Projo Pats Blog

April 2006 Archives

FOXBORO - The Patriots plunged into the second day of the 2006 draft taking Tulsa fullback Garrett Mills (106 overall), a glue-fingered TE/FB/H-Back type who caught 87 balls for a NCAA record 1,235 yards and nine touchdowns (14.2 YPC average).

He gets the most out of his ability according to reports and is far more a receiver than a blocker. He'll also be used on special teams extensively.

Steve Gostkowski (119 overall) -- the most prolific kicker in this year's draft (70 career field goals) -- is an excellent get. He was 22 for 25 in 2005 for the Tigers and has a more than adequate leg.

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FOXBORO - With the third round complete and the Patriots devoid of a defensive move in Day 1, here's a look at some fourth-round possibilities for New England.

The Pats hold the following picks on Sunday: 106, 118, 136, 152, 191, 205, 206, 229.

SAFETIES
Pat Watkins, Florida State. 6-4, 211, 4.5. Huge and smart flows to ball
Ko Simpson, South Carolina, 6-1, 209, 4.46 (sophomore). Young, good athlete.
Greg Blue, Georgia, 6-2, 215, 4.65. Huge hitter, near linebacker size. Not smart.
Calvin Lowry, Penn State, 5-11, 200, 4.58. Disciplined, smart and good on teams

DEFENSIVE ENDS
Ray Edwards, Purdue, 6-5, 273, 4.82. Great build, questionable attitude.
Mark Anderson, Alabama, 6-4, 255, 4.65. Good attitude, a little light, solid motor.
Parys Haralson, Tennessee, 6-1, 253, 4.84. Nasty, explosive rusher. Fast off edge.

All right, that's the end of that little exercise. Belichick just came out. Here's what he had to say (full transcript posted tomorrow).

ON CHAD JACKSON
He's a guy we were considering in the first round. As we got into the second, we were able to move up with the trade to Green Bay. We spent a lot of time with him down there and up here. We're looking forward to working with him. We think he's got some good things to work with.

ON DAVE THOMAS
He comes from a good program. He's very well thought of in all aspects of his game. He brings value on all four downs.

MORE ON JACKSON
He understands passing concepts. We (give a playbook excerpt to) a lot of players. We talk about it some then bring them back up and see what kind of recall they have.

ON HOW THE DEAL WITH GREEN BAY WENT DOWN
We looked at the draft charts and we were sitting there with two thirds and two fourths at 52. We talked to teams in that range. Denver was at 38 and we thought they might be interested in the receiver. Denver, Oakland, those were teams we felt we needed to get up above. Scott handled the whole trade scenario and did a good job with gettng that worked out. We just barely got the pick in before time expired.

ALSO
Belichick said that while Jackson has an excellent feel for the passing game, it doesn't quite measure up to the level of Deion Branch's when Branch came out of Louisville.

Also, the Pats expect to do some moving tomorrow with seven picks in hand.

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FOXBORO - This is the conference call transcript of the conversation with Patriots first-round pick Laurence Maroney.

Q: Give us your impression of the Patriots and what you know of the organization and the team.

LM: I feel they have a great, great team going on right now. They have a nice little dynasty they started and they just have great players and a great coaching staff. I'm fortunate to come into a great situation.

Q: For people who haven't seen you play, can you compare yourself to someone who is in the NFL right now?

LM: I'd have to say in the NFL my style is somewhat like Edgerrin James.

Q: Who [from the Patriots] called you and what did they say?

LM: Actually I was in the bathroom. My sister had my phone and one of the little kids ran into the bathroom and said 'The phone is for you' and I picked up the phone and the guy was like, 'We're on the clock right now. We're thinking about drafting you. How do you feel about that?' It caught me off guard.

Q: So did they tell you they were going to draft you?

