Projo Pats Blog

March 2006 Archives

The Patriots have announced that they have re-signed exclusive-rights free-agent safety Guss Scott to a deal with undisclosed terms.

Scott, 23, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2004, from the University of Florida. He missed the entire 2004 season with a knee injury sustained during preseason. He played in the first five games last year, and was named the starter after Rodney Harrison was lost for the year in the third game of the season. But Scott himself was lost when suffered another knee injury.

He had 19 tackles on the season, including 7 in his final appearance, against the Atlanta Falcons. Scott is listed as 5 feet 10 inches and 205 pounds.

The New England Patriots will play their first two exhibition games on national television, according to partial schedules released by the NFL today. The Pats will open their preseason on Friday, Aug. 11, at 8 p.m., in a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. CBS will carry the game. On Saturday, Aug. 19, the NFL network will televise the Patriots' home game against the Arizona Cardinals. That game will also start at 8 p.m.

The Patriots will play their other exhibition games at home against the Washington Redskins and on the road against the New York Giants. The dates and times for those games have not yet been announced. The NFL is expected to release the regular-season schedule next month.

The New England Patriots are one of four teams being mentioned today as potential destinations for disgruntled Buffalo Bills wide receiver Eric Moulds. The Houston Chronicle reports that the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles are the others.

Moulds, 32, is a big receiver who has put up big-time numbers in Buffalo. He is entering his 11th year in the NFL, and the Bills reportedly are not interested in paying him the $7.1-million salary he is due this year. The Chronicle reports that the Bills are looking for a fourth-round draft pick in return for Moulds, and that Buffalo may release him outright if it cannot get an acceptable deal.

The Patriots could use a receiver to make up for the departed David Givens. Since Givens left through free agency, the Pats have added Reche Caldwell, who was mostly a backup in four seasons with San Diego.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Moulds himself would prefer to play for the Eagles, even if it is unclear how much the Birds would like to add him to their flock. Philadelphia has already signed former Texans wide receiver Jabar Gaffney to help make up for the hole left by Terrell Owens' departure.

The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss reports this afternoon that offensive tackle Tom Ashworth has agreed in principle to a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots have other options at the tackle position, including Matt Light, Nick Kaczur and Brandon Gorin.

Also today, WEEI's Michael Holley has said that Troy Brown has agreed to return to the Patriots this year, a possibility first reported today in The Providence Journal by Tom E. Curran.

Associated Press photo
As head coach Tony Dungy, left, and team president Bill Polian look on, Adam
Vinatieri speaks to the media today about his new deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

Adam Vinatieri heaped praise on the New England Patriots and their fans at a press conference this afternoon, but he said it was still an easy decision to leave for the climate-controlled football environs of Indianapolis. Vinatieri was formally introduced today; he was joined by Colts head coach Tony Dungy and team president Bill Polian, who said he hoped Vinatieri had "10 great years" left in Indianapolis.

Asked about perceptions that he was unhappy about the Patriots’ handling of his contract situation, Vinatieri said he had “no animosity at all toward that organization.” He made a point of thanking the Patriot fans for supporting him throughout his 10-year career.

>> Continue reading: Vinatieri praises Pats fans, says joining Colts was "easy"

According to reports this morning on the Web site of Sports Illustrated, free-agent place kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who had planned a visit to New England, has instead agreed to a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Vanderjagt, who lost his place in Indianapolis as a result of the Adam Vinatieri signing, visited Dallas yesterday. The outspoken Vanderjagt would be the second volatile player added to Bill Parcells' Cowboys in the past week. Over the weekend, receiver Terrell Owens agreed to a big contract to play for Big D.

The news would also reduce the Patriots' options at place kicker, leaving Paul Edinger as the top free agent still on the market.

Still no public appearance in Indiana by Adam Vinatieri, but the local media is beginning to appreciate the personality and the talent that is coming their way as a result of the Colts' signing of the former Patriots hero. In the Indianapolis Star, Phil Richards and Mike Chappell relate the many travels of Vinatieri and his wife, Valerie -- from the island of Bali to South America to Australia. Colts owner Robert Irsay says in the story that the 33-year-old Vinatieri agreed to a five-year contract worth $10 million.

