Donte Whitner enjoyed his finest NFL season in 2011. The veteran safety earned his first Pro Bowl nod and finally reached the playoffs with the NFC West champion 49ers after toiling in Buffalo for the first five years of his career. Yet he's obviously still disappointed after the Niners were slayed in overtime of the NFC Championship Game by the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants. Asked on NFL Network's NFL Total Access on Tuesday night if he watched Super Bowl XLVI, Whitner responded: "Bits and pieces of it. I... [Read More]
The New England Patriots announced the release of defensive lineman Mike Wright and offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger. Both players finished 2011 on injured reserve, with Wright finishing four of the last six seasons on IR, the last two after suffering concussions. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Cincinnati, Wright totaled 174 tackles and 15 quarterback sacks in 81 games with the Patriots. Wright was signed through 2012 and was due $2.455 million in total compensation this season,... [Read More]
Renowned quaterbacks coach Tom Martinez died Tuesday on his 66th birthday, reportedly of a heart attack suffered during a dialysis session according to Glenn Reeves of Bayareanewsgroup.com. Martinez, who received national attention for his work with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, was one of the most successful coaches in California community college history during his time as football, women's basketball and softball coach at College of San Mateo. Martinez's health had declined in recent years due to... [Read More]
Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes took to Twitter this morning to announce he's having surgery according to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald: “Surgery this am!!!! Y’all pray 4 me please ….. #PoWwWwW!“ He didn’t say where or on what body part. He did have a sprained MCL this season, and a knee cleanup is possible. But, of course, he wasn’t specific
It's no secret that free agent wide receiver Brandon Lloyd wants to continue playing wherever Josh McDaniels is coaching. He stated so last season, saying that he's tied to McDaniels, and reiterated those sentiments Monday during an interview with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. “Yes, I find that very interesting,” Lloyd told Florio when asked about joining the Patriots. “I would like to entertain that and see where that goes. There’s no bones about that. I’ve been very successful in Josh McDaniels’ offense, I really... [Read More]
Ian R. Rapoport of the Boston Herald reports that a source has informed them that there’s yet to be a ”breakthrough” in regards to the ongoing contracts discussion between the New England Patriots and WR Wes Welker. The two sides have been reported to be far apart in recent weeks, making the franchise tag seem all the more likely. Welker, 31, is trying to secure the first solid deal of his career but the Patriots have shown a reluctance to meet his salary requirements which could have something to do with the fact that... [Read More]
The past two seasons, Patriots TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have taken the league by storm, finding great success in an unconventional two-tight end set. In 2012, the duo will have a new person coaching them. Brian Ferentz, who had been New England's TE coach in 2011 after working as an offensive assistant for the team since '08, has left to become the O-line coach at the University of Iowa. Ferentz played for the Hawkeyes, and his father, Kirk, is the school's head football coach.
Veteran center Dan Koppen would like to continue his career with the New England Patriots, but the unrestricted free agent is keeping his options open, Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reports. "Do I want to stay here and play? Yeah, absolutely, I’d love to come back here and play," Koppen said. "But I’m not shut off to the idea of going other places or seeing the opportunities that may present themselves when the free agency period comes. It’s a uneasy time, but it’s an exciting time. Because things... [Read More]
If Brandon Lloyd wants to reunite with Josh McDaniels and sign with the New England Patriots, then agent Tom Condon will apparently work toward that end, says the Boston Herald. Condon apparently has not worked with the Patriots directly in seven years since intense negotiations involving tight end Ben Watson. "We pretend there are 31 franchises in the NFL now and they pretend we don’t exist, even though we represent 140 (now over 160) of the best players in the NFL. That’s fine,” Condon once said of the Patriots.... [Read More]
Ron Borges of the Boston Herald reports Brandon Lloyd's agent Tom Condon would like to remind the Patriots of something his critics in Foxboro have begun to deny about him in whispered voices. Tom Condon is a businessman. If the Patriots want to do business, in this case in pursuit of soon-to-become free agent wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, that’s all that’s necessary. No need for rapprochement, a political term that springs from the French word rapprocher, meaning to “bring together.” No need for a lovefest and no need... [Read More]
Shaun Ellis is unlikely to be back with the New England Patriots, observes Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe in his postseason analysis of the team. Ellis had just two sacks in New England, and though he brings a strong locker room presence, at 35 his productivity may be in decline, says Bedard. It remains to be seen if another team would be willing to take a flier on the veteran who made $4 million as a Patriot last season.
This isn't exactly a surprise, but Patriots free-agent-to-be running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has reportedly been in "on and off" contract negotiations with the Patriots. This news comes via his agent Joel Segal, who made an appearance on "PFT Live" earlier today. New England traditionally doesn't like to break the bank at running back (Corey Dillon an exception) and they drafted two running backs last year: Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen. Green-Ellis isn't exactly a game breaker, but he simply... [Read More]
The New England Patriots re-signed running back Eric Kettani to the 80-man roster Tuesday night, according to multiple media reports. Kettani was on the Patriots' practice squad for the first five weeks of the regular season but was denied leave by the Navy and ordered to return to his ship, forcing New England to release him. The same hurdles still exist for the 5-foot-11, 235-pound running back, who is still seeking clearance from the Navy to resume his football career. If that doesn't happen by the start of the... [Read More]
This could all be moot if the Texans try to wrap up their superstar defender but it would not stun Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly one bit if the Patriots make a play for DE Mario Williams. Bill Belichick is nothing if not opportunistic, and he knows that having one of the finest defensive talents potentially come free like this is a once-a-decade kind of thing he can't afford to pass up. Letting Richard Seymour go was a rare Belichick mistake, and sources have said that the coach admits he hasn't been able to... [Read More]
Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd told the Post-Dispatch at the end of the season that a big factor in where he play next season is where Josh McDaniels ended up per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lloyd's career took off after he joined McDaniels in Denver in 2009, and the pair reunited in St. Louis following the trade, but after one ill-fated season as Rams offensive coordinator, McDaniels now has the coordinator's title in New England. The Patriots could be a desirable landing spot for Lloyd for a couple of... [Read More]
