Patriots News

"Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who has been a vocal critic of the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, called a false start against the league yesterday. Specter isn't satisfied with the NFL's early stance regarding the eight videotapes that former Patriots employee Matt Walsh turned over to the league yesterday. "I think it is very unfortunate that the NFL has already started its 'nothing new' spin before watching the tapes or finding out what Mr. Matt Walsh has to say," Specter said in a written statement. "Let's see where the evidence leads.""

"“I am proud of what we did when I was here,” said the quarterback, who was with the team from 1993-2001. “When I got here . . . this was the fourth sports franchise in town. We were forgotten about. And to see where it is now, and to know that I was at least in some small way a part of it and the transition, it feels great. It really does.”"

"Willie McGinest was a member of the Patriots [team stats]’ 2001 Super Bowl team that upset the St. Louis Rams. So was Drew Bledsoe. Both voiced a measure of relief to learn that among the eight videotapes former Pats employee Matt Walsh turned over to the NFL, the Rams walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI was not among them. McGinest, who played in the game and was a pivotal member on defense, took offense to any suggestion the Pats needed help to win that game."

"The black hat fit Bill Belichick so well. Of course, anyone who wins as much and as easily as he does has to be cheating, right? Cheating more than he would admit... With the way it's starting to look, that black hat fits Specter, Walsh and the Herald better than it fits Belichick. On Wednesday the NFL revealed Walsh has sent eight tapes to the league that had been in his possession. They were tapes of the Dolphins, Bills and Browns sending in sideline signals in 2001, and the Steelers and Chargers sending in sideline signals in 2002."

"One of the last times Kevin Faulk crossed paths with Victor Hobson, they were on a collision course at Gillette Stadium. Faulk was darting up the field and Hobson, playing for the Jets, was attempting to line him up for a bone-crunching hit. When the players were reacquainted a few weeks back, Faulk couldn't resist the chance to turn the tables from last December. He let Hobson have it, wondering aloud, "How did the enemy get in the building?" Faulk, one of the longest-tenured Patriots and a team captain, was quick with a joke, his objective to loosen the atmosphere as Hobson makes the transition from New York Jet to New England Patriot."

"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. more stories like this As part of Walsh's certification, he signed off that all videotapes and documents in his possession - from 2000-02 - have been handed over to the NFL, eliminating the possibility he has a tape of the walkthrough. The NFL has not yet seen the tapes, only the certification letter. The tapes will be delivered to the league office today."

"Former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh turned over eight tapes to the NFL that show the team recording offensive and defensive signals of five teams in six games between 2000 and 2002, the New York Times reported last night. Walsh’s attorney, Michael Levy, later confirmed the story’s accuracy in an e-mail to the Herald. Walsh did not turn over a tape of the Rams’ final walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI. Addressing media speculation about such a tape, as well as the Herald’s Feb. 2 story about the walkthrough, Levy told the Times, “Mr. Walsh has never claimed to have a tape of the walkthrough."

"A former New England Patriots employee has sent the N.F.L. eight videotapes showing the team recorded play-calling signals by coaches of five opponents in six games between the 2000 and 2002 seasons, in violation of league rules. But the group of tapes does not include video of the St. Louis Rams’ walk-through practice the day before the 2002 Super Bowl. The employee, Matt Walsh, had been linked to such a tape by news media speculation."

"I read over the agreement between the two parties before answering this question, and the part that answers the first question -- what measures are being taken to protect the Patriots against false accusations -- is addressed in the third section titled "indemnification." If I am reading the agreement correctly, Walsh will not be protected legally if he is found to be intentionally untruthful. I believe that alone is a major measure that protects the Patriots against false accusations."

"Entering the NFL as a first-round draft choice with the Jaguars in 1999, cornerback Fernando Bryant knew all about high expectations. They followed him to Detroit in 2004 after he signed a lucrative free agent deal. So what Bryant has experienced the last six weeks, since joining the Patriots, is something altogether different. He's flying under the radar."

"Hard to say which was the more impressive feature about punter Mike Dragosavich. His towering kicks, which kept scraping the ceiling, threatened to take out a few lights at the Dana-Farber Field House. Or, the “Janitor Halftime Show” he became famous for at North Dakota State, where he took the floor in janitor garb, broom and all, then morphed into Michael Jackson, dancing all around the basketball court."

"When Casey Tyler was a high school sophomore in Edmonds, Wash., he stood 6-foot-6 and weighed 265 pounds. His fellow linemen barely broke a buck-fifty. “I didn’t really understand technique or anything,” Tyler said. “I just kind of mauled people.” When Vince Redd was a high schooler in Elizabethton, Tenn., he was pretty much all-everything. A first-team all-state basketball player, he ended up playing both sports at Virginia before transferring to Liberty following a violation of team rules. “Growing up I was always the biggest guy, the fastest guy, the most athletic guy,” Redd said. Now Tyler, Redd and a host of others are learning what most of us discovered in high school or college - at some point, you’re not the best anymore."

