New England Patriots Links 3/10/10 - Patriots Lock Up The Future, Cut Tie With The Past
Mike Reiss recaps Robert Kraft's interview with sports radio WEEI on Tuesday and this comment stood out:
"It's the chemistry in the locker room. You guys know how many games are lost in the locker room, if you have a few bad apples who lead people along the wrong way. So we have to put all that together, and we've been able to sign a number of our guys this year that we felt were No. 1 or 2 in the marketplace. If we had to go out and sign someone else, and bring someone else in here, we wouldn't have the same knowledge of that individual."
Leigh Bodden straight from his twittering fingers:
I Love U NE!
Vince Wilfork gets his star turn in Reebok's new Zigtech commercial. Now get outta here!
TEAM TALK
- Paul Perillo isn't too impressed with the
nonames the Patriots have brought in for a look so far in free agency. - Paul Perillo talks about the tight end situation.
- Ask PFW: Open season.
- Patriots Football Weekly interviews Vince Wilfork as he discusses his new deal with the Patriots. (12.43 min. audio). WEEI provides the transcript.
- Patriots Today - Wilfork's reaction. (1.50 min. video)
- Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft gives an interview on WEEI's "The Big Show" Tuesday. (47.35 min. audio) WEEI provides the transcript.
LOCAL LINKS
- Albert Breer details how the Bodden deal got done and why Green is now a Bronco.
- Ian Rapoport notes Leigh Bodden's return closed what would have been a gaping hole in the team's secondary.
- Christopher Price puts Leigh Bodden in the spotlight.
- Albert Breer breaks down the Wilfork contract numbers and how it works out to $40 million. Includes $1,185,000 worth of weight bonuses over five years.
- Mike Reiss thinks Vince Wilfork now has to take his leadership to a Tedy Bruschi-type level.
- WEEI provides the transcript of Vince Wilfork's first interview after signing his contract. He talks about negotiation, frustration and satisfaction.
- Ian Rapoport reports Vince Wilfork said he never wanted to leave.
- Albert Breer notes Robert Kraft broke the news on WEEI yesterday that the Patriots signed LB Marques Murrell, a former Jet special teamer.
- Mike Reiss offers his thoughts and analysis about the Patriots losing Jarvis Green.
- Karen Guregian and Ian Rapoport report Kevin Faulk disputed the report that said the Patriots had yet to contact him. He did receive an offer from the team but declined to elaborate on the negotiations.
- Christopher Price reports Faulk's agent says the Eagles would be 'intriguing' to the veteran running back.
- Mark Farinella sums up the Pats recent news, but doesn't have much use for the cliff-hanging, soap-opera-like, twitter-drama that went on with the Bodden deal.
- Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag. Lots of good insight here as usual.
- Mike Reiss notes RB James Starks (University of Buffalo) is scheduled for a private workout with the Patriots on Friday.
- WEEI notes after a weekend of free agents moving, here’s what draftniks around the web think the Patriots should do in April.
- Albert Breer went to ESPN.com's free-agent tracker, and lists -- after five days -- the Top 20 unrestricted free agents still available, as ranked by the Web site's scouts.
- Daniel Kobialka wonders if the Patriots should go after WR Derrick Mason.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Mike Reiss (ESPNBoston) Robert Kraft, Vince Wilfork weigh in on a busy day for Patriots.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots win out in compensatory forecast.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Pats sign their own, but must look outside.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Hits and misses: Which AFC East CBs can't tackle? New England had the division's most efficient group.
- Pro Football Focus Tackling Inefficiency Rating (Part 1)
- Peter King (SI) MMQB - Tuesday edition. Jets take good risk on Cromartie; Big Ben clarification.
- Don Banks (SI) Roethlisberger, at very least, has been guilty of serial bad judgment.
- Mark Kriegel (Fox Sports) At best, "Pig" Ben's image is shot.
- Michael Tunison (Sporting News) Big Ben Beef Jerky safe, but for how long?
- Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Mock Draft 2.0. Pats pick OLB Brandon Graham (Michigan) at 22.
- Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) Impact potential of 3-4 rush linebacker class.