LM: He just said 'Stay on hold. We're thinking about drafting you, so stay on hold.' I was on hold for a minute and I was just looking at the TV screen and there were a lot of commercials on, so they must have been talking about it. Then he came back and [Coach Belichick] came on and was just breaking it down to me, you know, 'We drafted for you to come in and compete and help the team out.' And he was like 'How do you feel about being a Patriot?' And I said, 'I feel good about it.' Then it came across the TV that New England drafted me and it was a great feeling.

Q: Was it at all frustrating over the last three years that you always had to split carries and that you maybe could have won a Heisman if you hadn't?

LM: I never looked at it like that because I am a team player first of all. I want to come in and help the team win in any way possible. I don't mind coming off the bench and helping the team. I don't need to be in the spotlight. I just want to help the team win. In the situation with me and Marion [Barber], we both knew that we could bring something different to the table and we could both help the team win. We never once complained about who was getting the ball more, because I always felt like it's what you do with the carries you do get. And I felt like if I can be productive with the carries I do get and I help the team win, then I'm happy.

Q: What has coach told you about your upcoming role this fall?

LM: He just basically told me he was bringing me in to compete and that's all I can do. Just give me the opportunity -that's all I ask for- to compete and at least show what I can do on the next level and that's basically what the Patriots [did is] brought me in to compete.

Q: How do you feel about your ability to block blitzing linebackers? Where do you think you are in terms of your progress of sticking your nose in and doing that job?

LM: I'd say I'm very good with sticking my nose in now. I'd say the main thing that I have to learn is better technique. I feel like sometimes my technique is not the best but I've never had a problem with sticking my nose in there.

Q: Bill Belichick was talking about how the scheme for you is a little different this year with the opportunity to catch a lot more passes.

LM: That was never an issue for me. There were a lot of questions -people always wanted to ask- can I catch the ball? I feel really comfortable catching the ball. I feel I have good hands. It was just a situation that [running backs] weren't used as a receiver in the passing offense at the University of Minnesota. I know I can catch. I feel really comfortable about catching.

Q: What about playing with Tom Brady?

LM: He's a great quarterback. I'll love to play with him. I feel like I can get along well with him. I met him when I came down to visit. He was a great guy.

Q: There were some concerns about the pad level you play at, that maybe you run a little too standing up. Are you going to work on that or do you think that's just the way you run and you're going to stick to it?

LM: I feel like I run low at times. A lot of times... It's something that, I always feel like there is always room for improvement. I'm not the best that I can be right now. There's always room for improvement. If they feel like I'm running too high, yes I can improve on that if it's going to help better me.

Q: What type of pre-draft interaction did you have with the Patriots and Coach Belichick?

LM: I met him at the combine and then I met him again once I took a visit out there. He was just a great guy. We had a great conversation. He was just basically talking about football and how I feel- like do I see myself fitting in this offense. And I feel like I fit real well into this offense.

Q: Did Ben [McDaniels] tell you anything about [Offensive Coordinator] Josh McDaniels' offense up here?

LM: I met him once. His brother coached the defense at my college so I met him once. He came to visit me after my combine and he worked me out a little bit and we sat down and talked football, so I really got a feeling about the Patriots offense.

Q: What were your expectations coming into today? Did you expect to be the second back drafted?

LM: To tell you the truth, I really didn't. I try not to read and see what people say on the Internet, but the whole time I was fluctuating between the third and fourth running back taken. It was just basically coming in I was going to be the third or fourth back taken so I was just sitting patiently.

Q: What changes do you expect to see in the pro game coming from such a ground-based offense in Minnesota?

LM: I don't see me making too big of a change, because sitting down... when I had a meeting with Coach McDaniels, I felt like the offense was almost somewhat alike. It was worded differently, there were little small differences, but I feel like I can learn from camp and just practicing.

Q: When you thought about where you might go, was this the kind of team that you wanted?

LM: I didn't really know where I was going to go. I had no clue where I was going to end up. That's why I was excited, just to see where I was going to end up. This offense and this team, I feel like it was a perfect fit for me.

