New England Patriots

Some areas that I'm most interested to watch at Tuesday's organized team activity open to reporters: 1. Early signs of Brady-Amendola synergy. The Tom Brady/Wes Welker connection produced incredible results in 2007 and from 2009-2012, but now it's a new chapter. When comparing Welker and his replacement Danny Amendola (wearing Troy Brown's old No. 80), there are some common threads when it comes to quickness, change-of-direction skills and ability to pick up yardage after the catch.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft (and his late wife, Myra) has long been an advocate of having players in the organization volunteer their time for worthy causes.Steve Gregory appreciates the sentiment. Before arriving in Foxboro last year, the Patriots safety and his wife, Roseanne, were known in San Diego for having a positive impact in the community. That hasn’t changed in New England.

Rob Gronkowski appears to have dodged one bullet. The nasty infection that’s dogged him for months looks to be a thing of the past, as doctors yesterday were able to install a new plate in his surgically repaired left forearm.But there’s another sizable worry on the table. The Pro Bowl tight end will likely tackle back surgery next. Gronkowski has been battling a disc problem for at least the past year. He recently underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

DE Jason Vega would have been a unique case in today's NFL if not for the New England Patriots' headline-hogging acquisition of one Armond Armstead just prior. After all, it's not often Canadian Football Leaguers make an impactful jump to the NFL for one reason or another--unremarkable measurables, a lack of production at the collegiate level, a small school. The ones that have successfully made the transition, however, have done so with a bang: Warren Moon, Raghib 'Rocket" Ismail, Joe Theismann and, of course, hometown legend Doug Flutie. The Patriots turned their tri-cornered caps northward this offseason to infuse their pass rush with some much-needed youth and athleticism, and at first glance, Jason Vega certainly fits the bill. Vega, 6'4 and 255 lbs, comes off a head-turning season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that saw him record 40 tackles and five sacks. It doesn't hurt that Vega was reared just down the street in Brockton and attended Northeastern University, giving area scouts ample opportunities to track his abilities. A roster "lock" is anything but a certainty in Foxborough--especially this early in the season's proceedings--but if his words are any indication, Vega's doing just about everything right to seize a seldom-seen opportunity. Vega was kind enough to speak with Pats Pulpit just before the offseason kicks into high gear. Pats Pulpit: I saw you tweeting about that Bruins game 7 last night. I know you're from Brockton, so I know you have an allegiance to some of those teams at least to some extent. What were your thoughts? Jason Vega: It was tough to watch for a little while. End of the second and the early third, things started to look really bad. I just kind of knew as soon as we could get one goal going, we might be able to pull it off but it was going to be a long ways and we had a lot of work to do. PP Is it difficult to be a fan of a team or a city you're playing for? Does it skew the perspective of business has to be done', or does it have any effect at all?JV: No, I don't think so. I've always maintained the perspective that it's a business with the NFL. It really wouldn't have mattered whether I was here or anywhere else, I just happened to be closer to home. It's more or less something to write about and something to talk about, but it really didn't matter all that much to me. PP: Now that you've done a bit of training camp, what do you think the biggest difference between the CFL and the NFL is? JV: I just think the playbook's more complex. There's a lot more at stake. Other than the playbook and the speed of the game, it's a little bit different just because you have what you would say are better athletes in the NFL and all across the board. PP: Which do you prefer? Canadian or American bacon? We had to ask. JV: I think the American. The Canadian was a surprise ... a pleasant surprise. PP: Who's the lucky recipient of all your flannel now that you're back in Boston? JV (laughs) I did not own a piece of flannel while I was up there. I refused it. PP: Not one? JV: Not a single one. PP: Which Patriot do you most respect? I know it's a loaded question going into the season, but if there's one guy you could see yourself looking up to when it comes to locker room dealings? JV: It's really tough to say because there are so many guys here that provide such good examples for what's a true professional and what it takes to win. You go anywhere from Tom Brady to Vince Wilfork to Jerod Mayo--those are guys that are here day in and day out. And regardless of what people might say or 'status' positions where they might not have to be here, but they're here. They're working hard and working on their craft. Those are three of the guys that are more admirable considering their positions on this team. PP: We've kind of had an identity crisis on defense, whether it's going to be a 3-4 or a 4-3. And situationally, it kind of varies and is also based on the personnel. How do you get a re

