Sharon Ellman - AP

Would LenDale White suit a different shade of blue?

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Teams have been slapping players with tenders recently (not actually slapping, although that would be amusing to watch), and a couple of very interesting tender sheets have cropped up. The Titans have put a second-round tender on LenDale White; the Jets have put a second-round tender on Leon Washington, and the Ravens have put a first-round tender on Le'Ron McClain.

I've been not-so-secretly coveting those three backs as a potential game-changing solution to the obvious issues with the Pats running game. I'll break them down a little after the jump.

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More photos » Elise Amendola - AP

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Like I've said numerous times before, Bill Belichick is much smarter than I am when it comes to football.  In fact, a lot of people are much smarter than me about football (co-writers on this site), but that's beside the point.  Hoodie is Yoda and I'm, well, a slug at the bottom of his shoe.  As masterful as he is, I still don't subscribe to the "In Bill We Trust" mantra.  There are some things that give me pause.  Like some of the recent player moves.

Logan Mankins: Tendered with a first and third rounder, Hoodie decided to protect a productive guard with the most expensive tender option available.

Stephen Gostkowski:  This one I get.  Assigning a second round tender makes our kicker that much less appealing on the open market.  "G Man" has been good for us.  Maybe he's not in the top 5 (ranked 19th in FG percentage and 10th in touchbacks), but Stephen has been solid for us.  Good move.

Pierre Woods: Woods was tendered at a very low level and could be easily scooped up by another team.  Tied for special teams tackles, what kind of message does this send to a versatile backup and ST resource?  I'm really not sure what Hoodie was thinking here.

Leigh Bodden: Sign.Leigh.Bodden.  Right now, the Patriots' most productive CB is playing the field and looking to see what he's worth.  Why, on earth, is Belichick letting him roam around?  Corner is a position we've struggled with for the past 2 seasons and letting our (arguably) best corner hit the bricks is mystifying to me.  Hoodie needs to lock this guy up.

Tully Banta-Cain: This is a feel good story if there ever was one.  TBC leaves the Patriots for a few years, comes back and turns out to be one of our most productive pass rushers.  With a $6 million signing bonus and $19 million over 3 years if he hits all of his incentives, I can only be happy for him.  He signed a 1 year "put up or shut up" deal, proved his worth, and is now being rewarded.  Congrats, Tully!

Julius Peppers: Rumor is we're going after the 4-3 DE and have made an offer.  If that's the case, I'm feeling better about our pass rush.  With TBC and Peppers, we could be getting closer to a dominant defense.  Oh, and Adalius Thomas might as well continue making barbeque sauce.  Or maybe he'll reunite with his former Ravens defensive coordinator, Jabba the Rex.

Gary Guyton: Solid move to tender him.  Guyton is a hard working kid who is ready when called on.  He was productive when Jerod Mayo was sidelined in the MNF opener against the Bills and has all the qualities and traits of a Belichick coached player.

Who did I miss?  Do you agree or am I talking smack?

Sebastian Vollmer visits a Foxboro elementary school to share his experience of coming to the US from Germany to play football.

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Albert Breer updates the status of the Patriots free agent situation as of 2am this morning:

[The] Patriots have been talking contract with a slew of their unrestricted free agents over the last 24 hours. But one player has been more in demand than all the others, and that player is Leigh Bodden.

I'm told Bodden got strong, immediate interest right at midnight, and that the Patriots were negotiating with him to and through the deadline. Something still could get done. I couldn't nail down the teams, specifically, but our pal Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times did a nice job gathering that info, identifying Seattle, Houston and Pittsburgh as potential landing spots.

Outside of that, I'm pretty sure the door is still open with all their restricted free agents, although it has to be considered an upset that Kevin Faulk -- whose contract talks have been ongoing for a few weeks -- remains unsigned.

Mike Reiss offers a Patriots free agent snapshot.

Tully Banta-Cain -- This is a case where the team and player is a good match and the sides have been building momentum toward a deal.

Leigh Bodden -- The market will ultimately dictate the final outcome, but the eight-year veteran will continue to talk to the Patriots.