Q: Who were some of the teams that showed an interest in you?

LM: Denver called a lot and showed a lot of interest. The Ravens. Jacksonville. The Vikings. A lot of teams showed a lot of interest. I figured that one of them might get me, but once they picked I was like, 'I really didn't know where I'm going to end up.'

Q: You played many of your games in a dome stadium, and college teams don't play in January unless they're in a bowl game in a warm weather climate. It's very cold here in the late season. How do you think you'll adjust to that?

LM: I feel like... I had to go to class in this cold weather, so I... there were a couple of games in the Big 10 we had outside in the cold weather, and so it shouldn't be a problem. I've been in the cold weather the last three years so I'm pretty much used to it.

Q: What's the biggest thing you think you have to learn?

LM: Basically just the offense. They call things differently and do things a lot different. I basically just need to learn the offense and just watch the older folks and learn from them.

Q: How do you feel about competing with Corey Dillon for the starting job here?

LM: I feel good about it. I feel like competition only brings the best out of everybody so I feel like competing against him -because he's a great player and I feel like I can be a great player one day- so I feel like competition is the best thing for me.

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FOXBORO -- The Pats are next up on the clock after a long, long wait. Smells like Alan Zemaitis, corner from Penn State to me.

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FOXBORO - Excerpts of San Francisco coach Mike Nolan's press conference after his club drafted OLB Manny Lawson.

Manny ... has a lot of measurables that are very positive, the height, weight, speed and all that is there. The next two things which are most important are that he is a very good football player and also a great character person.

Q. Is Manny stout enough to line up as a Defensive end in a 4-3 scheme?
A. In certain schemes yes, and in all 4-3 schemes no, but in several he can.

Q. What does Manny do for the pass rush?
A. I’m hopeful he helps us quite a bit. I am looking for him to be a three down player, it is also safe to say I’m looking for him to be a four down player. If he can play on special teams too that would be great. I believe he will on the field for 2nd and 3rd downs. He will add something to our rush. We have a very good 3rd down package that a lot of people have been studying, it may have been the only thing other people have been studying that we do well at. That is something Manny will play quite a role at. Manny gives us versatility and is a unique player, He gives us size and speed and great awareness.

Q. How much of an impact does he have on Mario Williams and vice versa?
A.I think he had a pretty big impact on Mario. One of the things that impressed me was in the campus work out the guy that led all the drills was Manny Lawson. There was no question during the drills, setting up the drills, preparing for the drills, guy’s kind of moseyed into position, but there was no moseying in front of Manny. It was always Manny is going to lead the drill, which meant a lot. As you will talk to him you will find he is very intelligent, very bright, and articulate, but most importantly he has some command about him as far as a football player goes with other players. ”

Q. Was Manny overshadowed by Mario Williams after watching film on NC State?
A. I didn’t think tremendously no. I noticed there was a competition between the two, but in a good way. They are entirely different players one is a defensive end in Mario Williams.”

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FOXBORO - Bill Belichick announced at the start of his press conference that he hasn't seen or spoken to Green Bay wide receiver Javin Walker. Walker's agent said Friday that the disgruntled wide receiver was headed to Foxboro to visit with the Patriots.

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FOXBORO - Wide receiver Chad Jackson was slipping down the board until the Patriots stopped his slide by trading up to take him with the 32nd overall pick. The Pats sent Green Bay their second-round pick (52 overall) and one of their two third-round picks (75) to get Jackson.

The Pats have had good luck at 36. In 1996, they selected safety Lawyer Milloy at that spot and in 2003, they moved up to take Eugene Wilson.

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FOXBORO - Maroney carried the ball a ton at the start of 2005, carrying 21, 26, 20, 46, 16, 36, 43 and 25 times in the Gophers first eight games respectively.

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FOXBORO - The Patriots selected Laurence Maroney from Minnesota, a running back who's 6-0, 217 pounds and ran a 4.4 40-yard dash. He's a St. Louis native.

