SB Nation User Blog: NESilver

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen visit The Late Show with David Letterman.

NESilver — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:31:16 -0000

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen visit The Late Show with David Letterman.

Patriots Sign OT Ross

NESilver — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:08:25 -0000

Looks like there will be an extra body competing for the offensive line this offseason.

The Patriots bolstered the depth on their offensive line today by agreeing to contract terms with free-agent tackle Oliver Ross. The team announced the official signing this afternoon.

The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Ross has played in 89 games with 53 career starts. He has spent time with the Cowboys (1998), Eagles (1999), Steelers (2000-2004) and Cardinals (2005-2007). The most productive stretch of his career came with the Steelers, where he was part of some mauling offensive lines that helped Pittsburgh annually rate as one of the league’s best running clubs.

The 33-year-old Ross has been limited by injuries at times over his career. Most recently, he missed last season after he was placed on injured reserve in August with a torn left triceps.

As for how Ross fits in New England, he has experience at both left and right tackle positions, with the right side his most natural spot. The Patriots have Matt Light returning as their starting left tackle and Nick Kaczur as their starting right tackle (he also swings to the left side).

Third-year man Ryan O’Callaghan was the team’s top backup tackle last year; he’s strictly a right tackle. Swing tackle Wesley Britt is fourth on the depth chart.

So Ross adds another layer of depth at the position for the Patriots, who did not select an offensive lineman in the draft.

Source: Reiss' Pieces

Here are some quick contract details.

A follow-up on the contract signed by veteran offensive lineman Oliver Ross with the Patriots:

It's a one-year package, with a base salary of $730,000, which is the minimum for a player with Ross's experience. The deal also includes a $20,000 signing bonus.

The contract qualifies for the minimum salary benefit, meaning that Ross's salary cap charge is $471,000.

Walsh Sends Tapes, No Walkthrough

NESilver — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:57:06 -0000

The New York Times is reporting that Matt Walsh has finally sent the National Football League the videotapes he claimed to have in his possession from his tenure with the Patriots. Among the eight tapes, there was no evidence to support the accusations levied against the Patriots that they had taped the Rams walkthrough prior to the Super Bowl.

Ex-Patriots Assistant Sends the N.F.L. Eight Tapes

I hope this finally puts to rest this whole Spygate fiasco. The article pretty much just sums up what we already knew - the Patriots filmed other team's signals since Bill Belichick became the head coach in New England (though it does provide some more elaborate details on what was actually filmed).

I suppose it's also worth mentioning that Matt Walsh and Roger Goodell are still scheduled to meet on May 13th, so we'll probably have some more info come out by then. As of now, though, that seems to be the entire film collection he took once he was fired.

"The off-season program is one of the best I've ever seen, because it's not generic. Some teams m...

NESilver — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:11:52 -0000

"The off-season program is one of the best I've ever seen, because it's not generic. Some teams might have a program where everybody does the same thing; everybody is going to bench on this day, run on this day, things like that. Everything here, the first couple weeks, is generic, but then it gets to the point where everything is based on your position -- what you need in your backpedal, if you're a wide receiver it's what you need in your cuts, offensive linemen it's what you need in your pass protection. Everything is based upon you getting better on the field as a football player. Most programs it's based on you getting completely stronger. That's not what this is really based on, and that alone, you have an upper hand on people. The things we're going over now, in my nine years in the league, haven't been in other programs. That says a lot. They know how to win." - Fernando Bryant

Patriots Mailbag/Ask Reiss