Patriots Pick up TE Alge Crumpler
The New England Patriots have scooped up some veteran talent at tight end, as the team has reportedly struck a deal with TE Alge Crumpler. Crumpler worked alongside Chris Johnson with the Tennessee Titans in 2008 and 2009, and now he could see face time with the Patriots as a valued run blocker. Crumpler’s addition to the Patriots fills some big gaps at the position, as the team recently lost veteran tight ends Benjamin Watson (Cleveland Browns) and Chris Baker (Seattle Seahawks) already this offseason.
32-year-old Alge Crumpler is in his 10th season in the NFL, with most of his career spent with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons plucked Crumpler from North Carolina in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and the tight end is now a four-time Pro Bowl pick (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) looking to revive a career that has gotten less spectacular with the last few years. Crumpler is a dependable tight end, having only missed five regular season games in his entire career. With his newfound arrival in New England, Crumpler will be a mentor of sorts for Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers, the Patriots’ only two tight ends left on the roster. Neither Agnone nor Myers has played a regular season game.
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Tom Brady Missing in Action from Pats’ Voluntary Practices
Tom Brady is another New England Patriots star who hasn’t been present at the team’s first string of voluntary offseason workouts, and he’s reportedly in Los Angeles with his family instead of in Foxboro this week. The Boston Herald reported this morning that Brady has been photographed walking his new dog in L.A. while spending time with wife Gisele Bundchen and young son, leaving some to question his commitment to the Patriots. Brady is normally one of the most dedicated players attending most offseason workouts, but it looks like he’ll be working out on the West Coast for at least part of this offseason.
Brady continues to do the required offseason training from Los Angeles instead of in Foxboro, and fans can rest assured that he will be on top of his game once football season rolls around again. When he does return to New England, Brady will have one player in particular looking to run some drills with him: David Patten. The veteran wide receiver and former Patriot has recently signed with his old team and is looking to get in some practice with Brady, telling the Boston Herald earlier this week, “I’m quite sure when he gets in, he’ll get us all on the same page, and we’ll get together and we’ll start throwing together.”
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Patriots’ Ty Warren Misses Voluntary Workouts to Get College Degree
Ty Warren hasn’t been on the field at the New England Patriots’ voluntary offseason workouts this week, but that doesn’t mean he’s looking to leave the team. Instead, Warren has dedicated his offseason time to obtaining a college degree, going back to Texas A&M to obtain a degree in agricultural leadership and development. 28-year-old defensive lineman Ty Warren is slated to graduate next spring, and he’s sacrificing some big bucks to do so. Skipping out on the Patriots’ voluntary workouts, Warren is forgoing an offseason workout bonus of $250,000 to focus on his education.
Talking to ESPN about his dedication to obtaining a college degree and the importance of education on his three kids - Brionna, Brielle and Bailey - Warren said, “I try to put the kids in the best educational system possible and I think there is something to be said for their father, who has been blessed to play in the NFL and do something he’s loved to do, going back and finishing what he started. In the big picture, I think it’s important for me to do what I’m doing. I can sacrifice that bonus for that.”
Warren was snagged by the Patriots in the first round of the 2003 draft, jumping ship from college to make a go of the National Football League. Now looking in retrospect, Warren perhaps has no regrets about his athletic career but finds some doubts in life after football. Looking into the future, Warren told ESPN, “If I’m fortunate enough to play 12, 13 years, but then find myself getting cut in training camp, I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I don’t have my degree.”
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Adalius Thomas Doesn’t Show up for Day One of Preseason Workouts
The New England Patriots have begun voluntary offseason workouts, but one familiar face hasn’t been on the field so far: Adalius Thomas. The linebacker was not in attendance at yesterday’s first voluntary practice, and reports have been swirling for some time now that Thomas’ time in New England is done.
Thomas has had a couple up-and-down years with the New England Patriots, especially last year, when he was a healthy scratch for a game against the Tennessee Titans and was sent home in December for showing up late to a meeting during a New England snowstorm. Expressing a tinge of dissatisfaction about playing in New England, Thomas also reportedly told Boston radio station 98.5 last month that he wants to play “somewhere where I’m wanted and where I’m going to have fun. That’s where I want to be.” And as for how he thinks of last year? “I definitely didn’t have fun. It was definitely a frustrating year as far as that goes.”
New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott addressed the media earlier this month saying he had spoken with Thomas during Super Bowl weekend and that Thomas had expressed interest in playing with the Jets, but Thomas has denied the claim, telling the Boston Herald, “I have never told anyone that I wanted to leave and go play for the Jets.”
Even if he isn’t making a public statement about joining another team, Adalius Thomas looks to be on his way out of New England.
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Wes Welker Adds Rotator Cuff Injury to Rehab To-Do List
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker underwent surgery earlier this offseason after tearing ligaments in his left knee, but ESPN reported this weekend that the knee injury isn’t the only one Welker will spend the next few months rehabbing. Welker also reportedly tore his rotator cuff at some point during last season, and he is still recovering from the shoulder injury, as well. ESPN cites a source saying “the knee, not the rotator cuff, remains Welker’s primary obstacle in returning for the 2010 season,” however, and Welker will be looking to return to the field for the 2010-11 season opener this fall.
Despite making an early exit from the 2009-10 season, Wes Welker still led the league in receptions, catching 123 passes from quarterback Tom Brady. Welker was injured in the first quarter of the Patriots’ last game of the season, tearing ligaments in his left knee and leaving him out of commission ever since. There’s no word as of now coming out about how the wide receiver is recovering, but judging from the magnitude of two injuries versus one it looks like Wes Welker has his work cut out for him.