>> Continue reading: DRAFT DAY '06: It's Maroney

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FOXBORO - The Patriots are up and they have their pick of NC State defensive end Manny Lawson, corner Richard Marshall, wide receivers Santonio Holmes and Chad Jackson, running backs Laurence Maroney and DeAngelo Williams.

Funny stuff...Chiefs coach Herman Edwards just popped up on the big screen to speak about his pick at 20, Tamba Hali and the Jets fans at Radio City Music Hall booed Edwards visage lustily.

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FOXBORO -- The Chargers took Florida State corner Antonio Cromartie at 19. In a quick ESPN interview, it appeared Cromartie was set to go to California -- he had Frank Poncharello (CHIPS) style shades on.

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FOXBORO - Surprisingly, this draft is just zooming by, through 17 picks in just three hours.

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The Jets went with one of the surest picks on the board yesterday, taking Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth overall pick to protect the blind side of whichever Jets quarterback winds up playing this year.

For the Patriots, that means plenty of matchups between Ferguson and Richard Seymour (and Rosevelt Colvin) over the next half-dozen years. Those should be epics.

Buffalo, meanwhile, went safety taking Ohio State's Donte Whitner with the eighth overall pick. The Bills truly needed secondary assistance, especially after the release of Lawyer Milloy. And Whitner figures to be on the field plenty given the general disarray the Bills offense will be in.

Miami shored up their secondary too, taking Tennessee's Jason Allen, an outstanding prospect that worried some teams because of a dislocated hip suffered in October. He's looking like he's back but, recalling how long it took Rosevelt Colvin to get his burst back, Allen may take some time to turn into the player he'll one day become.

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With six picks to go, some talent lies on the board for New England, particularly Manny Lawson.

Here's the list of the guys left of note to New England.

Manny Lawson
Chad Greenway
Bobby Carpenter
Santonio Holmes
Johnathan Joseph
Richard Marshall

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Florida State's tremendous defensive end headed to OLB Kamerion Wimbley just came off the board to Cleveland at 13 (after a trade down with Baltimore).

This pick was somewhat expected as the Browns were figured to take Wimbley, Manny Lawson or Haloti Ngata (who went to Baltimore).

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Been Blogging Since the Start of the Draft but I just got logged in....don't ask...

High intrigue at the top of the draft. After the Texans took Sam Bowie (drafted ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984) off the hook by passing on Reggie Bush and signing Mario Williams Friday night, the heat was on the Saints.

I was driving to Gillette with the Saints on the clock and listening to The Fan (660 am out of New York), the hosts were absolutely drooling at the prospect of the Jets dealing up for Bush. When the Saints drafted him, you could actually hear the air go out of them followed by a “Well…no big splash for the Jets…”

By the time I got to the stadium, the Titans had effectively ended the Jeff Fisher Era by drafting Vince Young. ESPN’s Sal Palontonio then announced that the Jets – who were on the clock at the time – were facing a “public relations nightmare” because they looked like they were going to draft D’Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia. Hmmmph. Perhaps the only absolute sure thing in the draft aside from Bush is Ferguson. Ironically, when the Jets took him, the Jets-centric fans at Radio City Music Hall were pleased.

Ron Jaworski on USC quarterback Matt Leinart who’s in the process of rapelling down the board: “There’s no question he’s ready to play in the …NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Which is a plus, because he just graduated and all.”

Chris Berman just announced the “Oakland Leinart” were about to make their pick.

Poor Jay Cutler. The ESPN camera just swung to him with Buffalo on the clock. He looked like he was ready for sentencing. Then he banged his mother on the elbow and stuck out his palm to request his Blackberry. Ma Cutler complied. Then, when the two of them noticed the camera on them, they grinned like they were having the time of their lives.

