Unofficial Free Agent Signings

Written by New England Patriots on April 27, 2008 – 9:57 pm -

Here is the list as of 10:00 PM tonight:

Arizona Cardinals - QB Anthony Morelli, OT Thaddeus Coleman, DT Keilen Dykes, G Hercules Satele, Ali Highsmith.

Atlanta Falcons - DE Brandon Miller

Baltimore Ravens - DL Lorenzo Williams

Buffalo Bills - QB Luke Drone

Chicago Bears - QB Nick Hill, WR Curtis Hamilton

Cleveland Browns - RB Tony Temple, CB Darnell Terrell

Dallas Cowboys - WR Danny Amendola, DE Marcus Dixon

Denver Broncos - WR Anthony Alridge

Green Bay Packers - P Kenny DeBauche, TE Michael Peterson, LB Danny Lansanah, RB Kregg Lumpkin, WR Taj Smith

Houston Texans - LB Ben Moffitt, WR Ryan Grice-Mullin

Indianapolis Colts - WR Samuel Giguère, DT Dan Davis

Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Paul Smith, WR Adam Bishop, DE Alex Boston, TE Chris Brown, WR Rudy Burgess, FB Anthony Catrone, WR Clyde Edwards, CB Isaiah Gardner, CB Michael Grant, WR Jeron Harvey, DT Theo Horrocks, C Drew Miller, LB Lamar Myles, CB Brian Witherspoon

Kansas City Chiefs - LB Steve Octavien, K Connor Barth

Miami Dolphins - WR Davone Bess

Minnesota Vikings - LB J Leman, S Husain Abdullah, DE Martail Burnett, DT Leger Douzable, S Marcus Griffin, K Steven Hauschka, LB Erin Henderson, WR Nate Jones, CB Travis Key, C Tim Mattran, OG Drew Radovich, WR Darius Reynaud, CB Brandon Sumrall, CB Marcus Walker, QB Kyle Wright, RB Albert Young

New Orleans Saints - QB T.C. Ostrander, S Rocky Schwartz

New York Giants - S Nehemiah Warrick, DE Wallace Gilberry

New York Jets - RB Danny Woodhead

Oakland Raiders - C Adam Spieker

Philadelphia Eagles - OT Franklin Dunbar

Pittsburgh Steelers - WR Micah Rucker, C Doug Legursky

San Diego Chargers - OL Tyler Luellen, FB Mike Tolbert

San Francisco 49ers - WR Cameron Colvin, LB Gary Guyton

Seattle Seahawks - S Jamar Adams, CB Donovan Alexander, WR Travis Brown, WR
Michael Bumpus, LB Matt Castelo, G Dustin Dickinson, CB DeMichael Dizer, LB David
Hawthorne, S Kelin Johnson, T William Robinson, WR Anthony Russo, S Eric Wicks

St. Louis Rams - FB Brandon McAnderson

Tennessee Titans - WR WR Jason Rivers

Washington Redskins - OG Kerry Brown, OT Shannon Boatman, OT Devin Clark


Posted in Draft (2008) | 17 Comments »

Kudos to The NFL Network

Written by New England Patriots on April 27, 2008 – 8:28 pm -

For the first time in my life, I didn’t see Mel Kiper once during the draft. Why? Because while ESPN was running it’s annual clown show, fully equipped with it’s 204 person cast, The NFL Network finally hit the nail on the head when it comes to draft coverage. After a couple of years of mimicking ESPN’s comedy act, The Network tried a novel idea this year. They actually talked about the teams and the prospects selected. Wow, imagine that.

I thought The Network’s Day 2 coverage was particularly exceptional. Obviously only football die-hards are watching the draft in Round 6 and I thought the station did a great job of talking about every prospect. I don’t love Mike Mayock but he’s the guy I want to hear from after a selection. ESPN has so many cooks in the kitchen, you never know what’s going on. Like him or not, I want to hear Mayock’s opinion on every pick so he can tell me how smart he is. Also, the spirited debates on the set between Mayock and Jamie Dukes really pushed The NFL Network’s coverage over the top. Dukes, who usually acts like a clown himself, was battling Mayock toe-to-toe, actually bringing up a number of well thought out arguments. It got to the point where I thought the two were actually going to fight each other. And both guys were bringing a lot to the table in these discussions, something I haven’t seen on ESPN since 1992.

Hey, we may not agree with all the opinions but I thought The NFL Network brought up a lot of good discussions on Day 2. For years now I have asked that someone provide NFL draft coverage for real football fans like us. I want to thank The NFL Network for finally delivering that coverage. A great job all the way around, while I’m sure ESPN and Chris Berman were most likely telling Knock, knock jokes.


