During football season, it's very rare that you see hardly see any New England Patriots players joking around or being playful. It's all serious and it's all business for at least 16 weeks of the year. If you don't believe me, ask Chad Ochocinco.

But underneath all of the seriousness and true professionalism that defines the Patriots organization, there is a humorous side to them as well. Even their team leader.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made an appearance in in an Under-Armor produced video that was posted by the website "Funny or Die" that took storm. In the skit, Brady is attempting to buy under armor gear from a California based sports shop, but an annoying salesman pokes fun at his non-existent Boston accent. Brady doesn't take to kindly to the harassment.

"I'm not from Boston! I'm from California," Brady says as he gets in his grill. "I'm a native Californian! I went to Michigan! Now I play for New England! I'm a (bleeping) quarterback, you moron!"

Here's the full video of Brady and the salesman:

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After being selected No. 56 overall in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Patriots running back Shane Vereen saw very limited action in his rookie season with the team.

Last season, Vereen played in five games, rushing 15 times for 57 yards and a single touchdown. He also saw some action as a kick returner. Part of the reason for Vereen's limited numbers, is the Patriots "rushing by committee" approach.

Because of all of the other options on the roster, such as fellow rookie Steven Ridley and veterans BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, Vereen didn't get too many chances to shine. However when he did play, Vereen impressed the coaches in his development, and has earned a larger role during team OTAs.

According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Vereen received the most reps on the first team offense at running back. He, along with Ridley and free agent acquisition Joseph Addai were among those who worked with the first team. While it is surprising and encouraging to see Vereen getting so many reps, Howe wonders what it all means.

The big thing that jumped out was Vereen served as the top back during practice. The unknown is whether or not it means anything, particularly since I have no idea who took on that role during their first two sessions. It's just like preseason carries in that regard, as Bill Belichick will designate certain times for certain players to have their time with the first-team offense. But again, Vereen is high on my list of players to watch during the offseason, since it was difficult to make any lasting impressions last year.

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Editors Note: I want to apologize for not having up my weekly "Saturday Morning Coffee" piece as planned. I, as well as the other editors, have been wrapped up in graduation madness. They with college, I with high school. Be sure to check back next Saturday Morning for SMC. Thanks! -Jared S.

The NFL meetings took place this past week in Atlanta, Georgia, where all of the owners gathered to discuss possible rule additions and changes as well as several other matters of discussion, such as the New Orleans Saints ongoing bounty scandal, with commissioner Roger Goodell.

While the NFLPA has yet to approve these new rulings, here is a brief rundown of the tentative rule changes the owners and the commissioner approved of this week, effective in 2013.

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After breaking into the NFL with a spectacular rookie campaign in 2010, Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty had a season to forget last year.

McCourty was a totally different player in 2011, as allowed close to 1,000 yards through the air and six touchdowns in 111 throws, according to Pro Football Focus. He shifted from cornerback to safety midseason, which threw him off his game even more.

In order for the Patriots secondary to rebound from a poor performance last season, it all starts with McCourty re-gaining his form.

Earlier this week, we pegged him as "Make Or Break" player in 2012, and he seems to view himself the same way. On Thursday, he spoke with the media after Patriots OTAs and touched on what he's done to try and improve upon last season. For McCourty, he's not concerned about why he struggled last season, he's just trying to get better.

"I'm not really worrying about the 'why', but just progressing," he explained. "For every player, this is a time of the year where you have an opportunity to work on a vast amount of things."

"We get a chance to come out here and work each day without game-planning and there's no team we're about to play so I'm taking advantage of that time and coming out here and working on my craft."

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According to a source close to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, the New England Patriots have reached a contract agreement with free-agent guard/center Jamey Richard.

The 27-year old Richard has played in 48 games (11 starts) in four career seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Richard was drafted in the seventh round in 2008 out of the University of Buffalo. It was reported earlier this week that Richard, along with two other offensive lineman were brought in for workouts.