The back-to-back selections of safeties Michael Huff (7 to Oakland) and Donte Whitner (8 to Buffalo) were eyebrow raisers. Huff was a definite top 10 but the Raiders figured to take a quarterback. As for Whitner, he was figured to be on the board when the Pats selected at 21. Not so fast, my friend. The Bills take him to replace Lawyer Milloy.

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With the Patriots - and many other teams - considering the merits of Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter this week as a possible first-round pick, Bill Belichick can think back to Carpenter's dad, Rob Carpenter, who played for the Giants when Belichick was the defensive coordinator there.

"Damn good runner. Could really find holes and he had good balance. He wasn't real fast - decent speed - but he had good balance and great vision. As an inside runner, he was outstanding. Tackle to tackle he was great. He almost always made yards."

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The Sporting News ran a mock draft yesterday in which their correspondent from each team made the first-round selection for the team they cover.

Interesting results. There was no trading. For what it's worth, I when I got an e-mail from Vinny Iyer at Sporting News updating the first 16 picks, I made a short list of guys still on the board the Pats would consider.

They were: Bobby Carpenter, Chad Greenway, Antonio Cromartie, Jimmy Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Kamerion Wimbley.

Carpenter, Greenway and Cromartie went right after that leaving the Pats with Wimbley who may be the most promising of the guys.

1. Texans -- Reggie Bush, RB, Southern California
2. Saints -- D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
3. Titans -- Vince Young, QB, Texas
4. Jets -- Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State
5. Packers -- A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State
6. 49ers -- Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
7. Raiders -- Matt Leinart, QB, Southern California
8. Bills -- Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State
9. Lions -- Michael Huff, S, Texas
10. Cardinals -- Ernie Sims, OLB, Florida State
11. Rams -- Manny Lawson, DE/OLB, North Carolina State
12. Browns -- Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon
13. Ravens -- Winston Justice, OT, Southern California
14. Eagles -- Chad Jackson, WR, Florida
15. Broncos -- Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
16. Dolphins --- Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State
17. Vikings -- Chad Greenway, OLB, Iowa
18. Cowboys -- Bobby Carpenter, OLB, Ohio State
19. Chargers -- Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida State
20. Chiefs -- Jonathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina
21. Patriots -- Kamerion Wimbley, OLB/DE, Florida State
22. 49ers -- Demeco Ryans, OLB, Alabama
23. Buccaneers -- Marcus McNeill, OT, Auburn
24. Bengals -- Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College
25. Giants -- Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan
26. Bears -- Tye Hill, CB, Clemson
27. Panthers -- Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota
28. Jaguars -- Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia
29. Jets -- Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State
30. Colts -- DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis
31. Seahawks -- Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
32. Steelers -- LenDale White, RB, Southern California

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The transcript of Wednesday morning's press conference with Bill Belichick, courtesy of the New England Patriots:

BB: Good morning. I think we're kind of sailing along here, a normal type of offseason. We had a little bit of transition on our team with players and some of the coaches. We have everybody back. The offseason program is in full swing. We have a lot of guys back here working hard. We're in the team-building stage, as we always are at this point in the year - looking at the players in the NFL, looking at college players. Approaching the college draft, it's always an exciting time of year for all organizations - coaches, scouts, personnel people. You start putting it together and trying to familiarize yourself and learn about all the new players who are coming into the draft, and just try to be prepared for whatever draft scenarios that can take place next weekend. Really, there is no set formula on it. I think the best thing is just do your homework, be prepared, and be ready to deal with whatever the situations are. I think no matter where you are in the draft board, at least it seems like it's this way for us, but even in talking to other people in the league, if you're at 10, you'd rather be at 5; if you're at 20, you'd rather be at 10; if you're at 30, you'd rather be at 20. So it doesn't really matter where you are. We're at 21, and when we look up there, we could probably find another place we'd rather be. And if we were there, we'd want to be somewhere else. That's just one of the mind games that you play going into the draft. In the end, it just comes back to being prepared, doing your homework, and trying to understand where the players fit in your system when it's your turn to either pick or trade. So that's pretty much where we are. We've gone through the board pretty thoroughly and now it's a lot of last minute tie-up things, and trying to make some evaluations of players relative to different positions, or different scenarios. One thing about this draft that I think is a little bit different than some of the other ones - not totally unique - but there are just more players who I would say are more in the developmental stage for one reason or another. Either they didn't play a lot last year, or they're fairly young in their career, and there just isn't as much exposure on them as maybe what we've had in the past. In terms of from a broad picture, there are always juniors entering, there are always guys that haven't played a lot of football that are circumstantially behind. Not that they aren't good players, there just isn't enough exposure on them. It seems like there are more of them this year - one-year starters, half-year starters, guys coming out early, guys who were hurt, stuff like that. That's the way it goes. We're all looking at the same players. We just try to do the best we can with the information that we have available. That's where we are. Anything on the draft, that type of thing, I'd be happy to talk about. From a team-building standpoint, what's happened has happened and we're just going to try to take advantage of every opportunity we have to put the best team we can on the field this year. That's the same thing we do every year in March, April, May, June, July, that's what we do.