November 27, 2011; Philadelphia, PA USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel before the game against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports This is the fourth installment of a multi-part review and grading of the previous drafts of the New England Patriots in the Bill Belichick era.  As the NFL remains in the doldrums of the off-season calendar, the Patriots and other NFL teams are in a period of preparation and review until training camp kicks off in July. Now is the opportune time to look back and re-grade the previous drafts of the Bill Belichick led New England Patriots. As a note, these draft grades take into account the player’s impact in New England weighed against the other players who were available at the time, as well as the the strength of the draft as a whole that season.  Below is the revisit and re-grading of the Bill Belichick draft that played a key role in adding two consecutive Super Bowl championships in New England: the 2003 NFL Draft. The Patriots ended the 2002 season on the outside looking in, as an inconsistent team struggled to a 9-7 record and missing the playoffs. One year after their amazing Super Bowl victory over St. Louis, the Patriots suffered a four game losing streak during the 2002 season, as well as losing two of their last three regular season games in uninspired fashion.  The team needed an infusion of youth and playmakers, as the offense struggled to score at times and the defense repeatedly gave up crucial conversions. The Patriots headed into the 2003 draft determined to show that previous seasons wheeling and dealing was a mere trifle compared to this year.  Players deemed expendable were moved for draft picks that became pieces of moves by the Patriots up, down, and all over the draft board.  The Patriots pre-draft day dealing included having the Buffalo Bills 1st round pick as part of their 2002 deal for former Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Bledsoe, starting safety and former 1st round pick Tebucky Jones to the Saints for three picks (3rd & 7th round picks and a future 4th round pick in 2004), tackle Greg Robinson-Randall for a 5th round pick (to the young franchise Houston Texans), and trading back-up offensive tackle Grant Williams to the Rams for a 7th round pick. Once the draft started, the Patriots continued to jump around, moving up in the draft, trading down and out of the draft, and stockpiling future picks. One of those future picks (not to steal the thunder from the 2004 draft), but the Patriots made two “future trades” that drive fans batty on draft day but often pay dividends: New England packaged their second 1st round pick (#19) to Baltimore for their 2nd round pick in 2003 (more about that pick later) and Baltimore’s 1st round pick in 2004; Also, New England traded one of their 3rd round picks (#78) to Miami for their 2004 2nd round pick.  Those picks eventually turned into defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon, two key cogs in 2004 and beyond. 1st Round #13: Ty Warren, Defensive End: The 2003 draft was notable for the depth on the defensive line as 8 of the first 18 picks were on the defensive line.  Some were studs: (Kevin Williams, Minnesota at #9), but most were duds: (Dewayne Robinson, New York Jets #4; Jonathan Sullivan, New Orleans #6; and Jimmy Kennedy, St. Louis #12).  Sitting at #14, the Patriots were looking for help on the defensive line to pair with young star Richard Seymour, and apparently got nervous as Jimmy Kennedy went off the board and the Chicago Bears got ready to pick.  Throwing in a 6th round pick (#193), the Patriots jumped over the Bears to grab Texas A&M defensive end Ty Warren.  All the Patriots got were two Super Bowl rings and an unheralded mauler opposite Seymour for the next seven years. The Bears, content to move down, took Penn State defensive end Michael Haynes followed by the Eagles taking underachiever Jerome McDougle to

