Patriots Make Big Offseason Moves

The past couple of off-seasons New England Patriot’s fans have had to wave goodbye to some of their favorite players. No matter how many rings a player had on his fingers, or big plays he made, the Patriots were known for not opening their wallets for their players. We saw examples of this when the Patriots let place-kicker Adam Vinatieri, linebacker Willie Mcginist, and wide receiver Deion Branch sign with other teams in the past. Now things have changed. Pat’s fans are embracing a bevy of newcomers to the team this year.

The Patriots made major off-seasons moves this year by acquiring linebacker Adalius Thomas, and wide receiver Donte Stallworth.

Thomas was considered by many to be not only the best linebacker on the free market, but the best overall player. Owner, Robert Kraft made Thomas a Patriot by offering the stud linebacker a 5 year $37.5 million contract. Thomas will most definitely serve as a spark plug for the Patriots aging line backing crew.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will have a field day with Thomas lining the 6’-2” 275 lbs. linebacker up in his vaunted 3-4 defense. Thomas is a versatile player; last year he lined up at eight, yes eight different positions. Thomas even played safety and cornerback last year with the Baltimore Ravens. On one play Adalius Thomas lined up at corner head to head with All-Pro wide-out Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals; Thomas proceeded to ride the cocky receiver out of bounds and introduce him to the Gatorade table.

Stallworth is another great addition for the Patriots. Early last season Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady looked lost without his go to guy, Deion Branch. Stallworth provides the Patriots with legitimate deep threat to complement Reche Caldwell. Stallworth spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, but when McNabb went down so did Stallworth’s numbers. The six foot 196 lbs. wide-out finished last season with 38 receptions for 725 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

In the past Stallworth was actually frequently compared to former Patriot wide receiver Deion Branch because of their size and speed. Perhaps Stallworth will wear his old jersey #83 with the Patriots, and Brady will feel like he is tossing the ball up to his old buddy Branch (Stallworth wore #83 with the Saints, but changed to #18 last year with the Eagles).

 

Stallworth and Thomas are the big names the Patriots have signed this off-season. The Patriots also signed wide receiver, Wes Welker, running-back, Sammy Morris, and tight-end Kyle Brady. Wes Welker will bolster the Patriots receiving corp. and also add a dynamic feature as a punt and kick returner. Last season Welker played for the Miami Dolphins and led the team with 67 catches. He also proved valuable, returning kickoffs and punts; he returned 48 kickoffs for 1,048 yards (22.2 average) and 41 punts for 378 yards (9.2 average).

Also jumping the Dolphin’s ship, following Welker, is Sammy Morris. Morris will provide the Patriots with a solid back up running-back for second year man Lawrence Marroney. Corey Dillon asked the Pats to cut him so he could become another teams feature back. Last year Dillon and Marroney split time. Sammy Morris will join Kevin Faulk as a back-up for Marroney. When the Dolphins lost Ricky Williams two seasons ago, Morris stepped in to shoulder the load, so he can handle multiple carries if needed.

Finally the Patriots also added tight end Kyle Brady. Brady has been in the NFL for thirteen seasons, and spent the last eight seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brady is not know for his good hands, only 334 career receptions, but is one of the best blocking tight-ends in the league. Brady and Belichick go way back; Brady was drafted by the New York Giants when Belickick served as the team’s defensive coordinator. Brady displays the type of toughness that the Patriots demand form their players. Brady will fill the void left by tight-end Daniel Graham, who signed with the Denver Broncos.