As for the likelihood that Richard makes the final roster, his chances appear slim. Even though he has starting experience, there are just too many other returning interior lineman.

The Pats already have Dan Koppen, Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendall battling for the starting center job. Not to mention, that Pro-Bowl guards Brian Waters and Logan Mankins are also locks to start next season, with Robert Gallery and Marcus Cannon possibly serving as depth behind them. But it's only May, and a lot of things could happen.

For new New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, it's been a career full of inconsistency. After breaking onto the scene in 2003 with the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie, he found himself bouncing around from team to team, trying to find himself as an NFL player.

Finally in 2010, Lloyd was given an opportunity with the Denver Broncos under then head coach Josh McDaniels, where he had tremendous success. During that year, Lloyd caught 77 passes for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns in route to a pro-bowl berth. Since then, he hasn't looked back.

After putting up two career years back-to-back, Lloyd earned the attention of many teams vying for him in free agency. But instead of truly cashing in to the highest bidder, Lloyd made his decision about winning by signing with the Patriots, and playing in an offense coordinated by McDaniels, the man that helped groom him into a star.

On Thursday, the Patriots hit the field for their second day of organized team activities (OTAs). In speaking with the media today, Lloyd kept his time short, but touched on what the transition into being a part of the "Patriot Way" has been like for him:

"Plugging away. Just getting into our OTAs and understanding the process and the way that the plays are called and run and just the execution of the workouts and the timing and the scheduling. It's been a change and I'm excited to see how everything works out."

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UPDATE 5/24 5:47 PM: According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, Jones' deal is worth $8.173 million, with a $4.384 million signing bonus. His base salary for 2012 is expected to come in around $1.5 million.

5/23 5:29 PM: The New England Patriots have announced that they've signed first-round pick Chandler Jones to a contract. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed to the public. Jones, a defensive end out of Syracuse University, was drafted by the Patriots in the 2012 NFL Draft at No. 21 overall.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Jones was a three-year starter at defensive end at Syracuse. He finished his college career with 147 total tackles, 10.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Jones broke out during his final year at Syracuse, as he was named All-Big East after finishing last season with 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks despite being limited to just seven games.

Jones now joins second-round pick Tavon Wilson, sixth-round pick Nate Ebner and seventh round choices Alfonzo Dennard and Jeremy Ebert as the Patriots draft picks who have come to terms with the team. Fellow first-rounder Dont'a Hightower and third-round pick Jake Bequette are now the only two Patriots draftees who haven't signed.

It's been somewhat of an uncertainty lately, but on Thursday, we got reassurance that the New England Patriots will have their starting right guard for the 2012 season.

According to a report from the Boston Herald, Brian Waters plans to return to the Patriots in 2012 for a second go-around. The longtime Chiefs guard has yet to be present at any team organized activity this offseason. According to the source, the 35-year old Waters is using this time to spend with his family.

After being cut by Kansas City to start the 2011 season, Waters signed with the Patriots during the preseason and started Week 1 at right guard. Even though he's been a left guard throughout his career, he didn't appear to miss a beat. He was by far the most consistent guy on the Patriots' offensive line, and earned a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts last season. Certainly great news for the Patriots offensive line.

For New England Patriots third-year defensive back Devin McCourty, it's been a tale of two different players in his NFL career thus far.

With the Patriots secondary in disarray, McCourty expoloded onto the NFL scene during his rookie season, earning a Pro-Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro selection. With such early success as a rookie, McCourty seemed to be ready to give the Patriots what they haven't had since Ty Law and Asante Samuel were here: An elite cornerback.

However, with the heightened bar of expectations, he took a giant step backwards in 2011. McCourty was asked by his coaches to get in more one-on-one coverage situations with opposing receivers, and he struggled tremendously with the task.

With his clear struggles at corner, Bill Belichick and his defensive staff moved McCourty to safety, another position of concern, to see if he'd do any better there. He wasn't. Instead of looking like guys like Law and Samuel, McCourty began to look more like Jonathan Wilhite or Darius Butler 2.0.

