PatsBlog: A Patriots Blog

From NBCsports.com:

“I expect Troy to have a role with us this year as far as I’m concerned,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told NBCSports.com on Wednesday. “He is part of the plan for next season.”

Meanwhile, Brown told the Associated Press Wednesday night, “My intention is to play. That’s what the deal is. We’ll see what happens. I’m not writing anything in stone but my intentions are to play.

We’ll wait and see what happens, but I like the look of this.  Of course, knowing Belichick, he could throw a curveball and invite Brown back as a receivers coach , but I doubt that.

        Troy Brown admitted today that he had undergone knee surgery since the end of the 2006 season.  He will be 36 years old when the 2007 season kicks off and he isn’t even listed on the Patriots’ depth chart (since he hasn’t been signed yet).  Bill Belichick was his usual short and to the point self as he commented on Brown’s situation, “I expect Troy to have a role with us this year, as far as I’m concerned,”.  That is good to hear, considering how much money the organization has shelled out acquiring top notch additions to his department, and how much I like Troy Brown as a person and a player.

              Another question mark I see for the team next year is the running game.  That may sound crazy after watching Laurence Maroney smoke opposing defenses in 2006, but that occurred mostly in the first half of the season and with Corey Dillon sharing snaps.  I think Laurence is great.  He’s the man.  As good as or better than Reggie Bush without the top-of-the-draft premium signing bonus.  I hope his rookie season has broken him in, that next year he will only get nastier as the season progresses.  I also hope that personnel guy Scott Pioli and Coach Belichick can repeat the feat and acquire a bruising Dillon-style back to complement Maroney, if not through the draft then through a trade.

           And as baseball season is set to commence and March Madness peters out we can only wait and see how the draft shapes up.  The countdown is set for April 28-29.  I do not pretend to be a Mel Kiper super draft scout and I know that even those experts can’t predict the volatility that is draft day.  Heck I am even bad at the virtual drafts on the Madden video games.  But I can’t wait to see who the Patriots draft and whether the organization can use this opportunity to atone for trading Deion Branch for that first round pick.

 And the clock ticks away to the draft and mini-camp, training camp and beyond…

The Patriots are reportedly interested in free agent defensive end David Bowens.  Bowens has been playing for Miami and has been a great backup / occasional starter.  He is a good pass rusher, and has been averaging 6 sacks a season over the last three years.  If the Patriots signed Bowens, born in 1977, he would likely compete with the most part dissapointing Marquise Hill.

Patriots Look At Linebacker Edgerton Hartwell

This is old news, but the Patriots are looking at free agent linebacker Edgerton Hartwell.  He is a solid player, and can provide good depth.  The Patriots have been tracking him for a couple of weeks, and I think that if he’s signed, that may mean that Junior Seau won’t be.

Redskins Release WR David Patten

The Redskins have released WR David Patten after he spent only 2 seasons.  He was relatively unproductive.  Could there be a return (to the Patriots) in the making?

Patriots Sign Free Agent Cornerback Eddie Jackson

The Patriots signed free agent defensive back Eddie Jackson to a two year contract.  He is a good special teams player and a decent nickel back, however he tore his ACL late last season.  The Pats signed him to a two year deal which likely means he won’t play this year.

Patriots Resign Several Players

Bam Childress - He was an exclusive rights free agent.  1 year contract.

Mike Wright - He was exclusive rights.  I think he might have walked away for a big contract if he wasn’t.

Rashad Baker - Restricted free agent

Corey Mays - exclusive rights free agent

Gene Mruczkowski - restricted free agent

According to sources, Troy Brown has decided that he wants to return to football next season.  But now, with all of the recent signings, will he return to the Patriots next year?  Assuming he does, the WR position gets very crowded, and there will be a lot of competition.  I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Patriots added a receiver or two in the draft.  That being said, this is how the receiving depth chart looks now (including Brown)

Outside #1  1. Donte Stallworth  2. Jabar Gaffney 3. Chad Jackson

Outside # 2  1. Reche Caldwell  2. Kelley Washington  3. Kelvin Kight

Slot  1. Wes Welker  2.  ?Troy Brown?  3. Kelley Washington  4. Bam Childress

Receiver #4  1. Jabar Gaffney  2. Chad Jackson  3. Kelley Washington

Receiver #5  1. Kelley Washington  2.  Chad Jackson  3.  Troy Brown

Receiver #6?  1. Chad Jackson  2. Troy Brown  3. Bam Childress  4. Kelvin Kight

Donte Stallworth - Top receiver pickup.  Has great speed and solid hands, barring injury, should be the top receiver.  Stallworth has the edge, but if he slacks in training camp, he could fall out of the top spot.

Wes Welker - Will start in the slot, but he will get the throws of a starter.  Welker just works better out of the slot, so that’s where he will play.

Kelley Washington - The two factors that will give Washington a spot on the club are his size and versatility.  He is a tall receiver who can move between the inside and the outside.

Reche Caldwell - Penciled in to start next to Stallworth, but this could easily change.  Caldwell choked in the playoffs, and he no longer has the fan base on his side.  He is going to have to work hard to be accepted again.

Jabar Gaffney - Gaffney was amazing in the playoffs, so he should have a chance to seize the starting job in training camp.  Once he got to know the system, he was unstoppable.  Watch out for Jabar Gaffney in ‘07.

