PatsBlog: A Patriots Blog

With the contest for the Patriots opening day roster up and running, I thought I’d throw in my input.  Well here it goes:

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady

2. Kevin O’Connell

3. Matt Gutierrez

Note: Patriots trade Matt Cassel for 2009 Third and Fifth Round Picks

Runningbacks

1. Laurence Maroney

2. Sammy Morris

3. Kevin Faulk

4. Heath Evans (FB)

Receivers

1. Randy Moss

2. Jabar Gaffney

3. Wes Welker

4. Chad Jackson

5. Kelley Washington

6. Sam Aiken

Tight Ends

1. Ben Watson

2. Marcus Pollard

3. David Thomas

Tackles

1. Matt Light

2. Ryan O’Callaghan

3. Nick Kazcur

Guards

1. Logan Mankins

2. Stephen Neal

3. Billy Yates

Centers

1. Stephen Neal

2. Ross Hochstein

Defensive Ends

1. Richard Seymour

2. Ty Warren

3. Jarvis Green

4. Mike Wright

5. Le Kevin Smith

Defensive Tackles

1. Vince Wilfork

2. Steve Fifita

Note: Consider that Green, Wight, and Smith can all play NT as well

Outside Linebackers

1. Mike Vrabel

2. Adalius Thomas

3. Shawn Crable

4. Pierre Woods

Inside Linebackers

1. Tedy Bruschi

2. Victor Hobson

3. Jerod Mayo

4. Eric Alexander

5. Larry Izzo

6. Bo Ruud

Cornerbacks

1. Ellis Hobbs

2. Fernando Bryant

3. Terrence Wheatley

4. Lewis Sanders

5. Jonathan Wilhite

Safeties

1. Rodney Harrison

2. James Sanders

3. Brandon Meriweather

4. Tank Williams

5. Willie Andrews

Special Teams

K. Stephen Gostkowski

P. Chris Hanson

LS. Lonnie Paxton

Practice Squad

1. Vince Redd, LB

2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB

3. Gary Guyton, LB

4. Matt Slater, WR/S/ST

5. Mike Richardson, CB

6. Jonathan Stupar

7. Mike Dragosavich, P

8. Casey Tyler, DE

Tough Cuts:

Jason Webster, Ray Ventrone, Stephen Spach, Santonio Thomas, Henry Smith

One signing I never touched on was that of former Dolphins nose tackle, Steve Fifita.  Here’s what I found on him:

Steve Fifita, Utah (NT) (5′ 11″ 320 lbs.) Fifita is a tough and nasty player who gives a very good effort on every play. A classic NT built low to the ground, he is very strong and can overpower at the point of attack. He wins most one on one matchups, can occupy and occasionally split double teams and is very difficult to move off the LOS. Tenacious, with a warrior’s mentality, Fifita’s motor is always running. He possesses good quickness for a man his size and can penetrate and make plays in the backfield. He is a leader on the line. Fifita is limited as a passrusher and tends to wear down late in the game. He lacks great agility and lateral mobility and is not especially fast. With so many teams utilizing a 3-4 defense, Fifita could hear his name called a little earlier than expected.

Yes, that was before the 2006 NFL Draft, but it gives you a good idea of Fifita’s skillset.  He looks like he could be the typical 3-4 backup nose tackle we’ve been looking for.  A guy who can sub in for Vince Wilfork, and just plug up holes.

I’ve never officially had a contest on PatriotsBlog.net, so I thought I’d run the first one.  The rules are simple.  All you have to do is send your roster prediction to patriotsblog@aol.com, and you might just win some Patriots memorabilia!

Rules / Requirements

• Must be at least 14 years of age, or have permission from a legal guardian
• Must be a member of the PatriotsBlog.net Forum
• Rosters may have 53 players, and eight practice squad players, for a total of 61.  Granted, I know there will be players on IR, PUP, etc. but take your best guess
• Rosters must be submitted in depth chart form
• Rosters must be submitted no later than 10 PM on July 25
• Users may submit a maximum of five rosters.  However, only the latest will be considered.
• PatriotsBlog.net reserves the right to suspend any user and remove any contestant without notice, if contestant fails to comply to rules
• PatriotsBlog.net reserves the right to close the contest if there are fewer than 10 participants

If you read and agreed with my piece, “Arlen Specter is an Idiot,” you might agree with what Massachusetts Senator Ed Kennedy had to say on the issue as well.  Mike Reiss reports:

Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said yesterday that he feels there should be an independent investigation of the New England Patriots’ videotaping procedures, similar to what took place in baseball with the Mitchell report.