As I fan of McCourty since his days at Rutgers, his 2011 campaign was very difficult to watch. But luckily enough, the customary "sophomore slump" can happen to almost any talented player. We all know what kind of potential McCourty has, and he's got to prove to Patriots fans that last season was truly a fluke.

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It's now late May, which means that we are only just weeks away from the start of NFL Training Camp and three months away from the start of preseason games. Football is almost here! Therefore, we must start glancing at how our beloved Patriots will line themselves up this season.

The most intriguing group of players in my mind that is worth glancing at is the Patriots front seven. This offseason, the Patriots have acquired many additional pieces through the draft and free agency.

In this years draft, the Patriots spent three of their first four selections on front-seven pieces, as they drafted DE Chandler Jones, LB Dont'a Hightower and DE/OLB Jake Bequette. They also signed former Cincinnati Bengals DE/DT Jonathan Fanene and former Raiders DE/OLB Trevor Scott to the crowd. With it, the Patriots now have an even more crowded group of front-seven defensive players. For Bill Belichick, it's just what the doctor ordered.

In case you haven't noticed, the Patriots run their defense a bit differently than others. They don't have a set group of players that they use on any given down. They thrive through the use of the sub packages. Belichick likes to bring out the talent of several different players by subbing them in and out like there's no tomorrow.

Last season, we saw the Patriots transition from running just strictly a 3-4 defense to running both that and a 4-3 scheme, with the use of sub packages in both defensive sets. With the few subtractions the Patriots endured this season with the loss of Mark Anderson, Andre Carter (maybe) and Gary Guyton, new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will have to reshuffle his deck of formations with the several players they were able to add.

It's late May, but it's never too late to at least try and predict how Belichick and company will align the front-seven this season. There's a lot of ways he could go with it, but this is how I would stack things up based off the guys I projected would make the team:

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It would appear that some of the friction between Wes Welker and the New England Patriots over long-term contract discussions would calm down just slightly after Welker gave into the team's request and signed his one-year franchise tender. Not in the slightest.

According to reports close to the team, the Patriots have become somewhat ill with Welker because he's become so public about their contract negotiations. We all know what can happen to players who the Patriots become upset with. Those players are called former Patriots.

On Tuesday, team owner Robert Kraft denied these reports, calling Welker a "special guy". However in an interview with ESPN's Adam Schefter at the NFL Meetings in Atlanta, he maintained that it takes two to tango in order to agree to a long-term deal:

"We'd like him to be a Patriot for life," Kraft told Schefter from the NFL meetings in Atlanta. "To do that requires both sides to bend and do what they have to do. We understand the cap and how much room we have there and how we value the position. He has people representing him that want to get the last dollar. I would love him to finish his career with us, but it takes two sides to get that done."

"Anyone can say whatever they want," Kraft told Jones. "He's done a great job for us, we're always trying to do whatever we can do to put our team in the best position to win, that means balancing a lot of things, understanding what the cap is, what the cap growth is, how things fit in the system and we try to have values for every position and every player."

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Tragedy struck the National Football League on May 2, when former Patriots linebacker Junior Seau was found dead in his home after he shot himself in the chest. Seau was one of the more well liked players in his community and in the league by both the players and the executives.

So why did one of the greatest linebackers of all time who had almost everything to live for and had so many people that loved him decide to take his own life? That's just what head injuries can do to you. It makes you vulnerable to suicidal thoughts.

Seau's autopsy revealed that he was suffering from severe head trauma before his suicide occurred, which makes us believe that his NFL career indirectly caused him to end his life at age 43. All of the helmet-to-helmet and helmet-to-ground contact that Seau enduring during his Pro Bowl career caused him to sustain severe head trauma and injuries that ultimately proved fatal.