Derrick Burgess -- Veteran nickel rusher could return based on the uncertainty at the position, but it wouldn't be a big deal.

Kevin Faulk -- It's hard to imagine the veteran running back playing elsewhere, although he might want to see his market value before signing a deal.

Jarvis Green -- Defensive lineman plans to test the free-agent market and it looks like both sides are eyeing a fresh start.

Chris Hanson -- Patriots seem to be exploring other options at the position at this time.

Stephen Neal -- Starting right guard has gotten lost in the shuffle a bit. While his agent said he planned to test the market, Neal is happy in New England and that makes his return a strong possibility.

Benjamin Watson -- Tight end should draw interest around the league. The crop of free-agent tight ends is not strong.

Vince Wilfork -- The sides have been close to a deal and perhaps the start of the 2010 league year, without a salary cap, is what pushes them through the finish line.

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More photos » Michael Dwyer - AP

It's like pushing over a brick wall from an arm's length away, right?

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There's been talk lately on Pats Pulpit about a potential change to the New England 3-4 defensive scheme. Lots of talk.

In particular, it's been talk about whether Belichick and the Patriots organisation will/should scrap the tried-and-true 3-4 in favour of a base 4-3 scheme. Alongside this discussion is talk about whether the Pats should change the roster and scouting to be more 4-3 friendly, as even theorising about selling the house to buy Peppers and re-jig the entire defensive scheme to suit the needs and strengths of Peppers. 

It would all be airy-fairy stuff it it weren't for the occasional comments leaking out of the Pats camp about the problems with the uptake of the 3-4, including this gem from Patriots Director of Player Personnel, Nick Caserio:

One of the reasons those ideals are so hard to find these days — no matter the body type — is that more and more teams are playing a 3-4 defense these days. Caserio estimated that "half the league is employing some 3-4 type of configuration."

"It is becoming more challenging," he said, "because there are more teams that are essentially looking at the same pool of players, so it kind of limits your opportunities, because you realize you’re really competing really with the rest of the league on that front."

It's harder to draft personnel to fit the scheme - more teams are using it, meaning there's competition. Sure, that makes sense. But is this alone the death-knell of the 3-4 in New England? More after the jump...

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More photos » Winslow Townson - AP

Goodnight, sweet prince - Chris Baker is one of the off-season roster casualties, cut by the Pats this Thursday

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The Pats have released TE Chris Baker, following his 14 reception, 142 yard and 2 TD 2009 effort. This comes as a surprise - Ben Watson is off-contract and destined for free agency with a non-nonsense, show-me-the-money agent, so Baker looked likely to slide up into the number one TE slot if Watson does depart as expected.


It's even more surprising given how useful Baker was in the New England system as a blocker - he played in all the games, he was on the field 60% of the time, and Baker showed ability both as a pass-protector and run-blocker. Whether this is an indication that the Pats are coming to an agreement with Watson is pure speculation at this point, but it's interesting that they'd cut the heir apparent to the number one role when the stock of likely replacement TEs is thin on the ground - Watson would be the best TE to fall into free agency this year and the TEs in the upcoming draft seem more like pass-catchers than blockers.

Benjamin Watson re-signing? Draftees to come? Baker to re-sign after testing free agent waters? Speculate away, people...

Gillette Stadium, like the team, is in the midst of a makeover.

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Mike Reiss explains the next item of business for the Patriots will be to place tenders on their restricted free agents -- Logan Mankins, Stephen Gostkowski and Pierre Woods.

The offers can be at one of four levels. The higher the level, the higher the compensation another team would have to award the Patriots for signing the player away (if the Patriots decided not to match the offer). The levels are broken down this way:

1) Original draft slot

2) Second-round draft choice

3) First-round draft choice

4) First-and-third-round draft choice

Tendering Gostkowski at the second-round level ($1.7 million) seems like the more likely course of action. It would be surprising if another team signed him to an offer sheet when the compensation would be a second-round pick.

Mankins is the team's best offensive lineman and my feeling is to eliminate any risk of possibly losing him.

On Woods, the danger of tendering him lower than a second-round pick is that he would essentially become an unrestricted free agent because he entered the league as a rookie free agent.