"If drafting is an inexact science, then draft analysis is quackery. Declaring winners and losers just a day or two after the NFL draft is an exercise in serious guesswork. In 2005, for instance, ESPN’s Mel Kiper gave the Patriots a grade of C for reaching for Logan Mankins and noted, curiously, that Ellis Hobbs, “has good size, but not enough skill to be more than a nickel back.” Mankins became a Pro Bowler and the undersized Hobbs has started practically since Day 1. That’s not a knock on Kiper, who’s a well-respected draft guru, but an illustration of how difficult it is to assess any draft this quickly."

"The lectures and tutorials have begun. The rookies have gotten their first dose of Bill Belichick and discovered what the Patriots coach is all about. More to the point, they’ve started the process of finding out the all important do’s and don’ts of being a Patriot. By the sound of it, Shawn Crable has been on the receiving end of the full metal Belichick during the past few days. A few incidents during Crable’s career were put under the microscope, and the Pats third-round pick now has a much better idea what’s going to work and what’s going to make Belichick flip."

"Putting Terrence Wheatley in New England is like dropping an archaeology major in Machu Picchu. While football will decide how long Wheatley lasts with the Patriots, his outside interests should keep him occupied each and every day. All he has to do is look out the window. An atmospheric sciences major at Colorado who one day hopes to earn a Masters degree in climatology, Wheatley is a self-described “weather nerd” who has already differentiated between the “dry cold” of Colorado and the “step outside and holy crap I want to go back in,” of New England."

"Here are five nuggets/observations from this afternoon's hour-long practice at Patriots rookie minicamp, which was held inside the Dana-Farber Field House and was a padless session:"

"The Patriots traded up seven spots in the fifth round essentially to nab a special teams player. More specifically, a kick returner. Say hello to Matthew Slater. In the second round, they drafted a cornerback who also made a name for himself in college returning kicks. Say hello to Terrence Wheatley."

"Quarterback Tom Brady, who missed the start of the offseason workout program while traveling, was at Gillette Stadium yesterday. Following his session in the weight room, he took time out to provide a few words of wisdom for some of the rookies participating in camp. In between, he also caught up with linebacker Shawn Crable, a fellow Michigan grad. “He came in, talked with us, joked with us,” Crable said. “He’s a good guy.”"

"In his seminal work “Blink,” author Malcolm Gladwell details the power of first impressions. They’re often more accurate than ensuing hours of study. By that logic, here’s one snap-your-fingers judgment of Patriots minicamp yesterday: Terrence Wheatley was the best player on the field. It’s just one day. No one wore pads. There’s four months between now and September, when the games actually count. But for one morning, the cornerback from Colorado just seemed to have it."

"Linebacker Jerod Mayo took part in the annual photo ceremony for the Patriots' first-round draft choice today. With a black stage set up on the Gillette Stadium field, and four Patriots helmets resting on the stage, Mayo was introduced by owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft. All three wore suits and ties. "Welcome from the Kraft family. This is the 15th time we're doing this," Robert Kraft said in front of eight television cameras and about 20 reporters. "

"The next inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame is again up to the fans. This year, Pats followers must choose between finalists Jim Nance, Jon Morris and Ben Coates - an AFL MVP running back, a seven-time All-Star offensive lineman and a five-time Pro Bowl tight end. For Coates, it’s his second crack at the Hall, as he was nominated last year along with Ron Burton and eventual inductee Stanley Morgan."

"Listening to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, it appears Jerod Mayo passed his first test yesterday with ease. The club’s first-round draft pick spent the morning in Kraft’s office, getting to know the man who is going to sign his paychecks. Even though he would admit to being a bit overwhelmed by Day 1, Mayo shouldn’t worry. Kraft gave him a thumbs up."

"To play inside linebacker in the Patriots' 3-4 defense you have to be willing to get your hands dirty, fending off blocks and sifting through the trash, as they say in pigskin parlance. more stories like this That's nothing new for first-round draft pick Jerod Mayo. The Hampton native, who was taken with the 10th overall pick last Saturday, has been doing dirty work, at the behest of his grandfather, since he was 7 years old."

"The New England Patriots have released cornerback Tim Mixon and linebacker T.J. Slaughter. The 30-year-old Slaughter was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on Feb. 12. He spent the 2007 season out of football. Before then, the 6-foot-1-inch, 233-pound linebacker played in 78 games with 32 starts for six teams since the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft."

"The New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins didn’t put up much of a fight last season in terms of battling the Patriots for the AFC East crown. With the 2008 NFL draft concluded, a few experts weighed in on the challengers and assessed how well they did, on paper at least, in terms of closing the gap in the division. But before getting to the opponents, the experts provided a quick word on how well the Pats did in the selection process."

