New England Patriots

Rutgers wide receiver Brandon Coleman could be a fit in Foxboro. (AP) With the recent pickup of offensive lineman Kevin Haslam earlier this week, the number of Rutgers products on the Patriots’ roster now stands at eight. That group includes Haslam; defensive backs Devin McCourty, Logan Ryan, Brandon Jones and Duron Harmon; as well as defensive end Justin Francis, linebacker Steve Beauharnais; and wide receiver Mark Harrison. With the understanding that the Patriots now seem to be particularly fond of Rutgers’ players, here’s a look at four guys who could be in Foxboro sooner rather than later. Wide receiver Brandon Coleman: This 6-foot-6, 220-pounder, who will be heading into his junior year this fall, is considered an elite playmaker, and recorded 43 catches for 738 yards (16.7 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns last season. He was the leading receiver for the Scarlet Knights in 2012, but recently sat out spring drills as he recovers from a “minor procedure” on his knee. Coleman, who is just four touchdowns shy of the school record, doesn’t necessarily have elite straight-line speed, but more than makes up for it with his size and catch radius. He was second-team All-BIG EAST in 2012. Defensive back Jeremy Deering: Around Foxboro, the saying goes “The more you can do, the more you can do for us,” and that might apply to Deering. In three years with the Scarlet Knights, he’s played Wildcat quarterback, running back and wide receiver, while also returning kickoffs and working at safety. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, who is heading into his senior season, was a multidimensional offensive threat as a freshman and sophomore (he rushed for 352 yards as a freshman and 169 yards as a sophomore, and finished his freshman year with 338 receiving yards), but he transitioned more into a defensive role as a junior. It remains to be seen where he projects in the NFL, but his versatility and pedigree — as well as the fact that he averaged 31.2 yards on 17 kickoff returns in 2011 — will almost certainly draw the attention of the Patriots. Running back Savon Huggins: The 6-foot, 203-pounder, who is heading into his junior year, has been slowed by injury the last two seasons (134 carries, 377 yards), but with the departure of Jawan Jamison for the NFL, it appears all eyes will be on Huggins this fall. He’s had one breakout game as a collegian, rushing for 179 yards on 41 carries last year against Cincinnati. More performances like that will certainly get him noticed by the folks in Foxboro. Wide receiver Quron Pratt: After a 32-catch season in 2011, big things were expected from Pratt in 2012, but a minor tweak in offensive philosophy (including a new offensive coordinator) saw his role minimized somewhat in 2012. He finished with 22 catches for 230 yards last season, but at this point, projects to be the No. 2 wide receiver on the depth chart behind Coleman.

How many times do you remember ESPN telling you how great Manning was, even before he ever was carried to a Super Bowl by his team, which found a way to overcome his horrid play in the playoffs? How many times have you wondered... 'if there was 15 sports channels on tv back in the 80s, how hard would they have tried to brainwash us into believing that Marino was great and that Montana was not? In a recent debate I had with someone, it was a foregone conclusion that Manning was beyond reproach, the greatest to ever sling a football, and Brady wasn't even in the conversation. In fact, the general arguments right now seem to be revolving around Flacco being #2 behind Manning, not Brady. Flacco vs Brady is real close with Flacco being a big strong 1st round pick, and Brady being a physically average 6th rounder. Brady also missed an entire year with an ACL, Flacco hasn't missed one game, ever. So I can see Flacco at #2. Peyton Manning has thrown for 59,000 yards. Brady 44,000. Peyton Manning has thrown for 15 000 MORE YARDS THEN BRADY, ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS. Career TD's Peyton manning 436. Tom Brady 334. OVER 100 MORE TOUCHDOWN PASSES WITH OVER 400 TOTAL. THOSE ARE HALL OF FAME NUMBERS. Those numbers are BETTER then Brady's, by a LOT. So put down the Patriots goggles and get back to reality and don't insult me please, thank you. Its beyond fair to have Manning #1, its a kindness just putting Brady at #2. As the numbers back that up. But what about 10 Division crowns in 12 (11 really) seasons? What about 5 Super Bowl appearances in 12 (11 really) seasons? After all, Brady is only the winningest QB in postseason play... ever. Peyton Manning's career playoff record is 9-11, with eight One-and-Done postseason trips. Eight times, despite homefield advantages, despite unreal officiating (IE - remember the '05 Steelers playoff game where a clear INT by Polamalu somehow wasn't... or the '06 Patriots playoff game when Hobbs was hit with a face-guarding penalty to save a critical drive the Colts needed... except face-guarding doesn't exist in the NFL). Remember the coverage Manning got in 2011 during the Super Bowl? Didn't even play that season, and there he was getting more media coverage than the Patriots who were there to play the game. The one season a Patriots fan could hope not to hear about "the greatest player ever to put on a uniform" ... but nope, instead the barrage went on nearly ceaselessly as game time neared. Trust me, this season is going to be all about how great Manning (and his Broncos) are, and how Brady and the Patriots ain't. How many times do you remember ESPN telling you how great Manning was, even before he ever was carried to a Super Bowl by his team, which found a way to overcome his horrid play in the playoffs? How many times have you wondered... 'if there was 15 sports channels on tv back in the 80s, how hard would they have tried to brainwash us into believing that Marino was great and that Montana was not? In a recent debate I had with someone, it was a foregone conclusion that Manning was beyond reproach, the greatest to ever sling a football, and Brady wasn't even in the conversation. In fact, the general arguments right now seem to be revolving around Flacco being #2 behind Manning, not Brady. Flacco vs Brady is real close with Flacco being a big strong 1st round pick, and Brady being a physically average 6th rounder. Brady also missed an entire year with an ACL, Flacco hasn't missed one game, ever. So I can see Flacco at #2. Peyton Manning has thrown for 59,000 yards. Brady 44,000. Peyton Manning has thrown for 15 000 MORE YARDS THEN BRADY, ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS. Career TD's Peyton manning 436. Tom Brady 334. OVER 100 MORE TOUCHDOWN PASSES WITH OVER 400 TOTAL. THOSE ARE HALL OF FAME NUMBERS. Those numbers are BETTER then Brady's, by a LOT. So put down the Patriots goggles and get back to reality and don't insult me please, than