The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell are taking steps in the right direction to try and help treat and prevent concussions and other head injuries sustained by players. They've made improvements in helmet designs and have increased penalties on "head hunting" players. Despite all that's been done, there's still work to be done. And Junior Seau's death made us all realize it.

One player that has spoke out about Seau's death and concussions in general is longtime Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, who battled several head injuries over his career playing football. Johnson walked away from the game of football in 2005 after 10 gruesome years of football. Johnson spoke at Boston Children's Hospital over the weekend about the "terrifying issue" that caused Seau's death

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With all that's been going on with Wes Welker and the Patriots this offseason, it leads us to wonder aloud many different questions. Will he ultimately get the long-term deal he wants? Will he continue to develop into a distraction into the regular season? Will he be a Patriot for much longer?

It's a question that many of us have at least thought about, but have repressed into our deepest most unconscious thoughts. A Patriots team without the mighty Wes Welker seems like a car without part of it's motor. Once any part of the motor is gone, all the car can do is simply drift on the road before it ultimately comes to a screeching halt.

However, we may be getting to that point where Welker's part of the Patriots fine-tuned offensive machine may be exhausted and no longer the right fit for the motor to continue running. Even though Welker decided to give into the team and sign the only offer on the table from the team, his franchise tender, they don't seem to happy with their Pro Bowl receiver.

The Patriots have recently expressed displeasure with Welker over his public comments about the long-term contract negotiations getting "worse". They also weren't too flattered with his threatening of a hold out, I imagine.

For all of those believing that Wes Welker, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro wide receiver who's ranked near the top of the league in total receptions year in and year out, is trade proof; think again. The Patriots have done this before. They played this same game with Richard Seymour, Deion Branch, Asante Samuel and most recently Randy Moss. No matter how good you are, if you upset the Patriots, they won't hesitate to trade you.

With this precedent being established, the next question you may ask yourself is how replaceable would Welker be if he is traded? Even though it's hard to replace a player who averages over 100 catches and 1,000 yards a season receiving, it's certainly not rocket science.

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According to a team press release, the New England Patriots have agreed to terms with sixth-round selection Nate Ebner on a rookie contract. The terms of the agreement were however not yet released.

Ebner (6'0, 205 pounds), was chosen out of The Ohio State University with the No. 197 overall selection. During his time in college, Ebner was considered a special teams standout, having been named the most outstanding special teams player on the team last season. He played in all 12 games during his senior season with the Buckeyes.

One of the most unique things about Mr. Ebner is that he is a dual-sport athlete, having also played rugby at his time with Ohio State. The safety by trade been praised for his quickness and his tackling ability. Ebner did not speak with the media, but did participate during rookie minicamps last week.

Ebner now joins second-round selection Tavon Wilson and seventh-round picks Alfonzo Dennard and Jeremy Ebert as the Patriots draft choices that have signed on. First round picks Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower as well as third-round pick Jake Bequette still remain unsigned.

With team OTA's starting on Monday just outside Gillette Stadium, the team's most recent retired Patriots player has been enjoying his time away from the field, but is still entertaining the media limelight.

Former New England Patriots left tackle Matt Light traveled up to Bristol, Connecticut to make the rounds at the ESPN studios for a plethora of interviews. Light retired from the Patriots after 11 seasons in the NFL where he won three Super Bowls with the team.

When he made his announcement in front of his teammates and coaches, Light revealed that he had been battling Krohn's Disease for the entirety of his career. On Monday, Light revealed more information regarding his health during his interview with ESPN's Colin Cowherd on his radio show "The Herd":

"You know, I would put it at 'doable.' I get up in the morning, I generally feel fairly well. I get my vitamins, go through my little routine, and I would say from a day-to-day basis I'm doing really well," said Light, who previously revealed he played his entire career with Crohn's disease.