Tim Graham (ESPN) Draft Watch: AFC East - New England Patriots.

The Patriots have incredible flexibility entering the draft with four selections among the top 53 slots. They can go any direction they choose, but will Bill Belichick keep his picks or barter them? The Patriots have tweaks to make all over the place, particularly on defense. Fortunately for the organization, Belichick has a much better success rate when it comes to identifying defensive players early. Some of the Patriots biggest draft mistakes on Belichick's watch have been on offense. They found a keeper with left guard Logan Mankins, but didn't connect on such prospects as tight ends Daniel Graham and Benjamin Watson and receivers Chad Jackson and Bethel Johnson. Running back Laurence Maroney has been a contentious pick, too.

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More photos » Michael Perez - AP

How many Backs in your backfield? (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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Cold Hard Football Facts had a nice article on the number of 400 touch seasons a running back had and the relation to his longevity.  The basic gist was that early in their career they might survive a 400 touch season or two, but as age wore on (27 being "old") 400 touch seasons were 'Back breakers.  

We don't like getting hit 400 times in a pillow fight with pink panty-clad college girls, let alone getting hit 400 times by a guy with cannon balls for biceps. Here's what happens:

• A very, very young player (21 to 24) can exceed 400 touches once or twice early in his career, but the  statistical chinks in the career soon appear. 
• A player in his mid 20s – fourth or fifth year in the league – will certainly see his career or productivity cut short soon, if not immediately, by a single 400-touch season.
• And a player who exceeds 400 touches in his late 20s is all done.

The article also said the effective end to a player's career is around 2800 touches.  As Indiana Jones put it, "It's not the years, Honey, it's the mileage."

Looking at 400 touches, what does it mean?  It means the back has had the ball in his hands at least 25 times a game for a 16 games season.  Why at least?  It doesn't count incomplete passes that might also include hits.  So the guy gets hit 25 times a game?  Not exactly, good backs can "bounce off" tacklers, so while they get hit, they keep moving.  In fact a single touch may include 4 or more hits, and as I've already pointed out you can get hit without being credited for a touch. 

Twenty five touches may mean more than 100 hits in a game.  Then you try to heal up and do it all over again next week.  Of course the presence of a solid O-line, a lead-blocking fullback or tight-end might save the runner from some damage, but touches add up to serious damage over time. 

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More photos » Stephan Savoia - AP

4 months ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass wide receiver Sam Aiken as running back Laurence Maroney (39) and Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer (76) block during the third quarter of their NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, 2009. Brady was 29 of 34 for 380 yards and six touchdowns in less than three quarters of play as the Patriots defeated the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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It's cool when a rookie gets some love.  It's also very cool when said rookie can step in and take over one of the toughest offensive line positions: that of protecting the quarterback's blind side.  Matt Light, our "Mr. Reliable" at left tackle, had to soak in the whirlpool for a few games in 2009, so who did they call?  A 6-8 315 lb German named Sebastian Vollmer.  Here Vollmer, take over Matt Light's job and, by the way, you need to do it during one of the biggest regular season games, against the Colts, in Indy.

Sure, Sebastian had a little help with Dwight Freeney due to some very creative chip-and-runs by our wide receivers, but the young lad did a standup job of holding his own.  So standup that he ranked 5th in "Pass Blocking Productivity" among the Top 10 Left Tackles according, to ProFootballFocus.com, a stats website.

Vollmer's a steal at $310,000 compared to Matt Light at $4,250,000 and Sea Bass is tied up until 2012 while Light's contract expires after the 2010 season.  Considering how well Vollmer did and that he's insanely cheap, Matt Light has lost a bit of negotiating power.  I'm a diehard fan and very respectful of everything Light has done for this franchise, but bidness is bidness.

More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

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Some may call Colts President Bill Polian a master of team structuring and player acquisition.  It's hard to argue that given the success Indy has had over the years.  Some may call Bill Polian outspoken.  On his weekly radio show, he's not afraid to tell it like it is, with little regard for filtering his comments.

I simply call Bill Polian a putz.