Q: As someone who likes to see production and likes to see some type of real activity and reaction from a player, is it difficult to have those guys who for one reason or another haven't been seen a lot?
BB: Exactly. You're working on a lot less tape. You want to go back and see, 'Well how did the guy matchup against this type of player in this situation,' and it's just not there. But again, everybody is working with the same information so you just have to evaluate what you can from a workout, from personal contact, from the film that is available, from what the scout saw when they watched practice, that type of thing. You're just going on less information. Like I said, we're all in the same boat on that. Would you love to see more? Sure, but it's not always there.

Q: Does that really make you hesitant to go with a guy who you otherwise might have been thinking about earlier?
BB: Well, again, relative to other years, where you go back a couple of years ago, at the bottom of the first round and you're looking at Kevin Jones and Steven Jackson and Vince Wilfork and [Benjamin] Watson and guys like that, I don't know that at the end of the first round this year, you're going to be looking at that same type of player, and maybe that year was an aberration, I don't know. It is what it is. I don't know that this year you're going to be looking at guys that you have as much history. I'm not saying they're not as good a player, but there's just not as much college history on them. Again, most of it is circumstantial. It's not anybody's fault, it's just the way it is.

Q: How is this group of linebackers?
BB: Yes, I would say there are more guys this year at the linebacker position. Again, we're a team with inside and outside linebackers. We're just a little more wider spread for us than with some teams. But, for us, there's probably more linebackers than we've had the last couple of years. Some of those guys have had a lot of production, have had a lot of playing time, guys that have been three or four years starters in top programs that are rushers, that can play the run, that have some position flexibility. Yes, I would say there is more in depth in that group than what we've seen the last few years. Yes.

Q: It seems like there's a pretty big group of corner/safety combination guys. Has there been a development in the college game that has guys playing both sides and how attractive with that type of player be?
BB: I think that's pretty common. I think that every year there's four, five, six guys that fall into that category, that were safeties in college that are being projected to corner, that are corners in college and maybe could play safety or that have been used in both spots. Sometimes guys get played out of position in college because they don't have enough depth there, so they take maybe their best player who really should be a safety in the NFL but at that level he's their best cover guy so they move him out to corner. I think you see that every year with a certain number of guys. Certainly there are guys this year in that category that have done both, whether they can do both and again, depending on what kind of system they played defensively, they may or may not be able to play both spots. I think a lot of it depends on how you play those, what your overall system requires, how easily those guys can adapt to it.

Q: Could there be more value in a guy like that?
BB: Yes, assuming he could do it. Sure. Exactly. But again, I think with some of those players, some teams will see it as flexibility, other teams will see it as, 'He can only do this for us,' or, 'He can only do that for us,' again depending on what their system is.