"That said, I've been through 14 surgeries. I've spent over a month in a hospital straight. I've been through the worst of the worst, and I'm sure I could probably get into greater [detail]. But at the end of the day, I'm thankful for my time in. I knew the risks and the things associated with the game of football, and I've gotten to a point in my life where I was like, 'You know what, be happy, don't try to bite off more than you can chew, and look forward to the next great challenge.'"

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Last week, Patriot fans were given some eye opening news when they heard word that Bill Belichick and the team brought in former Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark for a free-agent visit/workout.

The 32-year old Clark was selected as an All-Pro and Pro Bowl tight end before having back-to-back injury plagued seasons in 2010 and 2011. In his nine-year career (all with Indianapolis), Clark caught 427 passes for 4,887 yards and 46 touchdowns and established himself as one of the most dangerous redzone threats in the NFL under the direction of Peyton Manning

As a part of their cleaning house, the Colts decided to part ways with the pro-bowl tight end, making him a valuable commodity for any contending team. With many contending teams like the Broncos (Peyton's new team), Steelers or Bears possibly in the market for an upgrade at the position, why are the Patriots being the most aggressive of any team on Clark?

For one, the Patriots appear well stocked at the position from the outside. They already have Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Daniel Fells in the fold as sure bets to make the roster, with UDFA Brad Herman in the mix as well. From a depth purpose, it makes no sense.

Also, the last time I checked, those Gronkowski and Hernandez guys are pretty good, young players. At age 23 and 22, respectively, Gronk and Herndo are considered upgrades over Clark in terms of youth and effectiveness. Both performed at a pro bowl level last season, and don't show signs of slowing down anytime soon.

You can also make the argument that the team views Fells an upgrade at the position over Clark. When the Patriots signed Fells to a three-year deal earlier in the offseason, Clark was out on the market, as well. The Patriots chose Fells over Clark. So signing Clark for the need of an upgrade seems preposterous to me.

From my perspective, this seems to be Belichick and company doing their due diligence on available talent. They've worked out players from Clinton Portis to Terrell Owens. They've done this before. They're simply scanning what's out there and seeing if there are players on the open market who can "help the football team win games", as Belichick phrases it. From my hindsight, this just appears to be the Patriots being the Patriots. But I could be wrong.

Is Gronkowski's ankle not fully healed? Could Fells have been signed to actually be the team's fullback in 2012, and the Pats are targeting Clark to form a three-headed monster at tight end? There's so many ways you can go with this, but what is clear is this: Dallas Clark is available, the Patriots have taken the time to work him out.

As unlikely a pairing as the former Colt and the Patriots are, might he be the newest addition to the Patriots?

On Friday, the New England Patriots announced the signing of another rookie free agent, as they agreed to terms with Jon Opperud, an offensive lineman out of the University of Montana. Opperud, 22, was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as a UDFA in April, but was released last week.

Opperud (6'7, 300 pounds), was a three-year starter at Montana. As a true freshman, Opperud saw action all over the place as a true freshman, and earned the starting left guard job in 2009. The coaching staff then transitioned him to their starting left tackle for his final two seasons.

Opperud becomes the eighth undrafted rookie free agent and third offensive lineman to be signed by the Patriots. He will join Jeremiah Warren out of South Florida and Markus Zusevics out of Iowa. As for what kind of player the Patriots will be getting in Mr. Opperud, check out the scouting report done by Pro Football Weekly on him:

Tall, slow-footed, FCS blocker who played tackle and guard as a three-year starter. Relies on positioning and technique to control defenders, as he is not strong enough to generate power on his own. Is intelligent, tough and competitive, though his intangibles outpace his athletic ability.

For the second straight year, New England Patriots left guard Logan Mankins has made Top 100 list of NFL players, as voted by the players, coming in at No. 64 overall in the 2012 ranking. He joins Vince Wilfork (No. 81 overall) as the only two Patriots that have made the list thus far.

Mankins' 2012 rank is noticeably lower than where he was a year ago, as he topped all NFL guards as the No. 39 ranked NFL player in 2011. While Mankins repeated his pro-bowl performance last season, his late season ACL injury could have contributed to the lower rank. Former New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks (No. 76 overall) is the only other guard to be named in the countdown thus far.

