Field Yates reports former coaches of Patriots draft pick Alfonzo Dennard are willing to stake their reputations on his character, despite his arrest.

"That isn't who he is, that's never been who he is, and that's not going to be who he is in the future," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "And I put my reputation, and I put everything I stand for as a football coach behind that young man.

"He is a tremendous young man, and one who you want not only representing you as a football player, but the type of kid you want in your community, the type of kid you want representing your organization," Pelini continued.

"For four years, I didn't have a problem with that young man in any way. He did things exactly how we asked him to do them here, and the way we handle our kids, we don't make it easy on the kids in our program. We hold them to high standards every single day."

"We had some young [defensive backs] on our football team last year, and he was kind of the veteran guy, and I told them all, 'You just follow what Alfonzo does and you'll be fine. You just follow his lead and you do as he does.' He prepares the right way. He handles himself on the field and off the field the right way."

Karen Guregian notes Wes Welker hit on the importance of Tom Brady having trust in all of his weapons.

"You can have all the ability in the world in our offense," said Welker, "if you’re not where Tom wants you to be, it’s just not going to work. Ultimately, we all work together. It’s everybody being in the right spots, and the right spacing, at the right times. That opens everybody up, so when everybody’s doing that, there’s that trust out there.

"You know this guy’s going to be in the right spot. And this guy’s going to be in the right spot. And from there, Tom can just make his decisions and not worry about a guy being in the wrong spot, or not being there, or there, or there.," Welker went on. "It just makes things so much easier. It makes the offense flow so much better when everyone is where they’re supposed to be."

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On Friday, the New England Patriots announced the signing of another rookie free agent, as they agreed to terms with Jon Opperud, an offensive lineman out of the University of Montana. Opperud, 22, was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as a UDFA in April, but was released last week.

Opperud (6'7, 300 pounds), was a three-year starter at Montana. As a true freshman, Opperud saw action all over the place as a true freshman, and earned the starting left guard job in 2009. The coaching staff then transitioned him to their starting left tackle for his final two seasons.

Opperud becomes the eighth undrafted rookie free agent and third offensive lineman to be signed by the Patriots. He will join Jeremiah Warren out of South Florida and Markus Zusevics out of Iowa. As for what kind of player the Patriots will be getting in Mr. Opperud, check out the scouting report done by Pro Football Weekly on him:

Tall, slow-footed, FCS blocker who played tackle and guard as a three-year starter. Relies on positioning and technique to control defenders, as he is not strong enough to generate power on his own. Is intelligent, tough and competitive, though his intangibles outpace his athletic ability.

One of the free agent safeties that the Patriots reportedly had expressed interest in is now off the market. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, former Miami Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell has decided to sign with the New York Jets:

A league source tells PFT's Mike Florio that Bell has signed with the Jets on a one-year, $1.4 million contract. The deal includes a $200,000 signing bonus, a $1.1 million fully guaranteed base salary and a $100,000 workout bonus.

Bell was expected to sign today after making visits to the Eagles, Jets, Chiefs and Titans since being released by the Dolphins, and now the deal with the Jets is done.

This isn't really a big hit for the Patriots, who were also reportedly interested in signing LaRon Landry earlier in the offseason, who also signed with the Jets. Bell, while a reliable and experienced veteran, has been known to be a liability in coverage. And while the Patriots, according to one report, had "expressed interest" in Bell, they never even brought him in for a free agent visit. Nonetheless, I thought Bell could have made a nice addition as a reliable back-end option.

Now, Bell goes to the division rival Jets. And while Bell certainly helps the Jets, upon further review, this might not be terrible news for any pass-happy 2012 opponent of the Jets. Both Bell and Landry are notoriously bad in coverage, and are both known more as in-the-box safeties. Their primary back-end communicator of the last few years, Jim Leonhard, remains an unrestricted free agent. Eric Smith remains on the roster, but is far from a reliable option. The next safety on the depth chart is likely 7th round draft choice Antonio Allen. For a Patriots team looking to threaten down the field in 2012, the current state of the Jets safety group shouldn't make Tom Brady and the Patriots revamped passing attack sweat too much (although facing Darrelle Revis always will).

The New England Patriots recently hosted a former rival on a free agent visit to Gillette Stadium this week. According to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe, former Indianapolis Colts tight end visited the Patriots on Tuesday for a free agent visit.