Meanwhile, on the Colts' Web site, writer John Oehser gushes about Vinatieri's clutch kicking and accuracy. He notes that this is the second big free-agent signing for the Colts in as many years (taking defensive lineman Corey Simon from Philadelphia would have been the other), but is silent on the rather significant loss of running back Edgerrin James. Some Colts fans might say that the team is poorer overall without James, even with Vinatieri on board.

Indianapolis Colts team president Bill Polian, interviewed this afternoon on WEEI's Big Show, said his team didn't think twice about casting aside its own star place kicker in favor of Patriots free agent Adam Vinatieri. The Colts yesterday signed Vinatieri to a multiyear deal with a $3.5-million signing bonus. Polian fielded questions yesterday with a Big Show panel that included Providence Journal writer Tom Curran.

>> Continue reading: Colts president: Signing a "no-brainer"

Fans responding to a Projo.com survey overwhelmingly predicted that the loss of place kicker Adam Vinatieri will come back to haunt the Patriots this coming season and beyond. But in addition to his reliability as a clutch kicker, fans seemed wounded over the loss of a player who was one of the faces of the New England franchise.

"This is like losing a best friend," one person wrote. "Someone you could always turn to no matter the situation and you would just know he was going to be giving you 100% everytime."

"Adam has been dependable throughout his career, and will be that way for at least several years more," read another posting. "This is a mistake for the forseeable future."

Fans also seemed less than enthused about the possibility of the Patriots bringing in former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who is the most accurate kicker in pro football history but has developed a reputation for missing big kicks and clashing with his teammates, as Vinatieri's replacement. Vanderjagt is reportedly planning a visit with Patriots officials this week. "This was by far the worst thing that could have happened to NE this free agency period ... Please, just not Vanderjerk!"

Other fans said that while Vinatieri has been an essential part of the Patriots' success, he showed signs of decline last year, and that it is not wise to spend too much on a kicker.

"Money needs to be spent on the offensive line and the defensive backfield, not a field goal kicker. Thanks for the memories and move on," one fan wrote.

And others, convinced that the Pats still have Indy's number, were actually looking forward to the meeting with the Colts this season, in Foxboro at a date still to be announced.

"Adam will go to the hall as a Patriot," one fan wrote. "It will be fun to watch us beat the Colts."

Reporting today on nfl.com, analyst Adam Schefter says free-agent wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson is likely to visit the Patriots after talking with the New York Giants. Johnson caught 71 passes for 839 yards and 6 touchdowns with the Dallas Cowboys last year. In a 10-year career with the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Jets, Johnson has 744 catches for 9,756 yards and 60 touchdowns.

In addition to the Giants, Johnson's name has been linked to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. Schefter reports that Johnson is looking to make about $4 million a year.

There was plenty of exasperation and bitterness this morning among posts to the message board on the site patsfans.com, but some of the posters turned their bitterness on Adam Vinatieri's decision to take the Colts' money and run. One fan even polled others on their choices for most hated New England athlete, with Vinatieri listed as an option alongside Babe Ruth, Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs. Meanwhile, fans of rivals like the Steelers were giddily predicting the end of the Patriots' long run of success.

In Colts country, writer Mike Chappell described the Vinatieri signing as an "interesting trade-off" for the perennial AFC bridesmaids. The Colts are themselves reeling from losing one of their most productive stars, running back Edgerrin James, and Chappell notes that Vinatieri is unlikely to match the accuracy of kicker Mike Vanderjagt -- who is, after all, the most accurate kicker in NFL history. But Chappell does allow that Vinatieri is "unquestionably the best clutch place-kicker in the league." According to Chappell, the Colts could use Vinatieri as a field-goal specialist while Jose Cortez stays to handle kickoffs.

ESPN's Len Pasquarelli describes the Vinatieri deal as "fraught with irony on any number of fronts," and speculates that not signing their longtime place kicker could cost the Patriots more on the field and off than keeping him would have.