Q: I think the earliest you've ever taken a linebacker was in the fifth round last year with Ryan Claridge. What is it about what you're looking for that makes you more of a team that's prone to having linebackers who assimilate into the program from defensive end?
BB: Well, I don't think there's anything special about where we've taken them or haven't taken them. It just worked out that way. It's not with any intent to take them or not take them. It's kind of how the draft falls, in that particular year, in that particular round. I think if you look at most of the 3-4 teams that a lot of those outside linebackers are going to be college defensive ends. That's pretty much where they end up. If those guys are the 240, 250, 260, kind of guys in college that most people aren't standing them up, putting them in coverage, they're putting them down and rushing them. Most college teams play a four-man line. There are only a few college teams that I think really play a system similar to ours - Virginia, probably being the main one. That's just the nature of the college game.

Q: Are you seeing more guys this year who actually played some linebacker at the college level who might be interesting to you and can assimilate quickly into your program?
BB: Well, again, for us, most of the guys who have played linebacker in college, to play linebacker, are really going to have to play inside. And most guys that play outside, most of them in our system, are guys that have played down or played defensive end. I think if you look at a team like Dallas, San Diego, with [Shawne] Merriman last year or [DeMarcus] Ware last year, guys like that, Pittsburgh, teams that are 3-4 teams that most of the outside linebackers that they've drafted have been college ends, primarily rush guys.

Q: And if it's a college linebacker who comes out of say Iowa State, he's probably going to have to play inside linebacker a 3-4 system?
BB: I would say most likely yes.

Q: Does that make outside linebacker in the 3-4 the hardest position to scout for you guys?
BB: Well, certainly it's a hard one in terms of projection, yes. It is. Because a lot of guys you're looking at in college haven't played on their feet and on first and second down that's probably where they would be playing for us. Even though guys play the same position in college, what they're asked to do and what they're playing against a lot of times is quite a bit different than what we see, particularly in the passing game. But, it is. We're looking at projecting guys who were down, to projecting them up to playing on their feet. That's definitely a conversion. Now, a lot of those guys have some kind of a background in it, a lot of them do, as they grew, maybe they played on their feet in high school or as a freshman or sophomore in college and then they got bigger and went down. Sometimes there is something to go back on there. Not always, but occasionally.

Q: The wide receiver position this year, is it as thin as some are saying?
BB: Well, you know, the last couple of years we've had a lot of guys go in the first round at receiver, mostly bigger receivers, and there has certainly been a trend and a little bit of a stampede to get those kind of guys. It seems like there are fewer of them this year. I'm not saying that they're better or worse, but there are other guys this year that are maybe higher on the board that don't have that 6'2, 215 stature that a lot of them had coming out last couple of years. I don't know if it is thinner or not thinner. I think there are good receivers in this draft. I think there were good receivers in other drafts, but is it seems like there is not as much of a league frenzy to get to the guys that don't have the kind of size that we've seen in the past couple of drafts at that position.

Q: So the depth may not be as bad as it seems?
BB: I think there are good receivers in this class, but again, there are fewer guys that are in that bigger receiver category like we've seen in the past couple of years.

Q: Now that you have changed your kicker, does that make it more likely that you might draft someone at some point?
BB: We drafted a kicker a couple of years ago. We'll draft players at any position that we think can be competitive for a spot on this roster. That's across the board. It doesn't matter what position they're at.

Q: Is this kicking group similar to those in past draft classes?
BB: I think there are good players at every position in this draft, including all of the specialist positions. At what point that becomes attractive, who knows?

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the process of the departure of Adam Vinatieri and how it took place? Was it financial? Can you give a little insight on that?
BB: Not really. There is going to be transition on every team. Every team in the league has that. We've had players come. We've had players go. That's the way it is. In terms of individual negotiations and all of that, no. I think it's a lot longer story. Is it worth telling? It doesn't make any difference. He's not here. We're going to do what we do every year, every spring, is build our team, try to make it as competitive as we can heading into training camp and into the regular season in the fall. The goes for every position, every player across the board.