Patriots fans, of course, know Clark from his years with the Colts from 2003-2011, when he was one of Peyton Manning's favorite targets and was a pain for the Patriots defense on many occasions. Considering his previous success against the team (while not statistical, Belichick always heavily gameplans against him), it really isn't surprising that the Patriots have interest in Clark.

That being said, considering the depth and young talent the Patriots have at the tight end position, it's a bit surprising that the Patriots even have an interest in the soon to be 33-year-old Clark. Rob Gronkowski is arguably the best in-line tight end in the league, while 3rd year Florida product Aaron Hernandez fills the role that Clark did all those years with Indianapolis. That's not to mention newcomer Daniel Fells, who the Patriots paid a hefty contract this offseason, presumably to take over the #3 tight end slot.

My guess with Clark: the Patriots are doing their due diligence on a long-time respected opponent. Don't expect a deal to go down, as Clark will see more money and better playing time opportunities elsewhere.

Field Yates checks in with FB Spencer Larsen's college coach Mike Stoops for some background.

"He was very quick. He was quick to the football and quick at the line of scrimmage," said Stoops, who now serves as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma. "Certainly that’s a lot what fullbacks have to do -- get on defensive linemen and linebackers very quickly at the point of attack. He’s a fearless guy that played downhill as a linebacker and just kind of switched roles up between a linebacker and a fullback. They’re similar in a lot of ways."

"His football IQ made that transition probably a little simpler," Stoops said. "Because of him playing [linebacker], he understands angles very well and understands what they’re trying to accomplish from a defensive perspective, I think it makes him probably a much smarter football player."

Stoops noted Larsen's off-the-charts intangibles, toughness, competitiveness, and stated that Larsen "had a great attitude about everything he did."

Karen Guregian says Wes Welker is out to prove he's worth a long-term contract, just like he's proved naysayers wrong his whole life.

"If they see me out there at OTAs and minicamps and everything else, and I’m still out there winning and doing what I need to do to help the team win, you know what, the ball’s in their court to make something happen," Welker said yesterday. "That’s kind of my mindset. To go out and show them I deserve it."

"That’s the only thing — staying healthy. And I will. I’ll be fine," Welker insisted, almost willing the football gods. "To me, in my mind, this is really a two-year, $21-$21.5 million deal (applying the franchise tag a second time). Because I’m going to play well, do my thing, help the team win games, and we’ll be at the same spot next year. I’ll make $21.5 (million) in the next two years, and that’s totally cool with me. And we can just do it a year at a time like that, and that’s fine."

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Erik Scalavino explains why the no-huddle offense isn't used more often during games - and it has nothing to do with the Patriots' lack of defense last year.

I wrote a detailed analysis of the team’s no-huddle offense around mid-season last year and, in it, discovered that the team scored two-thirds of the time when they went no-huddle (which was about a third of the time). They huddled two-thirds of the time, but scored just once every three drives from the slowed-down tempo. So, I asked Bill Belichick and Tom Brady why they didn’t use it more often when it appeared to be so successful.

Their responses were revealing. Essentially, they said operating without a huddle is advantageous only when going up against defensive personnel who aren’t equipped to match up with the players the Patriots have on the field. The disadvantage, from New England’s standpoint, is that they can’t substitute when they’re not huddling. This limits the number of plays they can run with the personnel they have out there.

For instance, if the Patriots have their third-down back on the field with three receivers and one tight end, that personnel package isn’t always the desired one for goal-line situations, when a "heavy" package is more likely to succeed. So, no matter what improvements the Patriots make to their 2011 league-worst defense this year, they will have no effect on the offensive play calling.

Now, the lack of Light’s steady presence is surely a loss for New England’s o-line, but I have little doubt about Solder’s ability to step in and perform. For one, he’s far more prepared for the role than Light was when he was handed the job as a rookie in 2001. Secondly, Solder is a more talented player and could potentially be better than Light ever was.

However, I share your concerns about Vollmer’s health, which puts the right tackle position up for grabs. Cannon, it would seem, would be the frontrunner to replace Vollmer, if he can’t go, but you could see competition for that role from any number of young players on the roster, such as Matt Kopa (a 2011 practice squadder), or perhaps veteran Robert Gallery, if he’s not thrust into the right guard role.