On the same week in which they lost David Givens to free agency and the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots signed wide receiver Reche Caldwell to a contract with undisclosed terms, according to wire reports.

Caldwell, a 6-foot, 215-pound receiver from the University of Florida, is entering his fifth NFL season. He has spent his entire career with the San Diego Chargers, mostly as a backup. Last year was his most productive season; he caught 28 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers occasionally used him on kick returns.

Patriots free agent kicker Adam Vinatieri is likely to visit Green Bay Packers team officials this week, probably on Friday, according to a report on the NFL Network and in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The Packers are without a place kicker since losing Ryan Longwell, the team's all-time leading scorer, to the Minnesota Vikings.

Vinatieri was paid a base salary of $2.5 million for last season, higher than the $2-million average annual value of Longwell's contract with Minnesota.

Considered one of the best cold-weather kickers in NFL history, Vinatieri would figure to be a good fit at frigid Lambeau Field. He and Mike Vanderjagt of the Colts are the biggest-name kickers available on the free-agent market, as several teams look to upgrade at the position.

Tight end Christian Fauria, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, signed with the Redskins today.

The veteran tight end was a treasured teammate and employee but with Ben Watson and Daniel Graham expanding their games, the 34-year-old Fauria was expendable. Look for New England to make a move to either sign a veteran tight end. Jed Weaver, a player who nearly made the Pats last summer, may be summoned.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Andre Davis signed with the Bills. The speedy Davis was a field-stretcher for the Pats acquired for a fifth-round pick after the season began.

As expected, Willie McGinest became a salary-cap casualty today. The Patriots announced this morning they have released the 12-year veteran, who was scheduled to earn $3.5 million in salary in 2006 and would also have received a $3.5 million roster bonus this month.

The Patriots have expressed a willingness to retain McGinest at a lower salary, and McGinest has expressed a willingness to return. He may, however, draw interest in the free-agent market -- the Browns, coached by former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, are one of the teams reportedly set to contact McGinest -- and he may be able to command a higher salary than New England is willing to pay.

BY TOM E. CURRAN

Chaos or calm?

That's what NFL owners will be choosing between today when they meet in Dallas today and vote on whether or not to accept the NFLPA proposal to extend the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The proposal allows for the league salary cap in 2006 and 2007 will be 57 percent of the previous year's total football revenues. In 2008 and 2009, it will be 57.5 percent. It will rise to 58 percent in 2010 and 2011.

This means the 2006 salary cap will be about 106.6 million per team if the proposal is accepted. Last season, the cap was $85.5 million per team. The cap will be $94.5 million if the deal is rejected.

The proposal also includes a "clawback provision" to deal with the issue of cash over cap. If the total money spent by teams in a league year (including signing bonuses and incentives paid) is more than the salary cap percentage in a given season, the cap will be lowered in succeeding years.

For example, if the 2006 salary cap is 57 percent of total football revenues but teams spend 58 percent of TFR in when signing bonuses and all prorated items are added in, then the cap will be lowered by .02 percent over the final five seasons of the CBA.

ESPN.com reported that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw and a passel of lawyers from both sides met yesterday in New York to finalize the proposal.

Today's meeting is expected to be very contentious as owner factions wrangle over revenue sharing. ESPN also reported that there's little difference between this proposal from the players and the one the owners unanimously rejected last week.

It will take 24 of the 32 NFL owners to vote in favor of the proposal to have it pass. The onus is now on the owners to vote in favor of the proposal - and Tagliabue to convince them why they should - or face the prospect of a 2007 without a salary cap.

The discord in today's meeting will revolve around the "cash over cap" issue. It's believed that low-revenue teams will view the clawback provision as being an insufficient deterrent to keeping high-revenue teams from spending more in true payroll in a given season by giving out big bonuses. High-revenue teams could resist having to pay restitution for going over the cap.

Providence Journal sports writer Tom Curran will be chatting at noon about the New England Patriots, the negotiations, the cap, players, coaches, next season -- whatever you want to talk about.

Post your questions here, now.

(Transcripts of Tom's earlier chats.)