The man's a highly placed FO guy in a winning franchise and he hasn't learned the golden rule: praise in public, punish in private.  Center Jeff Saturday is livid and he has every right to be.  While my "fan hate" is applied to Jeff and all his teammates, I still have a lot of respect for the man and what he's accomplished; that won't change simply because he doesn't wear my favorite laundry.

Post Super Bowl loss, Bill Polian firmly ensconced his star of fame on Putz Blvd. when he threw his offensive line under the bus:

Polian: "The offensive line, by our standards, did not have a good game. They were outplayed by the Saints' defensive line, I thought, pretty decisively."

Saturday's response:

Head to the 49-second mark here to hear Saturday’s review of Polian’s post-Super Bowl comments indicating the offensive line and special teams were the root causes of New Orleans' Super Bowl XLIV upset of the Colts.

"Hopefully he’ll go back and watch the film and tell us what he wants us to do better or that will come through [Jim] Caldwell," Saturday said.

Billy boy violated that cardinal rule mentioned above and to elaborate a bit, "Don't air your differences out in the media.  Don't let anyone in the organization find something out via that mechanism.  Have some respect for them and tell them to their face."

Contrary to what Polian says, the Colts were outplayed, outcoached, and out everything-ed during that game.  Sean Payton and his staff totally out manuevered the Colts.  It's typical of the loser to say, "they didn't win the game so much as we lost it."  Bullcrap.  Man up and get some sack.  Hoodie did when the Saints hammered our Patriots:

"(The Saints) do what they do," he said. "They were the better team; that was obvious. I talked about it all week; they're a very good football team. There's a reason they're 10-0, now 11-0. Tonight they were better coached, they played better. That's really all there was to it. They just did everything better than we did."

Yup, not a good way to endear yourself to your players, airing out your dirty laundry in the media.  Welcome to Putzville, Bill.  Here's your scepter and a plastic crown from Walmart.  Big surprise, it seems to fit pretty well.

PSA: Jerod Mayo would like to have the same impact on the community as Tedy Bruschi has.

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Tom E. Curran notes Bart Scott's public lobbying for Adalius Thomas to join him is less than shrewd, but the Patriots can make it difficult for AD to reunite with Rex Ryan.

[M]ost (myself included) have theorized the Patriots will release Thomas ASAP. Soon thereafter, he'll sign with the Jets and join his old defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and former teammate Bart Scott where he can torment the Patriots like Mr. Spacely used to get to George Jetson.

In fact, Scott talked about this very possibility on ESPN Radio, saying, "I was hanging with Adalius Thomas for Super Bowl weekend . . . He made it public that he's expressed interest in joining [Ryan]. I think some of his better years of his career have been a part of the Ravens defense and under Rex Ryan's tutelage. It'll be exciting."

But the Patriots can hang on to AD for a good long while. Without a salary cap, the Patriots are in no rush to unload his deal because of finances. They don't have to pay him until the games start. They can merely wait through free agency, the draft, hell, right into training camp. And then, when all the outside linebacker chairs are filled up around the league, they can release AD.

Ian Rapoport thinks Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski may receive the lowest RFA tender.

Gostkowski is solid, very good even, and the Patriots want to keep him. But a two-year guaranteed contract worth a total of $5 million — which is what it would be with two consecutive years of first-round RFA tenders — is a ton for a kicker. It’s almost the average of the top 5 kickers (franchise tag), which is now at $2.8 million.

Instead, the Patriots may tender him at the lowest level, then allow other teams to essentially work out the contract for them. He can shop himself around, see what he’s worth, then watch teams work up a deal. Perhaps he finds a four-year, $10-million deal with a nice signing bonus and a bunch guaranteed. That’s the same as what the Pats would pay per-year for a two-year deal, but it also offers Gostkowski the up-front money and security he’d like. By year three for the Patriots, it’s a bargain.

Or maybe, the deal comes in at four years and $8 million, the Pats match it, and save money. The only risk — and it’s a decent risk — is that someone tries to pay him Sebastian Janikowski money of four years and $16 million. Then the Pats don’t match, lose their kicker, and are on the market.

But it seems like a risk worth taking.

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