because of his views on the country’s treatment of racial minorities. Kaepernick has not played since that season, as he has not been signed.

Trump has returned to the topic frequently over the years, saying at one point that those players who don’t stand for the national anthem should be fired.

2. Hughes in coaching pipeline: Today’s coaching assistants often become tomorrow’s position coaches and coordinators, and with that in mind, the addition of Tyler Hughes to Belichick’s coaching staff this offseason is a notable development. Hughes has a variety of coaching experience at multiple levels, having served as a head coach in college (Snow and Minot State) and high school (Bountiful in Utah). In 2012, he was a quality control assistant at Ohio State under Urban Meyer. In that role with the Buckeyes, Hughes performed advanced scouting, film analysis and data analytics to increase offensive efficiency and productivity.

3. Remembering Reche’s ’06 season: Kevin Faulk, who is in the Patriots Hall of Fame, said one of his primary recollections of being Reche Caldwell’s teammate during the 2006 season was his big smile.

“He was always laughing, always enjoyable to be around, always smiling and he had those big eyes,” Faulk recalled. “He was always willing to help a friend.”

That drop haunted Caldwell into his post-playing career, because up to that point, Faulk remembered how uplifting the 2006 season had been for him.

“He got the best out of himself that year. I don’t think it shocked him, he knew he could do it, but that had been good for him because it really boosted his confidence,” he said.

4. Michel hurt by first-round perception: If Michel, the 31st pick in 2018, was selected two picks later — making him a second-rounder instead of a fringe first-rounder — would the perception of his first two seasons be viewed a bit differently? I say yes. Michel has been solid (but not spectacular) as the Patriots’ lead back through two seasons. But because he carries the first-round tag with him, it never seems good enough in the view of some.

So if Slater, 34, was in position to do the same to help rally communities in challenging times, what would he say? He shared his message during Tuesday’s Boston Uncornered’s virtual fundraising event that honored teammate Devin McCourty.

“When you start looking at people as individuals — not necessarily men/women, not necessarily black/white, not necessarily Democrat/Republican — who they are, what their story is, what their life journey has been like, just try to connect and meet with them where they are. I think we’ve kind of moved away from that, with where we are in our society now. I hope that we can kind of move back in that direction. I have a lot of hope and faith that is something we can move toward as we navigate this uncertain time.”

6. Setting the pace on signings: Through Thursday, a total of about 60 draft picks had been signed, 10 of whom were from the Patriots, the first team to finalize contracts for its entire draft class. This was a result of the team aggressively coordinating remote physical examinations between team doctors and local physicians in the players’ areas.

7. Vrabel’s compliment to Belichick: Titans coach and five-time Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Mike Vrabel joined “The Camera Guys” of NBC Boston for an entertaining, lighthearted interview last week, and shared a compliment of Belichick not often highlighted: His self-deprecating sense of humor. Vrabel reflected on how he used to poke fun at Belichick’s affinity for the 1980s Giants defenses, among other things, telling co-hosts Bill Messina and Glenn Gleason: “One thing I always appreciated [that] Bill did is you can’t ever take yourself too seriously, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself to be able to be part of a team. That’s the same type of culture we’re trying to have here. When they imitate and make fun of me, at least I know they’re listening to me.”

8. Scar still connected: Longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is happy in retirement, but he also remains connected to the organization in a non-coaching capacity. For example, on Friday, Scarnecchia volunteered as part of the team’s second Soup R Bowl event at Gillette Stadium, which benefited 1,500 local military, veterans and their families.

10b. Did You Know: The Patriots are the last team to repeat as Super Bowl champions (2003-04), with the 15-year drought the longest in Super Bowl history.

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After 10 sacks in as many games last year, Garrett is widely viewed as one of the game’s most feared pass-rushers.

But in 2019, Garrett served a six-game suspension for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with his own helmet during an end-of-game skirmish on Nov. 15. Garrett apologized for the hit, calling it a “terrible mistake” that was “selfish and unacceptable.”

The NFL reinstated Garrett in February, and Garrett alleged in an interview with ESPN’s Mina Kimes that Rudolph had called him a racial slur. Rudolph has vehemently denied that claim, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin aggressively defended Rudolph in an interview with ESPN’s First Take, saying he was “hacked off” by Garrett’s comments that neither team corroborated after the fight.

“We do see Myles as a long-term member and pillar in our organization,” general manager Andrew Berry told 105.7 the Fan Baltimore last month. “Great player, great person. Obviously, he did make a mistake last year that he’s learned from. But our confidence in and faith in Myles has not wavered and we’re looking to seeing what he does this year and certainly for years to come.”

Chicago’s Khalil Mack tops all pass-rushers with an average of $23.5 million per year, followed by Dallas’ DeMarcus Lawrence ($21 million) and Kansas City’s Frank Clark ($20.8 million).

Garrett’s agent is Bus Cook, who also represents free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, a player Cleveland attempted to sign this offseason. Opposite Garrett is veteran Olivier Vernon, who’s due $15.25 million in base salary this season.