Some leftovers from Thursday's weekly Patriots chat: Shamarko (Boston, MA): What impact can a healthy Ras I Dowling make to the Pats secondary? Could he challange for a starting position? Shamarko, there was a play in Tuesday's organized team activity where a ball was thrown to the sideline and a cornerback made a sharp break on the delivery to break it up and nearly pick it off (it would have been an easy touchdown). When it happened, because the players aren't wearing jersey numbers, my first instinct was that it was Aqib Talib because it was a taller corner flashing playmaking skills.

When assessing the Patriots’ recent run of success in the seventh round of the draft, it’s clear they employed a similar approach last month with defensive end Michael Buchanan, who has the tools to be another success story.Buchanan had as high as a third-round grade, but his baggage from a couple incidents at Illinois caused his fall. That’s similar to cornerback Alfonzo Dennard in 2012 and defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick in 2010. The Pats also nabbed quarterback-convert Julian Edelman in 2009, eyeing a talented athlete with an impending learning curve.

When Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signed a contract extension this offseason, there was a belief that he did it in order to help the team re-sign Wes Welker because Brady’s deal opened an additional $15 million in cap space over the next two seasons. Yet, the Patriots and Welker never really got close before the receiver darted to Denver.Brady made sure to clear up any perceptions about that philosophy when he spoke to WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan yesterday.

Tom Brady said this morning he was not surprised by Wes Welker leaving to the Denver Broncos: “I don’t think anything surprises me anymore in the NFL,” he said on the “Dennis & Callahan Show” on WEEI sports radio in Boston. “I’ve been around long enough to see things happen at different times with the greatest players of all, whether that’s Wes or Randy Moss being traded by the Raiders or Brett Favre and playing for the Jets and Vikings. That’s what happens. This is a, like I said, it’s a very tough, competitive business, and nobody appreciated Wes more than I did and what he was able to accomplish for our team. He’s moved on; he’s in a good situation with another great team and a great quarterback. We always kind of kept in touch, we always will. He’s one of my best friends.” Brady would not go into details about his feelings being anger or disappointment in Welker joining the rival Broncos. “Of course I have feelings, but those feelings are very personal to me,” he said. “I used to get caught up in angry and disappointment, but I don’t make the decisions. These things aren’t up to me. At some point you’ve got to realize the things that are out of your control, you’ve just got to let go, focus on my job and what I need to do. The game moves on, the team moves on, there’s only so long you can dwell on the past, and at some point you’ve got to move forward. Like I said, my job for my team is to be the best quarterback and not the general manager, not the coach and not the owner,” Brady added. “It’s to try to go out there and bring my own competitiveness to the field so that those guys that I’m playing with this year can rely on me and count on me to be the best I can be.” Brady refuted the idea he agreed to a 3 year contract extension that created $15million dollars in cap space to ensure the Patriots keep Welker: “Those aren’t my demands, I want us to field as competitive a team as we can. And I have all the trust in the world that Mr. Kraft and Jonathan [Kraft] and Coach Belichick do that. There’s nothing about me, I don’t say that, I’m not general manger. I can’t say, ‘I do this, you do this.’ That’s what my decision was. It was kind of a value proposition for me and wanting to be in this system with Coach Belichick and the other players that I’ve been able to play with. I think we are going to field a competitive team,” he said. “It’s been competitive thus far through the offseason conditioning and OTAs thus far. We’ve been close; we were in the Super Bowl two years ago. We were in the AFC championship last year, and I know we have a good team. We’ve just got to do a few more things better. Hopefully that will lead to more success.” Brady was also asked to compare former Patriot WR Wes Welker and new Patriot WR Danny Amendola: “I think we are going to field a competitive team,” he said. “It’s been competitive thus far through the offseason conditioning and OTAs thus far. We’ve been close; we were in the Super Bowl two years ago. We were in the AFC championship last year, and I know we have a good team. We’ve just got to do a few more things better. Hopefully that will lead to more success.” Brady also shared his thought teammate tight end Rob Gronkowski and his fourth surgery: “I think with any injured player, you’re always hoping they come back fresh and strong and healthy. He’s dealing with his situation, and I hope that he’s out there as soon as he can be. As soon as he’s ready, I want him out there helping the team win. He’s been battling through a long time. His mental toughness and his excitement and what he brings to the team are really unmatched. When he is healthy, I’ll be