The following are the thoughts of Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy (D-Ma.) regarding the issue.

“With the war in Iraq raging on, gasoline prices closing in on $4 a gallon, and Americans losing their homes at record rates to foreclosure, the United States Senate should be focusing on the real problems that Americans are struggling with,” Kennedy said through a spokesman in response to a question posed by a Globe reporter. “I’m looking forward to another great Patriots season where they can let their play on the field speak for itself.”

Kennedy and Specter sit together on the 19-member Senate Judiciary Committee.

It’s nice to know not everyone is aboard with Specter.  In fact, it seems as if no one is aboard with Specter.

Jerod Mayo, ILB, Tennessee

Round 1, Pick 10

The Patriots traded down from the number seven spot to select Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo.  While many questioned the pick, I was enthralled with it from the get-go.

At 6-1, 242 lbs, Mayo has a very thick, well-built frame (look at some of the photos from when he was introduced to the Patriots).  Excluding size, the first thing that stands out to me about Mayo is his smarts.  Mayo is just a knowledgable player.  He works extra hard in the film room, and he reads and reacts to plays very well, all important traits for a 3-4 inside linebacker.  When defending the run, Mayo isn’t the best bull-tackler, but is a very good open-field tackler.  He can read plays well, and has great acceleration to get to the ball carrier.  He is also very good in pass protection.  Mayo posseses fluid hips, speed, and acceleration.  His insane speed allows him to stick with any tight end and most receivers.

Although Mayo has a lot of strengths, there are some parts of his game that he needs to polish in order to excel at the next level.  These concerns include bull-rushing, taking double teams, and shedding blockers, the latter of the two have to do with his hand usage.  If Mayo can perfect his hand usage (an area where he has improved), then he will be able to rush up the middle better, take and shed hits, as well as double teams. 

Overall, Jerod Mayo seems like a great fit for the Patriots.  I would expect him to come in and compete with Junior Seau / Victor Hobson for a starting job on the inside immediately.  Regardless of that outcome, Mayo will certainly get playing time on third downs.  Some people argue that Mayo was a reach at 10.  In fact, a lot of people argue that point.  However, I believe that if Mayo returned for his senior year, he would have become a top five pick.  And whether or not Mayo comes in and starts immediately, Mayo will be a starter in this system as well as an eventual Pro Bowler for years to come. 

Yeah, that’s right, I said it.  And it’s true.  This guy just won’t stop.  Get over it.  The Eagles lost thge Super Bowl.  This is one of the most rediculous things I’ve heard.  We’re talking about sports.  We’re talking about video signals.  We’re not talking about drugs in the form of steroids, and we’re certainly not talking about things like… well, real issues.  If you want to know why congress has such low approval ratings, this is why.  Nobody wants to see Specter speak, not even Patriots haters.  Everybody is sick of this idiot.  He has no idea what he is talking about.  He is the perfect example of someone who tries to abuse his power.

In case you are wondering what spurred this rant, it is what Specter said about opening an independent investigation.  ESPN reports:

Hold on, NFL. Spygate isn’t over. Not if the “incensed” Philadelphia Eagles fan in Congress has anything to do with it.

Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday called for an independent investigation of the New England Patriots’ taping of opposing coaches’ signals, possibly similar to the high-profile Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

“I have documented the strong factual case that a NFL investigation was neither objective nor adequate,” Specter told ESPN.com on Wednesday evening. “If the commissioner doesn’t move for an independent investigation, then there will be a permanent black mark on the NFL and the Patriots’ record will be historically tainted. Depending on the public reaction, I may ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on the NFL antitrust exemption.”

At an earlier news conference in the Capitol, Specter put it bluntly: “What is necessary is an objective investigation. And this one has not been objective.”