Regardless of the decline in rank, players around the league still consider Mankins to be one of the best guards in the league today.

Said Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Raheem Brock of Mankins:

"He's just a great overall offensive lineman. He's not just a great pass blocker, he's a great run blocker, too. He's pretty good at trying to disguise the run and the pass. In Indy, they know how we played. We spin a lot, and one play or another, he might set me up, knowing I'm going to spin and the other guy is coming to clean me up. They'd kind of laugh at you because it was kind of a set-up."

"People don't pay to see offensive linemen play, but he's one of the best," Brock said.

Added Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis of Mankins:

"Really laid-back guy off the field, doesn't say much, but when it's time to perform, he gets out there and he's mean, playing with aggression, and playing through the whistle," he said.

Tom Brady, Jerod Mayo, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker are all candidates to crack the Top 60 names on the list.

According to sources close to WEEI.com's Christopher Price, the New England Patriots and seventh-round selection Jeremy Ebert have agreed in principle to a four-year deal worth about $2.148 million. The team's final choice in the 2012 NFL Draft will earn $48,200 as a signing bonus.

Ebert, a 6'0, 195 pound wide receiver out of Northwestern, was the only offensive player selected by Patriots in this year's draft. In his senior season at Northwestern, he had 75 receptions for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished his collegiate career included 156 receptions and 20 total touchdowns.

Ebert will join an already crowded New England wide receiver corps that includes veterans Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco, Donte Stallworth and Anthony Gonzalez. With all of the competition that he'll have in training camp, he's likely in line for a practice squad spot.

Ebert is the second Patriots draft choice to sign on, as second round choice Tavon Wilson signed on for four years and $4.217 million earlier this month.

When the Patriots offense takes the field on any given play, I used to firmly believe that quarterback Tom Brady was the best player on the field for New England. After watching them last season, I second guessed my prior judgement many times.

After a very solid first year in the league, Rob Gronkowski exploded onto the NFL scene, as he developed into one of the league's most elite tight ends. In 2011, caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, which was worthy enough for an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. He and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez teamed up to form an unprecedented two-headed monster at the position.

On Wednesday, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah compiled a list of the top players in the league that are 25 years of age or younger. While the 22-year old Hernandez was one of those who just missed the cut, the 23-year old Gronkowski did make the cut. More from Jeremiah:

The word "Beast" is grossly overused in today's sports vernacular. However, in Gronk's case, there is no better term to describe him. In just his second season, he established himself as the best tight end in the NFL. He hauled in 90 balls for 1,327 yards and 17 TDs (a record for tight ends). He had multiple TDs in seven different regular season games. He has ideal size, speed and hands. His ability to use his frame to wall-off defenders on third down is a huge luxury for Tom Brady. I'd also rank him as the second best red-zone target in the NFL behind only Detroit's Calvin Johnson.

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When this offseason kicked off, one of the biggest issues we thought the New England Patriots would address by Training Camp was to give star wide receiver Wes Welker a contract extension. Now we sit in mid-May, just weeks away from the start of team minicamps, and he's still without an extension.

The Patriots placed their franchise tag on Welker back in March, but he's yet to sign the tender, as he continues to hold out for a new deal. Welker told ESPN earlier this offseason that he was "probably not going to attend" the team's first full team minicamp, which starts on June 12.

In speaking with WEEI on Monday, Welker had a different attitude about things, saying he had "$9.5 million reasons to attend" the minicamp. He elaborated on the state of his holdout:

"I think we're all on the same page and we're all trying to collectively come together and make something happen."

"I think we're still kind of waiting, but I'd really like to be there," Welker told hosts Mike Mutnansky and Lou Merloni. "I don't know. To say I'm going one way or another right now, I'm not going to say it's definite or anything like that, but I would definitely like to be at those minicamps for sure."

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