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Ex-Patriot Watson Signs with Browns
The New England Patriots lost out on tight end Ben Watson this offseason, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent last week. The Pats never considered Watson a must-have, and now they’re left with Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers at tight end - neither of whom has played a game in the regular season. While the Patriots now add tight end to their list of gaps to fill this offseason, Watson has found another home: Cleveland.
The Browns signed Watson to a three-year, $12 million contract with $6.35 million in guaranteed money, bringing him to another team for the first time in his career. Watson began his jaunt in the NFL with the Patriots in 2004, picked in the first round of the NFL Draft out of Georgia. He’s been consistently productive in New England for the last six seasons, and last year the tight end had 29 receptions for 404 yards and five touchdowns, managing to make moves in an offense that limited the role of tight end to complement a three-receiver package. His speed and agility will now be shipped to Cleveland, where Watson could be working with ex-Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme, who has reportedly visited with the Browns this week.
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Patriots Keep Kevin Faulk on Roster
Once a Patriot, always a Patriot for Kevin Faulk, as the 11-year veteran running back has officially agreed to stay in New England for a 12th year. Faulk became an unrestricted free agent last week, but he has signed an undisclosed deal that will keep him in Patriots red and blue for at least another year. Nearing the end of his football career, Faulk has expressed interest only in the Patriots franchise, saying he wants to end his career right where he started it in 1999.
When it comes to Kevin Faulk, a 33-year-old running back who has had 3,505 rushing yards and 418 receptions for 3,605 yards in his career with the Patriots, New England is the only place he wants to play football. Kirby Wilson, running backs coach for the Patriots in Faulk’s rookie year in ‘99, talked about him to ESPN, saying, “He’s a Patriot in every sense of the word. He’s what the franchise, from Mr. Kraft to Bill Belichick, has been about for a lot of years. He’s a warrior. He’s lasted the test of time.”
Faulk joined the Patriots as the team’s second-round draft pick in 1999, coming to New England straight out of Louisiana State. He’s been part of New England’s three Super Bowl championships.
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Leigh Bodden Solidifies Deal with Patriots While Broncos Snatch Jarvis Green
Leigh Bodden will in fact be back with the Patriots next year, as the cornerback signed a four-year, $22 million contract yesterday that includes $10 million in guaranteed money. Bodden sent a scare to the Patriots when he visited with the Houston Texans over the weekend, but he reached a deal with the Patriots yesterday that will keep him in New England for the next four years.
The Patriots also signed lesser-known free-agent linebacker Marques Murrell to a contract. Murrell previously played with the New York Jets, where he’s had 26 regular-season starts, and now he’ll join re-signed Patriots Vince Wilfork and Stephen Neal on New England’s defense.
While the Patriots signed a crop of talent to its roster this week, they also let one slide. Defensive lineman Jarvis Green had been looking forward to the free agency, and he struck a four-year, up-to-$20 million deal with the Denver Broncos yesterday. Speaking to ESPN about losing Green to the Broncos, team owner Robert Kraft simply said, “It’s unfortunate in this business you can’t keep everyone you want to keep.” Green’s departure means the Patriots are on the prowl for a right defensive end, which they might look to fill in the forthcoming draft.
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Bodden Will Remain a Patriot, After All
Just days after expressing interest in the Houston Texans, Leigh Bodden is reportedly back under the wing of Bill Belichick. The cornerback gave the New England Patriots a scare when he reached out to the media in Texas, but after allegedly getting some sought-after money from his old team, ESPN reports that Bodden has reached an agreement with the Patriots that will keep him in New England at least for next season. Terms of the deal haven’t been announced as a contract hasn’t yet been signed, though Bodden is all but expected to return to New England in the next couple days.
According to ESPN, however, Bodden’s agent Alvin Keels was clear about nothing being official yet regarding his client’s contract. Keels tweeted: “Reports of Leigh Bodden re-signing with the Patriots are not true and premature at best. Leigh is still evaluating his options. Leigh has always indicated his desire to return to New England, but nothing is official and probably will not be until [Tuesday] at the earliest.”
Still, reports are circulating the media that Bodden is in the final stages of working out a contract, and most believe the team in question to be the Patriots. Other teams that Leigh Bodden has been in contact with appear to be the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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No Peppers for Patriots, But Wilfork Is a Lock
Julius Peppers was the big item on the market at the start of the free agency last Friday, and he quickly scored a six-year, $91.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Despite Chicago’s gain becoming New England’s loss, the Patriots did a little big-money dealing of their own over the weekend, handing Vince Wilfork a five-year, $40 million deal that makes him the highest-paid nose tackle in the league.
Placating Wilfork was a move the Patriots needed to do before moving onto other critical endeavors this offseason, and soon after the Wilfork deal was finalized New England also signed linebacker Tully Banta-Cain to a three-year, $13.5 million contract, also reaching a two-year deal with guard Stephen Neal along the way.
While the Patriots have staked claim on several of their free agents so far this offseason, one player they may not be harboring much longer is cornerback Leigh Bodden. Expressing his wishes for testing the free agency market, Bodden is still checking out other teams, perhaps striking a deal very soon with the Houston Texans, with whom he’s currently visiting.
In an interview with FOX 26 Sports in Houston, Bodden said, “Hopefully, I can get things done with the Texans and just move on.” Not discounting a further career in New England, however, the CB said, “I had a good year there, but it’s all about who wants me. If they want me, they can get me. If Houston wants me, they can get me. I’m just here to see what these guys have to offer and just meet the coaches.” Who will show Leigh Bodden the money? It’s all soon to come.
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