The Pennsylvania Republican was unforgiving of his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying that Goodell has made “ridiculous” assertions that wouldn’t fly “in kindergarten.” The Senator said Goodell was caught in an “apparent conflict of interest” because the NFL doesn’t want the public to lose confidence in the league’s integrity.

“They are enormous role models for everybody,” Specter said. “If you can cheat in the NFL, you can cheat in college, you can cheat in high school, you can cheat on your grade-school math test. There’s no limit as to what you can do. I think they owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility.”

Black mark? Role models?  This guy is talking out of his ass.  If you’ve followed this blog over the last eight months, you’ll know that I haven’t spoken a word about Specter.  All along, I haven’t respected what he’s said, so I just chose to say nothing about it at all.

But this is absurd.  I decided I finally had to speak out.  I understand that this post is simply a rant, and a very controversial one, but I just can’t stand Specter’s ignorance.

So Arlen, if you read this, calm down.  A congressional investigation won’t change the result of the Super Bowl, it’s over buddy.

According to Adam Schefter, the Patriots hosted free agent running back Kevin Jones on a visit last week:

Last week, New England very quietly hosted a visit -– and no team can do things as quietly as the Patriots — with former Lions running back Kevin Jones, whom Detroit released in March.

Jones appears to be a couple of months away from recovering from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered late last season, but he is far enough along that the Patriots brought him in for a look.

I think it would be a great decision to sign Jones.  Yes, he is coming off injury.  However, he still has great potential, and at 5′11″, 225 lbs, could be the perfect compliment to Laurence Maroney.

The Boston Globe reports:

Former Patriots employee Matt Walsh certified in writing that he will turn over eight stolen videotapes to the NFL that show the signals of opposing teams, but the smoking gun that some believed Walsh might provide - a tape of the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 - is not included.

So, it seems that Walsh really isn’t offering any new material.  However, it also looks like the Patriots taping procedures went all the way back to 2000, which means they used it during the Super Bowl runs.  However, as I’ve said before, the Patriots didn’t gain much of a competitive advantage, if any, the camera was located in the wrong position.

Even though Walsh doesn’t have a walkthrough tape, it doesn’t mean the Patriots didn’t tape it.  Walsh will probably defend this, and although I suspect this is untrue, if it was, Walsh wouldn’t be able to prove it anyways.

I’ll just give a few thoughts on who I thought performed well.  I’m going to break this into three parts; tryout players, rookie free agents, and draft picks…  doing three separate articles.

Tryout Players:

• Mike Dragosavich -  Drago could be our punter of the future, as he was signed after an impressive rookie camp.  He booms at least a third of his punts over 50 yards, and although there are a few minor problems in his mechanics (ex. excessive leg extension, three step release), he seems to be really solid overall.
• Kenny Cattouse - Another tryout player, I thought Cattouse did enough to warrant a roster spot.  However, I may have been wrong, as the Patriots have yet to sign the Troy product.  Cattouse showed good agility and great hands thoughout camp, and looked like he may have been that developmental third-down back the Patriots have been looking for.
• Tyson DeVree - He didn’t necessarily stand out to me, but it was enough for the Patriots, who are looking for a young tight end.  DeVree seems to bring a solid combination of blocking and receiving ability.
• Unnamed Players: #11, #13, #32.  There were three other guys who stood out to me.  #11, #13, and #32.  Numbers 11 and 13 were receivers, and both showed some flashes, but seemed to be raw and inconsistent.  #32, a runningback,  seemed to be well defined, with good speed and agility for his size. 

Yesterday, was the annual introduction of Patriots first round pick Jerod Mayo.  I’m not going to lie, this is a horrible, but hilarious picture.

First, Mayo does not look happy, at all.  Rather he has a look that simply says, “bad-ass.”  But that should be considered a good thing, I guess. 

The part that makes this picture horrible is the way that Jerod is holding the jersey.  He is scrunched between Bob and Jonathan Kraft.  He is barely holding the jersey, only awkardly at the bottom.

Instead, Kraft decides he and his son most hold the jersey.  Let him know its their team, so they can be the focal point of the picture.  Typical Kraft move.  Pathetic.