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For the second straight year, New England Patriots left guard Logan Mankins has made Top 100 list of NFL players, as voted by the players, coming in at No. 64 overall in the 2012 ranking. He joins Vince Wilfork (No. 81 overall) as the only two Patriots that have made the list thus far.

Mankins' 2012 rank is noticeably lower than where he was a year ago, as he topped all NFL guards as the No. 39 ranked NFL player in 2011. While Mankins repeated his pro-bowl performance last season, his late season ACL injury could have contributed to the lower rank. Former New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks (No. 76 overall) is the only other guard to be named in the countdown thus far.

Regardless of the decline in rank, players around the league still consider Mankins to be one of the best guards in the league today.

Said Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Raheem Brock of Mankins:

"He's just a great overall offensive lineman. He's not just a great pass blocker, he's a great run blocker, too. He's pretty good at trying to disguise the run and the pass. In Indy, they know how we played. We spin a lot, and one play or another, he might set me up, knowing I'm going to spin and the other guy is coming to clean me up. They'd kind of laugh at you because it was kind of a set-up."

"People don't pay to see offensive linemen play, but he's one of the best," Brock said.

Added Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis of Mankins:

"Really laid-back guy off the field, doesn't say much, but when it's time to perform, he gets out there and he's mean, playing with aggression, and playing through the whistle," he said.

Tom Brady, Jerod Mayo, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker are all candidates to crack the Top 60 names on the list.

According to sources close to WEEI.com's Christopher Price, the New England Patriots and seventh-round selection Jeremy Ebert have agreed in principle to a four-year deal worth about $2.148 million. The team's final choice in the 2012 NFL Draft will earn $48,200 as a signing bonus.

Ebert, a 6'0, 195 pound wide receiver out of Northwestern, was the only offensive player selected by Patriots in this year's draft. In his senior season at Northwestern, he had 75 receptions for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished his collegiate career included 156 receptions and 20 total touchdowns.

Ebert will join an already crowded New England wide receiver corps that includes veterans Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco, Donte Stallworth and Anthony Gonzalez. With all of the competition that he'll have in training camp, he's likely in line for a practice squad spot.

Ebert is the second Patriots draft choice to sign on, as second round choice Tavon Wilson signed on for four years and $4.217 million earlier this month.

When the Patriots offense takes the field on any given play, I used to firmly believe that quarterback Tom Brady was the best player on the field for New England. After watching them last season, I second guessed my prior judgement many times.

After a very solid first year in the league, Rob Gronkowski exploded onto the NFL scene, as he developed into one of the league's most elite tight ends. In 2011, caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, which was worthy enough for an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. He and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez teamed up to form an unprecedented two-headed monster at the position.

On Wednesday, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah compiled a list of the top players in the league that are 25 years of age or younger. While the 22-year old Hernandez was one of those who just missed the cut, the 23-year old Gronkowski did make the cut. More from Jeremiah:

The word "Beast" is grossly overused in today's sports vernacular. However, in Gronk's case, there is no better term to describe him. In just his second season, he established himself as the best tight end in the NFL. He hauled in 90 balls for 1,327 yards and 17 TDs (a record for tight ends). He had multiple TDs in seven different regular season games. He has ideal size, speed and hands. His ability to use his frame to wall-off defenders on third down is a huge luxury for Tom Brady. I'd also rank him as the second best red-zone target in the NFL behind only Detroit's Calvin Johnson.

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Twitter / @WesWelker

I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith

Mark Daniels notes Donte Stallworth considers himself a changed man. Stallworth felt 'surreal' stepping back in Gillette Stadium.

"I’m a lot more mature now than I was then. I feel like I’m playing better. I’m in a better place, mentally, physically," Stallworth said. "I just felt like at that time I was trying to mature and grow into a professional athlete. I feel like I’m a lot further down the road than I was last time."

He says he returns to the Patriots a different player, now understanding the game and running better routes. And he’ll need every advantage he can get, joining a loaded receiving group that added Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney [stats] and Anthony Gonzalez to the returning Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco. Competition is nothing new to Stallworth, who’s played on six different teams in his last six NFL seasons.

"I think you just come to the reality that basically you have one shot to prove yourself," said Stallworth. "And then whatever happens after that is really up to me and my performance."

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