Posted in Draft (2008) | 2 Comments »

Undrafted free agents that are worth a look

Written by New England Patriots on April 27, 2008 – 8:14 pm -

Ali Highsmith, LB LSU – Medical concerns caused Highsmith – a projected mid-round draft pick – to fall completely out of the draft. Highsmith could be this year’s Brandon Siler, who made the Chargers roster last season after slipping to the seventh round of the draft with a knee injury. When healthy, Highsmith is much more productive than a lot of linebackers that were drafted ahead of him, so a team that signs him as undrafted free agent could be getting a real steal.

Erin Henderson, LB Maryland – Henderson is another linebacker that slipped all the way out of the draft due to injury concerns. However, Henderson’s production on the field can’t be ignored. He racked up a lot of tackles for the Terps and he plays with a real mean streak. Like Highsmith, teams could be getting a really good player in Henderson as long as he can stay on the field.

Curtis Gatewood, OLB Vanderbilt - I believe that Gatewood is one of the few college outside linebackers who can play that position in a 3-4 scheme. Gatewood is extremely athletic and really pressures the passer well. He played outside linebacker and defensive end in college, so he has the versatility the Patriots like. As an undrafted free agent, I think Gatewood is an intriguing prospect for a team like the Patriots.

Jameel McCLain, ILB Syracuse - An extremely versatile player, McClain played ILB, OLB and DE in college. He really got off the ball quickly playing with his hand down and reminded me some of Mike Vrabel when I watched him on tape. People question McClain’s speed but he ran much better than expected at the Combine. I think a guy with McClain’s flexibility to play multiple positions would be a nice addition to New England’s defense.

Ben Moffitt, ILB South Florida - Moffitt was a Butkus Award semi-finalist and the leader of a South Florida defense that was among the nations best in 2007. As an undrafted free agent, it may be worth taking a shot on a guy who, at the very least, will be a standout on special teams and could eventually turn into a solid NFL linebacker because of his heart and desire.

Vince Hall, ILB Virginia Tech – Hall is yet another big-time linebacker who could be a nice pickup for teams. I was really surprised that Hall wasn’t drafted. I thought he was a much better prospect than his teammate at Virginia Tech, Xavier Adibi. Hall doesn’t mind tacking on blockers and he makes a lot of tackles in the backfield. At the very least, Hall should be a demon on special teams in the NFL.

Drew Radovich, G USC – A lot of people thought Radovich could be one of the top guards taken off the board but some character concerns pushed teams away to the point where Radovich surprisingly wasn’t even drafted. Radovich isn’t a mauler but he’s an athletic guy who is similar in style of play to Stephen Neal. He will no doubt be one of the most sought after undrafted free agents because he has third or fourth round ability.

Jamie Silva, S Boston College – Silva isn’t the fastest guy in the world but he has good intangibles and really understands the game. Silva makes up for his lack of sped with good instincts. He doesn’t have the measurables that will blow you away but Silva is a thumper who would be an asset to any team on special teams.

Matthew Mulligan, TE Maine – Mulligan is known for his blocking and because of that, he should find his way onto an NFL roster. He doesn’t have great speed (4.89 in the 40-yard dash) but Mulligan makes his living as a bruising blocker in the running game. Sounds like the kind of guy the Patriots may took a look at as a free agent.

Maurice Murray, RB Northeastern – A local product, Murray was extremely productive in his career at Northeastern. At 225 pounds, Morris has the prototypical size of an NFL running back and I think he’s a better pro prospect than Justise Hairston, a small school back the Patriots drafted last year. Referred to as “The Machine” by some, Morris could be a preseason surprise for an NFL team.


Posted in Draft (2008) | 9 Comments »

Dukes is killing Mayock

Written by Andy Hart on April 27, 2008 – 6:38 pm -

I love Jamie Dukes. I used to think he was a clown, but he’s proving something to me the way he is calling out Mike “Fraud” Mayock. Mayock is getting mad because Dukes is making good points and not letting Mayock slip more of his pompous crap out there. Mayock has taken so many shots at the media and “draft experts” today. Mike, get off yourself. You are part of the media. You don’t work for an NFL team. You’re not a real scout. (But if the PFW boys call you for a story next year, please get back to us. We love your work.)


Posted in Draft (2008) | 6 Comments »

Ruud awakening

Written by Andy Hart on April 27, 2008 – 5:14 pm -

The Patriots final selection of the weekend, Nebraska LB Bo Ruud is a bloodline pick. He’s the sixth Ruud to play for the Cornhuskers and his brother, Barrett, is a current member of the Bucs. Bo started the last three seasons for Nebraska. He earned All-Big 12 honors in 2006. He was rated well down the list of undrafted free agents, but apparently the Pats thought more of him. (Much like they did with a few of their other picks.) He’s a student of the game and watches film nonstop. My guess is that will endear him to BB. But I still think he has limited skills and will face an uphill battle to make the roster.


Posted in Draft (2008) | 13 Comments »