With Taylor Off the Market, Pats Scour NFL for Other Options

Defensive end/linebacker Jason Taylor has followed his heart and will now be seen waltzing back onto the field of the newly-minted Land Shark Stadium this football season, returning to play with the Miami Dolphins after a run with the Washington Redskins. Taylor’s return to the Dolphins was hardly surprising, as the former Dancing with the Stars contestant and standout player made it clear he’d take a deal with Miami to be close to his family regardless of how much the contract was for. The linebacker signed a $1.5 million, one-year contract with Miami yesterday, therefore stamping out the New England Patriots’ hope for acquiring him as a starting linebacker for the team.

Now that Jason Taylor is officially off the market, it’s back to the drawing boards for Bill Belichick and Co. The Patriots still have Adalius Thomas, Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable in the mix, all coming off injuries that had them benched last season. When it comes to free agents still on the market, the talent pool is starting to dwindle, yet options like Derrick Brooks, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Rocky Boiman, Rosie Colvin and Willie McGinest are still available if Belichick and the Patriots act quickly.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 14, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Sign WR Terrence Nunn

Former University of Nebraska wide receiver Terrence Nunn has a new home in the NFL, and that’s with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The 22-year-old free agent went undrafted in 2007 but was just signed to an undisclosed deal with the Patriots, joining receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker for a piece of the team’s offensive action.

Terrence Nunn, a native of Houston, Texas, played ball for four years in college at Nebraska and made 37 starts for the Cornhuskers, nailing 136 career receptions for 1,762 yards and 11 touchdowns. Though he finished his collegiate career just seven receptions short of a school record (143), Nunn is one of the most recognized players to come out of Nebraska.

The Patriots have been shopping around for wide receivers over the past week, acknowledging that the team tried out three receivers last week before finally settling on Nunn. The 2009 season will mark Nunn’s debut in the NFL, and the former Nebraska standout will also be competing for a spot on the team against receivers Sam Aiken, Tyree Barnes, Julian Edelman, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Robert Ortiz, Matthew Slater, Brandon Tate and Shun White.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 13, 2009 - Post a comment

Who Will Fill Hobbs’ Shoes?

With the departure of kick returner Ellis Hobbs to the Philadelphia Eagles last month, the New England Patriots most certainly have a void to fill before the 2009 NFL season commences. While Hobbs’ $2.5 million freed up quite a bit of extra money, the Patriots now have their work cut out for them, as grooming a new Ellis Hobbs could prove to be quite the task. For now, however, fingers are pointing to second-year player and former UCLA standout Matt Slater to do the job.

Slater was the number two guy to Hobbs’ kick returning last year, and he’s ready for the challenge of becoming the newest kick returner for the Patriots this year. Slater recently spoke of his future role with the Patriots, saying, “Whatever coach (Bill) Belichick and his staff envision me, or need me to do from week to week, that’s what I’m going to have to be ready to do. Obviously, I’m going to have to continue to play special teams, and continue to perform in that area. But whether it’s offense or defense, whatever coach Belichick and his staff decide, I’m going to have to compete, and work at it, and be flexible and do whatever is asked of me.”

Slater, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008, will also be competing for a spot with Kevin Faulk and rookies Darius Butler and Brandon Tate (hinging on Tate’s recovery from an ACL injury) to be the Pats’ main return man this season.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 12, 2009 - Post a comment

Jason Taylor on the Way?

With third round draft pick Tyrone McKenzie out even before the 2009 football season starts, the New England Patriots are still searching out replacements to cover the team’s open linebacker spot that was left wide open when LB Mike Vrabel was shipped out of New England along with Matt Cassel in the opening week of the free agency. While rumors are still rising as to whether or not Carolina DE Julius Peppers will be making his way to New England, there’s still one hot prospect who hasn’t been signed yet: Jason Taylor.

Taylor has been in contact with the Patriots over the last several weeks and months (ever since his split with the Redskins earlier this offseason,) and it seems as if this is one deal that will, in fact, go through. It’s been speculated that Taylor would return to the Miami Dolphins, but with the Dolphins making no further inquiries for him, Taylor could end up in New England very soon. Jason Taylor has been rumored to be making the trip to New England in the next couple weeks, so look for him as the Patriots’ newest outside linebacker.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 11, 2009 - Post a comment

Rookie McKenzie Out for the Year

Tyrone McKenzie, one of the New England Patriots’ two third round selections (No. 97 overall) from the ‘09 NFL Draft, has ended his rookie season before it ever really got started. The linebacker fresh out of South Florida suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the Patriots’ minicamp last weekend, likely putting him out for his entire rookie season. McKenzie’s injury came during the first of two practices last Saturday, when his feet got tangled up with another running back’s feet and both players fell.

McKenzie, a 23-year-old linebacker who played for Michigan State, Iowa State and South Florida during his collegiate career, was drafted by the Patriots to play at inside linebacker alongside veterans Tedy Bruschi and Gary Guyton. The rookie’s injury could mean that the Patriots will need to stretch outside linebacker Adalius Thomas inside for certain defensive plays.