Chad Jackson - Right now, Chad Jackson is recovering from a torn ACL.  The injury and his shaky rookie campaign slide him way down the depth chart.  I think Chad will be out all of ‘07, or at least on PUP.  I still like him a heck of a lot, and think he can still be an elite receiver, but I’m starting to get a little worried.

Troy Brown - Troy has said he wants to return, but is there a spot for him on the team?  If Jackson is gone, it gives Troy a chance to return as the sixth receiver and backup slot guy.  Troy Brown is one of New England’s all-time favorites, I just hope he returns.

Bam Childress- Bam Childress is one of my favorite players on the team.  He is a hard worker, very versatile, and has good hands and speed.  He reminds me a lot of Troy Brown.  He even plays defense as well.  If Troy is gone, and Jackson is out, Bam Childress will have a chance to prove that he is worth an extra roster spot as a sixth receiver.  If not, he will surely land on the practice squad.

Kelvin Kight - Kelvin Kight is similar to Bam Childress, in that he is a hard worker.  He managed to salvage a little playing time last year, and has nice speed on the outside.  Under the right circumstances, he also might get a shot at the 6th receiver spot, against Bam Childress.  If he has another good training camp, he should get a practice squad spot.

The Patriots have signed former Cincinatti Bengals Wide Receiver Kelley Washington to a five year contract.  Washington is a big physical receiver, at 6′3″, and weighing 218 lbs.  His size will give him an advantage in the growing wide receiver competition.  He was selected in the 2003 NFL Draft with the first pick in the third round (65th overall) by the Bengals.  Although he hasn’t lived up to his full potential, I believe he has a lot of upside.  Apparently, so do Belichick and Pioli as they signed him to a long term deal.  The Patriots actually had a strong interest in drafting him back in ‘03, some thought he would go to the Pats in round 1.

1st Round, Pick 24: Aaron Ross, CB, Texas

Ross’ stock has only been going up.  He has tremendous speed, decent size, and a sixth sense on finding the ball.  He will give the Patriots another future shutdown corner.

Other possibilities: Leon Hall, CB, Michigan

Round 1, Pick 28: Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State

(see previous explanation)

Other Possibilities: Michael Griffin, S, Texas

                        Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU

                        Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State

Round 3, Pick 92: Brian Leonard, RB, Rutgers

Sammy Morris was a solid pick-up, but can he really do what Corey did for us last year (as in be a power runner)?  My guess is no (unless he changes his running style), and Brian Leonard might be able to do just that.  Leonard is a big bruiser who is a hybrid runningback (fullback/halfback).  The Patriots have to hope he gets overlooked to fall this far, but if he does, he will be a real solid selection.

Round 4: Steve Smith, WR, USC

His stock is falling, but he’s certainly worth a fourth round pick.

Round 6a: Leonard Peters, S, Hawaii 

The Patriots need some depth at safety, and Peters is good enough he could be groomed into a solid backup / spare starter.  But I like James Sanders as Rodney Harrison’s replacement.

Round 6b: Chris Leak, QB, Florida

Patriots need a 3rd QB, so why not give Chris Leak a shot in training camp?  He’d give the Pats some versatility at the quarterback position.

Now official, according to Michael Smith at ESPN.COM.  The deal is going to be six years, and worth $30 million.  Approximately $12 million will be guaranteed.  This is extremely similar to the original report of Stallworth’s signing, which means it was probably just the offer that the Patriots gave.

Stallworth will likely start on the outside, with Welker playing in the slot.  The other outside slot will be up for grabs between Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, and Chad Jackson (if he’s healthy).

UPDATE: The deal is only guaranteed for 1 year, giving both sides flexibility.  The 1 year will be worth $3.6 million.  This is a lot better, as Donte Stallworth cannot slack off with hamstring or other injuries.  It gives Stallworth a reason to work harder, because he isn’t locked up for long term money.

Well, the source I posted yesterday was false and premature.  Donte Stallworth has not been signed to a contract.  As you can see, Comcast deleted the article, although the quote from it is still there.  The facts are that Stallworth left New England with an offer, but not a contract.  He is scheduled to visit with the Titans today.

I’m extremely dissapointed for now…

I has now been confirmed by Stallworth’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, that Donte Stallworth has signed with the Patriots.  The deal is 6 years, and worth $32 million.  It’s a gamble with Donte’s off the field issues, but hopefully it will play off.  Here is the source:

Stallworth visited the New England Patriots on Tuesday and left after agreeing to a six-year, $32 million contract. The deal was confirmed to Comcast SportsNet by the office of Drew Rosenhaus, Stallworth’s agent.

In 12 games last season, his first with the Eagles after arriving in a trade with the Saints, Stallworth had 38 receptions for 725 yards and five touchdowns. He missed four games with a hamstring injury.

Last August, the Eagles sent linebacker Mark Simoneau and a conditional pick to New Orleans for Stallworth. Had the Eagles re-signed Stallworth, they would have had to send New Orleans a fourth-round pick. They reportedly made an offer to Stallworth on Monday.

Also on Monday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Stallworth is a participant in the NFL’s substance abuse program. The team would not comment on the matter because of league’s confidentiality rules, and no further details have become available.