Patriots Links 7/24/09 - Patriots Sign Six Draft Picks

Marima — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:39:14 -0000

Ron Brace at rookie Mini Camp

The New England Patriots signed six draft picks Thursday.

Signed were second-round picks DL Ron Brace and OL Sebastian Vollmer, third-round pick WR Brandon Tate, fifth-round pick OL George Bussey, sixth-round pick DL Myron Pryor and seventh-round pick WR Julian Edelman. Terms of the agreements were not announced.

In addition, the Patriots waived first-year WR Robert Ortiz and placed rookie RB Eric Kettani and rookie WR Tyree Barnes on the reserve/military list.

Lori Lyons (New Orleans Times-Picayune) New England Patriots' Darryl Richard is running down his NFL dream.

Richard served as Destrehan's Class of 2004 student body president, posted a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and finished as the class valedictorian. And he left a lasting impression, receiving a standing ovation for his rousing graduation speech.

He left Georgia Tech after four and a half years with two degrees, including a master's in business administration. When a knee injury kept him out of the lineup for the 2005 season, Richard doubled up on classroom hours. He finished his undergraduate degree in three years.

"I'm not one of those guys who are good with down time," Richard said. "I definitely want to have a life after football, and football is, really, a business. You have to think of yourself as a small business. Thanks to my MBA, I think I am prepared for the business of football."

LOCAL SHOTS

Paul Perillo, Erik Scalavino and Andy Hart debate which veteran player would be the most surprising cut from the Patriots this summer.
Erik Scalavino reports Pats' versatile Ray Ventrone is an ambitious fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research.
Christopher Price focuses on Running Backs in his Countdown to Camp.
Mike Reiss offers a snapshot of the Specialists leading up to Training Camp.
Jim Donaldson asks some pressing questions on the eve of Patriots Training Camp.
Jeff Howe looks at the AFC East competition, and focuses today on the Patriots.
Mike Reiss hosted his online chat yesterday, offering plenty of pre-Training Camp insight.
Mike Reiss notes Benjamin Watson is holding an autograph signing charity event Saturday at the Boston Billiard Club in Nashua, New Hampshire (5-7 p.m.), with proceeds going toward his One More foundation.

LONG SHOTS

Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) Preseason Storylines: How mobile is Brady?
NFL.com NFL Draft's first round moves to Thursday night for 2010. Well, that'll take the fun and anticipation out of next year's Draft Party.
Michael Lombardi (NFP) New Chief's coach Todd Haley gets his shot, must control his emotions.
Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) NFLPA keeps trying to get a look at the NFL's books.
Thomas George (NFL.com) Multitude of issues likely to delay Favre's decision on possible return.
Brian Burke (NY Times) Cutler's interceptions: The context matters.

Patriots changes by position: Wide Receiver

MaPatsFan — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:37:31 -0000

More photos » by Eric Shelton - AP

6 months ago: New England Patriot's wide receivers Wes Welker ( 83) and Randy Moss (81) prepare for football practice in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, May 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Eric Shelton)

Browse more photos »

When a team structures their aerial assault around a receiver or receivers, you KNOW they're stars. Such is the case with Wes Welker and Randy Moss. The one-two punch that decimated defenses during 2007, Moss owned the sidelines while Welker provided plenty of checkdown or slant options to keep the chains moving. If you're new to this forum, you may not know of my insane man crush with Wes Welker. Sure, Moss gets an enormous amount of credit for what he does and usually gets the flashy touchdown. But Welker is grinding it out, yard after slot route yard. Our Colts contributor-in-residence, shake n bake, suggested Welker takes "long handoffs". Aptly put, in my mind.

In my opinion, these guys had the element of surprise for the first half of 2007 until teams got film on them. Looking at their production from first to second half, things tapered off through no fault of their own; there was simply more available information for oppositions to look at and teams worked hard to shut them down. Donte Stallworth was an option, but he never panned out, in my opinion. Jabar Gaffney filled the role as #3/#4 when needed, but it wasn't enough of a difference. In comes Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis. With that in mind, let's walk through the receivers.