As much as Tom Brady likes Wes Welker as a friend and teammate, he did not ask the Patriots to retain the receiver around as part of the contract renegotiation and extension the quarterback signed in February.

Defensive end Chandler Jones is heading into his second season with the New England Patriots and he is expecting big things. He recently gave an interview with Patriots Football Weekly and talked about his added weight. He played at 260 pounds his rookie season, and this offseason he has added 10 pounds, making him 270 pounds, and he said it is to make him stronger: “I had a great offseason. I put on a lot of weight, a lot of muscle actually, my biggest thing wasn’t just putting on weight. Some guys will put on weight and they’ll run slower. I feel like I really haven’t missed a step with the 10 pounds added. The weight was good. It’s muscle mass.” Adding strength wasn’t the only thing he focused on this offseason, it was also having a better knowledge of the playbook: “Being more familiar with the calls. For a call to be called and me to know it like the back of my hand so, if I was to hear a call, boom I’d be like the back of my hand, so, if I was to hear a call, boom I’d be right there — be ready. Not just on the field, but off the field. Just having the film study and things of that nature.” Jones believe the work he has put in this offseason will jump his production up to the likes of J.J. Watt: “I feel like a lot of that production comes from guys being more familiar with the game, you go into your rookie year, and your rookie year you get those pregame jitters. Now, I’m going into sophomore, you’re more fluid and more comfortable even communicating with guys next to you. Less thinking and more just green light — going. So, I’m excited to attack this Year 2.” When asked if fans can expect 19 sacks from him this season he replied “Every Pats fan should accept that.”

Written by Rich Arleo Edited by Marc Caviglia To help better prepare you for your upcoming 2013 fantasy football drafts we have has decided to take a close look at each team’s depth and predict how each players role will play out during the 2013 NFL season. These fantasy football depth charts will cover every position, however the main focus will be on the running back and wide receiver positions, since fantasy football owners have the toughest time projecting these positions. Keep in mind our NFL Depth Charts are fantasy football specific. ::UPDATED: MAY 23, 2013 Denver Broncos Depth Chart QB1: Peyton Manning | QB2: Brock Osweiler | QB3: Zac Dysert RB1: Montee Ball | RB2: Willis McGahee | RB3: Knowshon Moreno | RB4: Ronnie Hillman | RB5: Lance Ball WR1: Demaryius Thomas | WR2: Wes Welker | WR3: Eric Decker | WR4: Tavarres King TE1: Joel Dreesen | TE2: Jacob Tamme K: Matt Prater 2012 In Review The Denver Broncos brought in Peyton Manning with the hope he could overcome his neck issues and revert back to Hall of Fame form, and that’s exactly what he did. Manning threw for a whopping 4,658 yards, good for sixth best in the league, to go along with 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions (105.8 quarterback rating). Manning gained an instant rapport with receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Thomas became a top-flight WR1 with 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns while Decker was also a top 20 receiver with 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns. Veteran Brandon Stokley also made some plays with 544 yards and five touchdowns. Manning also found his tight ends Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen. Tamme led the duo with 544 yards and two touchdowns while Dreesen scored five times with 356 yards. The run game also flourished with Manning under center. Willis McGahee was on his way to a big year before his season ended with yet another knee injury. After McGahee went down, Knowshon Moreno filled in well as both a receiver and runner. Rookie Ronnie Hillman showed some talent in limited time but he may not be able to cut it as a workhorse back, while Lance Ball fell out of favor and was limited to 42 carries all season. At kicker, Matt Prater had another very solid season and has established himself as one of the beck kickers in the NFL. What to Expect in 2013 Denver will look to build on a great season as much of the group returns…along with one big addition. Wes Welker left the New England Patriots and joins Thomas and Decker to form quite simply the best wide receiver corps in the league and in fantasy football as well. All three should be starting fantasy football receivers; the only issue may be with Decker as he could lose some targets to Welker. Thomas should remain unaffected, but all three will put up very good numbers. Manning owners can expect more of the same as long as the neck issues don’t flare up. He should be drafted as a top 5 fantasy football quarterback in re-draft formats and repeat with about 4,500 yards and 35-plus touchdowns. With Welker basically replacing Stokley, he could be even better. The backfield situation heading into 2013 is not as clear as the passing game. Montee Ball was taken in Round 2 of the NFL Draft and immediately has the most upside out of anyone in the backfield. McGahee and Moreno both are recovering from knee issues and the Broncos could look to pair him with Hillman while letting go of either (or both) of the veterans. Hillman should be able to see consistent carries this year along with Ball. McGahee and Moreno are only worth late-round picks at this point, and either could be jobless before the season starts. Tight ends Tamme and Dreessen return and will likely see a pretty even split of targets for a second straight year. They are tough to trust as anything other than bye week replacements. It’s rather random which back produces each week, so starting either one of them will always be a risk. Prater is one of the best fantasy football ki

