Friday NFL Combine: Updates and Links

Christopher Price offers the transcript of Nick Caserio's Press Conference this morning. 

Monique Walker notes Nick Caserio's remark about the status of Adalius Thomas.

"Adalius is under contract; he is on the team," Caserio said. "When he was on the field, he was productive when he played. We will make the decisions in the end that we feel are best for the club."

D.J. Bean reports the Patriots are scheduled to meet with Notre Dame WR Golden Tate tonight at the Combine. Such meetings are very common and shouldn’t be read into too much, but Tate also said that it would be a "dream" to be reunited with former Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis in Kansas City.

Andy Hart says NFL Network and CBS analyst Charley Casserly just did a press conference here at the Combine.

Most interesting? Casserly said this is the best first-round draft class since 1983.

Of course we all know what Bill Belichick thinks of Casserly’s opinions and analysis, if I remember correctly the quote was, "Who’s been wrong more than Charley Casserly?"

Mike Reiss notes the competition for Patriots news is as fierce as ever.

In addition to the prospects, player agents, NFL head coaches and personnel executives here at the combine, one other aspect stands out: An overflowing media contingent covering the Patriots.

Being one of those media members, it’s certainly not my place to be a media critic, although I did have one thought: I’ve recently come to the conclusion that there may be no NFL team under more of a media spotlight than the Patriots.  This Combine is one example of that.

Most teams have one or two reporters on site covering the local team. The Patriots, including their own media operation, have 12.

Ian Rapoport picks up a few nuggets from the Combine this afternoon.

– Just heard from a pretty reliable source that Deion Branch isn’t going anywhere in Seattle. The release of Nate Burleson seemed to make that happen. So he may not reunite with Tom Brady.

– Adalius Thomas and the Patriots have still not communicated at all, his agent Bus Cook told me. So if he’s being cut, he doesn’t know it yet.

– Jason Taylor is open to playing anywhere, as opposed to last year, when it was only Miami. I asked his agent Gary Wichard if the Patriots could be the team. "Could be," he said.

Erik Scalavino points to Robert Malone (Fresno State) as another punter the Patriots might be interested in. Malone is former Patriot punter Tom Malone's cousin.

Adam Teicher (Kansas City Star) Now Pioli's popular in New England.

Scott Pioli wasn’t much of a rock star when during the nine seasons he spent as personnel director of the New England Patriots. He was a major part of building the New England dynasty of the early 2000s but did almost all of his work out of the spotlight. He rarely spoke with local media outlets.

That didn’t stop the dozen or so media members covering the Patriots and in attendance at the scouting combine in Indianapolis from mobbing Pioli yesterday. Pioli wasn’t thrilled with the tone of the questions, many of which dealt with the (relative) decline of the Patriots.

''You guys have run out of patience up there, haven’t you?'' said a slightly irritated Pioli.