Randy Moss - It's hard to find fault with a guy who holds the regular season touchdown record for wide receivers. In truly epic fashion, Moss broke the receiving record with 23 and Tom Brady broke the passing record with 50 on the same play. A Patriots fan couldn't have asked for a cooler moment. Brady steps into the pocket, launches a bomb downfield and takes a hit milliseconds after. Moss pulls down the beautifully thrown pass and walks into history.

When Brady went down in 2008, Moss and Cassel struggled to find a rhythm. As an elite receiver, should Randy have been able to fight away DB's or is there some truth to Brady simply knowing where to put the ball with Moss? Opinions vary, but what I do know is Moss wasn't the same in 2008. Rival fans were practically chanting, "Here comes the old Randy!!", but that's a superficial arguement at best. Cassel needed safe routes and one of the tactics was to turn #81 inside after 10 or so yards. Frightening, in my mind. Moss is tall and lanky, a target for a hungry linebacker; he doesn't have the quickness and footwork of his diminutive teammate. Keep him dancing down the sidelines 30 something yards downfield or prowling the back corners of the endzone.

Wes Welker - Is it a stretch to say Wes has been one of the most influential Patriots receivers in the past 10 years? Not to me because I'm biased; Wes is, hands down, my favorite Patriot and is the jersey I wear on gameday. If the play isn't designed for Wes, he's Brady's first choice for a checkdown or option. In the reception category, Wes is a machine tying for the record in 2007 and #2 in 2008 (subtract Steeler Ryan Clark's game ending hit and Wes, more than likely, would've had the 2008 record, too). Wes's "stop short, spin around" antics are legendary for leaving DB's flatfooted. The "Little Engine that Can" is a YAC machine with 5.7 in 2007 followed by 6.8 in 2008. He's the chain mover of this crowd.

Greg Lewis - Known as "Glew" by Philadelphia teammates and fans alike, Lewis joins the Patriots for his seventh year in the league. A steady producer throughout his career, Greg will also see time on kickoff and punt returns. But, what he could add more than anything else, is a midfield option between Welker and Moss. Three inches taller than Wes, he may have the reach to pull down those passes while mixed in with linebackers. However, an interesting twist is he's been observed having a VERY long stride during OTA's. Possible long ball duties?

Joey Galloway - A shortened 2008 due to injury is not the place to look. 2005 - 2007 he was a machine exceeding 1,000 yards each year. As a punt and kick returner, he's no slouch either. The question will be does Galloway have enough gas left after 14 seasons in the NFL? It's hard to tell, but I do think he can provide another deep threat for Brady and, if all else fails, a decoy for Moss. However, if things click and Joey proves the naysayers wrong, a Moss/Galloway/Welker lineup on the same side will scare the daylights out of DB's.

Julian Edelman - A lot has been written about this rookie and you can understand why. He's a quarterback, running back, and wide receiver all rolled into one. If he's even average at these positions at an NFL level, he'll be a consistent threat. Wildcat anyone?

Sam Aiken, Robert Ortiz, Terrence Nunn, Tyree Barnes, Matthew Slater, Brandon Tate, Shun White - In this group, Patriots veterans Aiken and Slater will have the advantage. Tyree Barnes has shown some consistency in OTA's and could challenge Aiken and Slater for a spot. Naval Academy grad Shun White is a wait-and-see prospect as he may not hit the Patriots for a few years (Naval Academy grads owe the government military service for their free education).

Analysis

It's no mystery Moss and Welker will be the main guys, but what do you do when defenses blanket them? Do you go with the potentially dangerous running attack we're developing? Checkdown to Faulk? Or maybe pull in Lewis for a three wideout and Galloway for a four? Whatever the scenario, I think we're looking at some crazy combinations that'll really make defenses think. And if we can mix it up, maybe keep defenses guessing throughout the year.

SB Nation - Robert Ortiz

Patriots Links 7/24/09 - Patriots Sign Six Draft Picks

Patriots changes by position: Wide Receiver