March Madness, NFL Style


Historically, the month of March means a hotbed of activity and interest in all things baseball around these parts. But with the onset of free agency in the NFL, suddenly all of New England is focused on the big splash the Patriots made, pulling in one marquee linebacker and a couple of depth additions on offense. The signing of Adelius Thomas from the Ravens plugs a huge hole that most experts thought that could only be filled via the draft. That the Patriots’ management took such a proactive approach to address a glaring need stunned football watchers everywhere because they usually don’t jump into the marketplace as soon as the doors open but prefer to wait until prices come down and players can be obtained at more reasonable values. The last time the team made a “big-name” acquisition via free agency was when they picked up Roosevelt Colvin a few years back, who despite having recovered from a serious injury, has come back strong. If Thomas can stay healthy and productive, the Patriots may have scored big.

As far as the other new additions, Kyle Brady was signed to replace Daniel Graham, who will most likely be headed home to Denver. Losing Graham is a shame because he’s developed into a premier blocking tight end. Brady’s been a competent blocker for well over a decade, but investing big dollars in a 35-year old is a huge risk.

Sammy Morris has also been brought in to fill the spot-back role occupied by Corey Dillon last year. Dillon requested and was granted his release from the team with the hopes of catching on as a feature back elsewhere. Morris has been a useful rusher/receiver type who could fit quite well into the Patriots’ schemes. Can he pound it as well as Dillon? No, very few backs in history could take that degree of physical beating. Now that Maroney is the feature back, Dillon hopes to bang out a few more yards as he moves into the upper echelon of the NFL’s all-time rushers. His 2004 season was one for the ages, and Patriot fans acknowledge and respect his accomplishments. He got his ring, and now he can move on. In terms of his place in Patriots’ history Dillon ranks right up there with Jim Nance and Sam Bam Cunningham has the team’s greatest inside runners.

Another surprise is the reported signing of WR Wesley Welker from Miami to an offer sheet. If the Dolphins are unable/unwilling to match, they would receive a second-round pick. As a player, he’s reminiscent of two smallish slot receiver types familiar to Patriot fans, Tim Dwight and Deion Branch. Welker has speed to burn and every time he’s played against New England has seemingly always come up with a big play.

While the order has yet to have been established by the NFL, the Patriots will most likely receive the maximum four compensatory picks for the free agent losses (Vinitieri, et. al) the suffered after 2005. They’re already well positioned at #24 and #28 of the first round and appear to be able to grab a couple of impact starters and fill in with depth picks. Between now and Draft Day, following the team ought to be quite interesting…