"When the Patriots drafted San Diego State quarterback Kevin O'Connell at the end of the third round last weekend, some eyebrows were raised."

"Matthew Slater had his laptop working feverishly on one side of the room. His Hall of Fame father, Jackie Slater, had his laptop going at the other end, as both were monitoring the NFL draft Sunday."

"Enter a pair of rookies. Second-rounder Eugene Wilson ended up starting 15 games at free safety, including Super Bowl XXXVIII. Fourth-rounder Asante Samuel was nearly his equal, appearing in all 16 games at corner and giving the Pats the depth they needed to claim their second championship in three seasons."

"Second-round draft choice Terrence Wheatley is bringing more than just top-end speed to the Patriots' cornerback corps. He also has top-end smarts, according to his former coach."

"Kirkland is a foster mom. She took in Crable when he was 11. At the time, he was in an emergency placement with another family. It was a friend of hers who asked if she had room to take in this nice young man given the situation there was only temporary."

"The Belichick/Pioli ticket is in its ninth year running the Patriots' football operation, and when it comes to defense, younger and faster has been one of the top items on the agenda. Yet for a variety of factors, the call seemed to go unanswered, or mostly unfulfilled, in recent years."

"Don't worry, Tom Brady's job isn't in jeopardy. He can keep jet-setting with Gisele Bundchen if he wants, but Matt Cassel and Matt Gutierrez might want to make sure they're getting the most out of the Patriots' offseason program because they now have some competition at quarterback."

"Technically, Matt Cassel has one year left on his rookie contract, but his days with the New England Patriots could be numbered."

"The father was a top offensive lineman, his work ultimately earning him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The son took a different path, focusing on special teams while wondering if his football career even would lead to the NFL. But UCLA's Matt Slater officially arrived yesterday, tabbed in the fifth round by the Patriots (153d overall)."

"The way they dealt with New Orleans, moving down from the No. 7 spot to the No. 10 position after the pieces played out, merely is the latest example of how well they play the draft game. In Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo, they selected a linebacker who will allow them to get younger at the position, especially if he’s as good as the Pats had him rated."

"Owners of the No. 7 overall selection, the Patriots were targeting youth and athleticism on defense. They narrowed their focus to a handful of defenders, with Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo one of the top players on the list."

"Jerod Mayo's Saturday afternoon was similar to a lot of people's. He did some yard work with his family. The difference? New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick called Mayo's cell phone."

"Since Belichick arrived in New England in 2000, he and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli never had drafted a linebacker before the fifth round. Yesterday, they took one in the first round, tapping Jerod Mayo of Tennessee with the 10th overall pick."

"Finally, a young linebacker. The position where the Patriots most desperately needed an infusion of youth received just that yesterday with the somewhat surprising selection of Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo with the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft."

"Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo helped with the age issues and concerns at linebacker, while second-round pick Terrence Wheatley may fill one of the holes in the secondary and also help out on special teams."

"The Patriots addressed their two biggest areas of need on the first day of the NFL draft, selecting linebacker Jerod Mayo with their first-round pick (No. 10 overall) and cornerback Terrence Wheatley with their second-round pick (No. 62 overall) yesterday."

"Patriots coach Bill Belichick indicated one of the team's draft priorities was to add speed to the defense, so Colorado cornerback Terrence Wheatley was a natural target with the second-round pick (62d overall)."

"The New England Patriots might lose a Super Bowl once in a while, but no one beats this dynasty on draft day. No one. Not even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell."

"Would it be outlandish to dream of a scenario in which the Pats could pry Jason Taylor away from Miami? Would Bill Parcells even consider handing Taylor over to a rival?"

"There won't be silver briefcases brandished by models and Howie Mandel won't be fielding phony phone calls, but the premise of the Patriots' 2008 draft will essentially be the same as the game show "Deal or No Deal.""

"Everything Patriots coach Bill Belichick does is calculated, so when he led off his predraft media conference with plaudits for the team's personnel department, it was his way of doffing his cap to vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli and the Patriots' scouts for their preparation."

"With Stephen Gostkowski heading into his third year and two veteran punters (Chris Hanson and Scott Player) in the fold, the Patriots seemingly are set in the kicking department and won’t need to make any waves in the draft."

"As priorities go, drafting a quarterback is way down the list for the Patriots. When your own QB is the reigning Most Valuable Player of the league, breaks Peyton Manning’s single-season touchdown record and leads the NFL in passing yards, there’s no real need to shop in that department."

"The shallow-as-Paris Hilton approach to evaluating the Patriots' 2007 draft would be to label it a disappointment. Of the nine players selected, just two, first-round pick Brandon Meriweather and sixth-rounder Mike Richardson, both defensive backs, remain on the roster."

"When it comes to the linebacker position, the question of need hasn’t changed since last year. Or the year before. This area remains a major concern for the Patriots. The only difference is with each year the degree of urgency has increased in terms of adding young linebackers who can step in and play."