- Ralph Vacchhiano (NY Daily News) Giants shake off concerns about Jim Sorgi's shoulder, sign veteran QB to be Eli Manning's backup.
- Jack Bechta (Nat'l Football Post) Pro days can give prospects a second chance.
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16 comments
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Comments
my 2 cents
a) its awesome that we will get 4 7th round comp picks…too bad we dont get a 3rd rd comp pick
b) Mason…dont sign him…i dont want another 36yr old vet…who drops passes on 4th down and a wide open td throw against the steelers
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.....159 mph is my top speed..will top that this spring
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
(formerly mathew.40)
Think of the 7th round picks...
…as littler bartering chips to move up in rounds.
Or we’ll use them as training camp fodder.
by Richard Hill on Mar 10, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions
With 4 compensatory picks, there's enough 6ths and 7ths to use however you like
That Pats picks can be traded around; the compensatory picks can’t. Given there’s 4 of them, I’d project the Pats to burn a couple of picks on maybe-perhaps-possibly guys – probably skilled position roster-fillers and training camp bodies, and perhaps a couple of backups to positions they fill in the first couple of rounds. And I wouldn’t rule out the Pats taking a punter, either – Hanson seems on the outer.
If the Pats do actually go DE/OLB/WR in their first three or four picks, I would not be at all surprised if they go DE/OLB and WR in the conditional picks, too – just in case they crop up another Myron Pryor-like surprise to back up the Ron Brace-like early-round struggler. They might also target a young RB in a low round to try out as a special teamer/BJGE-like backup – the 2010 version of Patrick Pass, perhaps.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 10, 2010 4:09 PM EST up reply actions
Absolutely
The seventh round is really only good for three things:
1) Taking a chance on a long-shot and hoping he turns out to be a diamond in the rough.
2) Bodies for the practice squad.
3) Taking talented players who might not ever play because of other commitments (e.g., military, professional baseball career)
I'd add in a fourth
4) project players that may or may not adapt to their unusual/hybrid/converted role – Julian Edelman as QB → WR and Patrick Pass as core Special Teamer → backup HB → starting FB being the obvious examples.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 10, 2010 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
You just never know what you'll get. It's hard to generalize.
Bodden was a UFA. Not even drafted. A good personnel guy might have realized that what looked like a longshot to others, wasn’t.
To your list and because I think the Pats’ staff goes to this depth, it’s also a good round to pick up guys that you can see address the needs of other teams. Trade bait, in other words.
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Mar 10, 2010 6:08 PM EST up reply actions
Ah, I figured it was slightly different
“diamond in the rough” guys being guys who might win a starting role by surprising people, and ‘project guys’ being one who’ll never earn front-line starts, but will fill a specific role pretty well.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 10, 2010 6:51 PM EST up reply actions
Tom Brady is the exception
Very few guys taken in the sixth or seventh round ever really amount to anything, let alone turn into Hall of Famers. What you’re really hoping for is someone who everyone’s overlooked who could nevertheless turn into the kind of guy who ends up in the Hall of Pretty Darn Good.
by RSNexile on Mar 10, 2010 6:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Hall of Pretty Darn Good - I like that.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Mar 10, 2010 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
7th rounders are virtually useless in trade
Besides, you can’t trade compensatory picks.
Vince's D.
I’m looking forward to this. If Vince really is about to become the vocal veteran leader of the defense, I’m interested to see what we get. In the modern era, this started out as Willie’s D. Then it was Tedy’s. Then Rodney came in and — no slight to Bruschi — took over as the face of the defense and bolstered its character with his own. I’ll be very interested to see if Vince is the kind of guy who grows in the leadership role. Rodney and Tedy made the whole D better when they were on the field, largely due to the force of their particular personalities. I’m eager to find out what kind of a defense you can have when it gets its identity from the Nose.
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Mar 10, 2010 6:01 PM EST reply actions
A quiet one...
Apparently Mayo’s being more vocal in his leadership, and Meriweather might get more vocal if James Sanders can’t make the field regularly again. I guess Wilfork’s the first guy because he’s the one with most experience, but if Mayo and/or Meriweather usurp him in the vocal leader/captain role, I don’t imagine Wilfork will be upset.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 10, 2010 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

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