It has been so many seasons now, I sometimes forget how much I loved the 'old' Patriots... the gritty, hard nosed, blue collar team of the early 00s, the team that relentlessly ground its opponents into dust and physically beat up the best teams in football. I loved watching that Defense go to work, watching Offenses flail away futilely, whether it was Manning's Colts or Martz's Rams, or when it was a slugfest between two like minded teams, such as when the Ravens and Patriots went smashmouth football in a mudbowl back when Gillette still had natural grass. I remember how clearly I saw the changes coming, when they traded for Moss and signed Stallworth. A part of me dreaded what I watched in the draft and FA moves in '06 and '07, the Defense was all but ignored in favor of building up a glitzy, point-a-minute Offense. Soon the shut-down Corner was gone, soon the Linebacker corps every NFL team had learned to respect, if not fear, was nothing but a memory, and the D-line was a shadow of its former self. I forgot what it was like to watch a hard nosed group ride guile, balance, guts and toughness all the way to three Super Bowl victories in four years. Spikes is such a player, personality wise, he falls somewhere between a Brian Cox and Dick Butkus, though perhaps not as skilled as either... still, Spikes started 14 games last season, the most of his three year career with the Patriots. He was second on the D with a career-high 129 tackles while forcing five fumbles Remove Spikes from the middle, for any reason, and there is really no depth at the position, unless they move Mayo back, or Dont'a Hightower could move inside, or perhaps even Steve Beauharnais. Certianly Dane Fletcher is in the mix at the position, but I think we all like him as a sub and change of pace option, rather than the every game starter going into the season. Instead of Spikes' absence from OTAs being a sign of troubles ahead, I'd like to think that this fiery player is focused on preparing himself for the upcoming season like he has never prepared for a football season before. Spikes' attitude and on-field aggression is contagious, even veteran players like Mayo respond to it, play with more intensity because of it. The Defense needs more of that type of spark, not less. I read that Spikes stopped using Twitter this past February, something he has used to his own detriment at times, for years now. His last tweet was on February 28, and it stated simply enough: "TRANSFORMATION" At the end of the day, the Patriots have all the speed, size, athleticism, players that they need... what they are missing on that Defense is that tenacity, that determination, that devotion and unity that comes with a group of players committed to one another, and to beating down whoever comes their way, until they give way. No one on the Defense embodies that mentality more than Spikes. That is really what football is all about, and that is why despite all the great fantasy football stats, and record breaking performances the Offense has put up the last half dozen years, they have no Lombardi Trophy to show for all their efforts. High powered Offenses, even the greatest of all time, do not win championships. The team that knows how to shut down such Offenses, does. It has been so many seasons now, I sometimes forget how much I loved the 'old' Patriots... the gritty, hard nosed, blue collar team of the early 00s, the team that relentlessly ground its opponents into dust and physically beat up the best teams in football. I loved watching that Defense go to work, watching Offenses flail away futilely, whether it was Manning's Colts or Martz's Rams, or when it was a slugfest between two like minded teams, such as when the Ravens and Patriots went smashmouth football in a mudbowl back when Gillette still had natural grass. I remember how clearly I saw the changes coming, when they traded for Moss and signed Stallworth. A part of me dreaded what I watched in the draf