Tyrone McKenzie’s injury is slightly ironic in that now both of the Patriots’ third-round picks from the recent draft have ACL issues. The other third-round pick, WR Brandon Tate from North Carolina, is still recovering from surgery in October resulting from having suffered an ACL injury in his right knee.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2009 - Post a comment

Patriots Make Plans for Legacy Games

The NFL announced yesterday a slew of 16 legacy games this year to be played in honor of the 50th anniversary of the launch of the AFL, and the New England Patriots (formerly known as the Boston Patriots) are one of these teams that will play in throwback attire for a number of regular season matchups this year. The Patriots will play in four of these recently-announced legacy games, where the team will dress in its traditional garb - white uniforms and white helmets with the original Patriots logo from the team’s 1963 divisional championship season - in honor of the celebration.

The New England Patriots will open their 2009 NFL season and play the first of their legacy games on September 14 in a Monday Night Football showdown against Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills, bringing the spirit of football to televisions across the country. New England will then face off against the Denver Broncos in another legacy game on October 11, rounding out the team’s last two legacy games against the Tennessee Titans (previously the Houston Oilers) on October 18 and against the Miami Dolphins on December 6.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 7, 2009 - Post a comment

Patriots Swap Malone for McGowan

The New England Patriots had a busy day yesterday, releasing punter Tom Malone and subsequently signing safety Brandon McGowan to the team’s lineup. McGowan’s arrival onto the scene in New England signifies the Patriots’ move to stock up on safeties, pointing to the assumption that free agent Rodney Harrison won’t return for another year with the team. On the safety side, the Pats still have Brandon Meriweather, a first-round pick in the ‘07 draft; James Sanders, a four-year veteran; and Patrick Chung, a newly-acquired second-round draft pick.

Brandon McGowan, the Pats’ newest safety to sign with the team, was acquired in an undisclosed deal yesterday with the Chicago Bears. McGowan played four seasons in Chicago, where he was selected as a rookie free agent in 2005 out of the University of Maine. The safety missed most of the ‘08 season due to an ankle injury, but he appears to be healthy now and ready to get back in the game.

Tom Malone, the punter the Patriots just shipped out, spent time with New England’s practice squad in 2006 and 2008. He was originally signed as a rookie free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 out of the University of Southern California.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 6, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Sign Eight, Including Three from Navy

Bill Belichick can’t get enough of the Navy - Academy football, that is. The New England Patriots just announced the arrival of eight more players to join the team for the rest of the offseason, and three of those eight signed to the team are Navy players who won’t be able to play for the Patriots just yet. Running back Eric Kettani and wide receivers Shun White and Tyree Barnes are the three Navy players added to the Patriots’ roster, but these three will have to fulfill their military duties before going on to play in the NFL. The three players signed from Navy marks the first time this many Academy players have been drafted in the same season, as Navy has had players enter the NFL before, but never more than two at a time.

Other names announced in this eight-person pick include: seventh-year linebacker Vinny Circiu, previously a special teams player for the Minnesota Vikings; second-year defensive tackle Steve Williams, Northweset Missouri State; first-year wide receiver Robert Ortiz, San Diego State; running back Omar Cuff, Delaware; and rookie punter Aaron Perez, UCLA. Terms of the agreements for these players remain undisclosed.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 5, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Send Future Draft Pick to Bucs for Smith

The New England Patriots have given up a fifth-round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft for tight end Alex Smith, as Smith was traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday in a deal that sent the four-year veteran to New England. The deal was made after the Bucs picked up former Browns player Kellen Winslow earlier this month, filling the tight end slot for Tampa Bay along with Jerramy Stevens and causing a surplus to be had with Smith.

Smith, a Denver native in his fifth season with the NFL, was acquired by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and has tacked up 129 receptions for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns in 58 games, starting most of the season’s games for the Bucs last year. He now joins Brad Listorti, Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker and Tyson DeVree and David Thomas on the Pats’ roster of tight ends.

Although the Patriots gave up a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to acquire Alex Smith, the team still has plenty of picks in the 2010 draft, including assigned picks in the first, second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds, as well as two second-round picks acquired by the Jaguars and Titans and a seven-rounder from the Eagles in the recent Greg Lewis trade.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 4, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Release Ruud

With the new batch of Patriots added to the lineup recently, some players inevitably have to be cleared to make room for the new crop of talent. With that said, the Pats have started with their injured lineup, releasing linebacker Bo Ruud. Ruud was a sixth-round pick for the Patriots in the 2008 NFL Draft, and the former three-year starter for Nebraska spent a disappointing season on the injured reserve after hurting his ankle during last year’s training camp, missing his entire rookie season while on the injured reserve.

Ruud was waived by the New England Patriots Wednesday and was almost immediately scooped up by the Cleveland Browns, who picked up the linebacker along with running back Allen Patrick yesterday. Now that the Browns have their collection of rookies, coach Eric Mangini says the true test starts now with rookie weekend. “Once they’re in the door, no matter where they were drafted, how they were drafted, everybody is equal and we’ll judge them based on what they do,” Mangini said. “[When] we go into the rookie weekend, I tell them all the same thing: It doesn’t matter how you got here, it just matters what you do.” Bo Ruud, here’s your chance to prove yourself.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 1, 2009 - Post a comment


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