There is good news out of Mass General Hospital this evening, as Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has successfully undergone surgery on his left forearm. ESPN's Adam Schefter was one of the first to report the successful procedure: On Rob Gronkowski's surgery, doctors believe the forearm infection is gone, per source. They put the new plates in. Good news for Gronk. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013 Folks, this is the best possible outcome for Gronkowski, who has now had four surgeries on this forearm. Gronk's doctors believe that the infection in his arm has gone away and they decided to go ahead and insert a new plate to protect it. Because the infection has subsided, we're talking about a much quicker recovery time; an estimated two and a half month one. If rehab and recovery go well, Gronkowski can still be ready for training camp in August. If the infection had not gone away, doctors would not have been able to insert the new plate and we'd likely be without Gronk for another month, possibly two depending on the extent of the infection With his forearm surgery now in the books and successful, the attention turns to his back, which has apparently been bothering him. Gronkowski has reportedly been contemplating back surgery, and is set to see a back specialist to get his opinion. Schefter tweeted this out just hours after the first: Rob Gronkowski plans to see Dr. Watkins in California in about 3-4 weeks to decide on whether to have the back surgery. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013 Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to find out if he'll actually need the surgery. But until then, let's just take today's findings as good news. One down, (maybe) one to go.

Rob Gronkowski underwent surgery and found out his pesky infection is gone. Doctors put new plates in to repair the previously broken left forearam, and the estimated timetable for recovery is around 10 weeks, assuming there are no setbacks. That is good news for the New England Patriots.

Mark Harrison signed with the Patriots Monday. (AP) At first glance, the numbers jump off the page. Wide receiver Mark Harrison was a three-year starter at Rutgers who finished his college career with 107 receptions for 1,769 yards and 18 touchdowns. A starter as a sophomore, he had 44 receptions for 829 yards and led the Big East with nine touchdowns. After struggling a bit as a junior, in 2012, Harrison played in 13 games with 11 starts, and he finished with 44 receptions for 583 yards and six touchdowns. Physically, he appears to have the tools to succeed: The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder doesn’t necessarily possess elite speed, but he’s a big target with a sizable wingspan who can overmatch undersized defensive backs. In addition, he was one of the best receivers at the combine when it came to his vertical jump and broad jump. So why was a physical specimen like Harrison available to the Patriots in mid-May, almost a full month after the draft? Two possible reasons. One, fair or not, there are some questions about his background. According to one report, Harrison was one of the players at the combine this past February who had a trashed hotel room. Regarded as mid-round pick, that may or may not have played a role in the fact that he wasn’t drafted. (For what it’s worth, Rutgers coach Kyle Flood went out of his way to defend Harrison, telling ESPN, “I’ve been on a lot of road trips and we’ve never had a single disciplinary issue with [Harrison]. He’s a model of the type of person we want here at Rutgers. It would be so out of character to be involved in this that I just cannot imagine under any circumstance that it would happen and involve him.”) And two, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Harrison failed his physical with the Bears because of a foot injury. (Just prior to Rutgers Pro Day, he apparently broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.) However, it was believed that Chicago was interested in re-visiting the possibility of re-signing Harrison when the injury was cleared. As for how he projects at the NFL level, his size and skill set suggest an oversized receiver, perhaps bordering on tight end. He certainly compares to the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Aaron Hernandez, another big wide receiver who masquerades as a tight end in the New England passing game. As a collegian, Hernandez ran a 4.64 40, displayed a 33-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump. By way of comparison, Harrison posted a 4.46 40-yard dash, a 38.5-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had a fourth surgery Monday to help repair the left forearm that he broke twice in the 2012 season, a source confirmed to the Globe.

Rob Gronkowski endured a fourth surgical procedure on his left forearm this afternoon at Massachusetts General Hospital. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, doctors were able to replace the plate that had been keeping the broken bone in place because they were confident enough the infection that had persisted for months in that forearm had finally cleared.Dr. Jesse Jupiter performed the procedure and according to one source, "it couldn't have gone any better."