Matt's Pats Blog

Former Patriots special teams captain Larry Izzo, who was with the team for 8 great years, named his newborn "Boston". Doesn't quite make up for signing with the Jets this year, but it's a start.

The Buffalo Bills' newest receiver, Terrell Owens, blames his old quarterback and offensive coordinator for his departure from Dallas (passive aggressively, of course, through Twitter). This guy just LOOOVES his quarterbacks, huh? Can't wait to see what he has to say about Trent Edwards after being dismantled by the Pats in week 1.

Brady has been practicing without restriction, and has tossed with Moss at least 12 times this year.

Peter King thinks Joey Galloway will be the X-Factor for the Pats this season. "Imagine splitting a healthy Galloway and Moss wide to either side, with Welker in the slot and a good receiver like Kevin Faulk in the backfield."

Mike Sando revisits the 2007 Patriots-49ers draft day trade which the Pats sent their 28th overall pick for the 49ers' 2008 1st round pick and their 2007 4th rounder. The 4th round pick was used to trade for Randy Moss, while the 1st rounder was later traded to be used for LB Jerod Mayo and LB Shawn Crable. Let's not forget how Deion Branch netted the Patriots the 24th overall pick in 07 (where they took Meriweather), allowing the Pats to make this deal. Essentially, the Pats traded Deion Branch for Randy Moss, Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable.

The Patriots traded out of the first round and drafted hard-hitting safety Patrick Chung from Oregon with the 34th overall pick. Chung is extremely versatile and was a workhorse in college. He looks to play the vacant Rodney Harrison "enforcer" role for the team.

The team drafted Boston College DT Ron Brace with the 40th pick, and Connecticut CB Darius Butler with the 41st pick. Brace was overshadowed by DT B.J. Raji at BC, but was integral to their stout run defense. Butler was projected by many to be a 1st round pick, and arguably the 2nd best CB in the draft; he was an absolute steal at #41.

With the 58th pick, the team drafted German-born OT Sebastian Vollmer out of Houston.

On day 2, the team traded their first 3rd round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2010 2nd round pick and a 7th round pick this year.

With the 83rd pick, the Pats drafted UNC WR Brandon Tate. Tate, who is also a great return-man, was projected to be a first round pick before suffering a knee injury which sidelined him for half of the season. The Pats have the luxury of letting Tate heal and develop behind their already stacked WR corps.

The Pats traded the 89th overall pick to the Tennessee Titans for a 2010 2nd round pick.

Peter King is writing that the Patriots have attempted (and failed) a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up to the 8th overall spot in the draft, and he believes the Pats will be looking to move into the late top-10 pick area.

NFL Rookie of the Year LB Jerod Mayo says he's not satisfied with his performance last year and has been working at Foxboro for the entire offseason to up his game.

Bills RB Marshawn Lynch has been suspended for the first three games of the season, making the opening game much easier for the Pats.

Former Redskins and Dolphins DE Jason Taylor stated he really doesn't like the Jets organization, their fans, or anything about them. "I've had a lot of history saying bad things about Jets fans." Does anyone like the Jets?

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News loves the Patriots' offseason moves.

The Pats are hosting UNC WR Brooks Foster for a pre-draft workout today.

At least one NFL team suspects that Bill Belichick's presence at the UConn Pro Day means the Pats will draft CB Darius Butler with the 23d overall pick. Check his highlights on YouTube.

Wes Welker is excited to catch passes from Tom Brady once again (saying he was excited to catch Brady's balls just didn't sound right).

Mike Reiss notes that BenJarvus Green-Ellis is not eligible for the practice squad, and he'll likely be fighting against Laurence Maroney for a roster spot.

Mike Florio of SportingNews.com thinks the Patriots should trade TE Benjamin Watson, even though he won't warrant much in return.

Scout.com wonders if the Peppers-to-Patriots deal is dead.

LT Matt Light will take over as the Patriots' player representative, now that LB Mike Vrabel is gone.

PatsFans.com has a discussion about the possibility of the Pats trading a 2nd round pick for disgruntled WR Chad Ocho Cinco.

Former Pats QB Matt Cassel will wear number 7 in Kansas City, in case you were wondering.

Gisele's security guards opened fire on paparazzi at her and Tom Brady's 2nd wedding.

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com analyzes the Patriots' team needs: OLB, S, and ILB top the list.

Mike Reiss breaks down the contracts given to S James Sanders and DT Mike Wright, showing how Sanders' 3-year contract could really be a 1-year deal.

Former Patriots LB Willie McGinest recently hinted that he wants to return to New England.