Q: Have your free agent losses this offseason changed your thought process at all in terms of drafting where you might have drafted something else?
BB: No, I don't think so. I don't think you can do it that way. I really don't. You can't create players. You have to draft the board based on what your options are and as soon as you start taking players truly based on need, if they can't fill that need, then you have to come back the next year or the next pick and you're drafting again for the same spot and you haven't filled anything other than putting a name on a piece of cardboard and putting it up on the depth chart. You really don't have anything if the player can't fulfill that expectation or that role that you think you drafted him for. I think you're a lot better off drafting players that can perform on your team in a role that you need or in a role that gives some value to the team. Sometimes players aren't there at the position you want them, but you can't manufacture them. You just have to take the player that helps your team the most at that point, even if it's at a position that may not be necessarily the top need. Again, to go back to when I was with the Giants. We drafted Lawrence Taylor and we had Lawrence Taylor and Brad VanPelt and we took Carl Banks and nobody liked that pick. That was a pretty stupid pick, why would you take Banks when you have VanPelt and Taylor? It turned out to be probably one of our best picks at the Giants. I think you have to take guys that you think are good football players. Putting the team together that's certainly a process you have to go through. But to try to manufacture somebody, 'We need this position,' and then take a guy and he doesn't end up being able to do the job, then you still need that position.

Q: How are the rehabs of Matt Light, Dan Koppen and Rodney Harrison impacting any of your plans for this draft if at all?
BB: Again, I don't think they really do. You draft based on what you have to select from at that point in time on the board and what your options are, whether it's to trade or take whatever the choices of players are that you've identified. I don't think you're really thinking at that point about anything other than who is up there and what they can do for your team. You can't worry too much about other guys on your team and what their situation is because you can go out there the first day of training camp and that could change on one play. I don't feel like we can look at it that way. And we don't.

Q: LenDale White tore his hamstring. If he was a player that you were interested in at 21, how much effect would that injury have on your decision to draft him?
BB: I think when you look at college players, depending on what the injury is, you can go back to examples of guys like Willis McGahee, who was coming off an ACL, that most people thought he wasn't going to play his rookie year. Once the guy has an injury that you don't think is going to heal, that's one thing. We go through injuries with players all the time and they missed some time and then they come back and they play and they've been able to play effectively. As long as the injury is going to heal, I think for the most part, it's not like we have again next week, a player can play and be ready to go at some point in time even if it's not right at the beginning of the season. When you go to the draft you're looking at a longer time frame than the first game. Again, taking the McGahee example, the guy started playing his second year and has played fairly well. Now if it affects your evaluation then that throws it up in the air. If you feel like you needed a workout to evaluate the player and now you don't have one, then that may affect what your grade or rating on the player is because you haven't really seen the player work out and there's a question as to whether or not he can perform certain skills then that might affect what grade you can put on the guy.

Q: So if he wasn't ready for training camp that wouldn't affect whether or or not you would draft a player?
BB: I don't think it necessarily would, no. Again, if you're drafting a guy, especially if you're drafting him high, you would like to think that he'd be around a little bit longer than the first day of training camp. We've had players every year that weren't ready for their first day of training camp, that didn't mean they weren't good players and that didn't mean that they didn't contribute a lot to the team that year. I don't think that's the final evaluation.

Q: How is the running back class this year?
BB: I think it's fairly typical. There are a lot of good players in there. There are guys that have different skill sets. Some guys that are probably primarily third-down backs, some guys that are primarily first and second down backs, Some guys that probably can play on all three downs, some guys that are returners that can fit into the fourth down equation. It depends on kind of what you're looking for and how well you think they can do those certain skills. Again, there are some players that are really good in certain situations and not as good in other situations and other guys that are probably pretty good in a lot of different situation but not as good as somebody else on first down or on third down or as a returner. There are a lot of different combinations of skills at that position. Again, depending on how well you think those players perform the skill, then that will affect the grade on them. I'd imagine if you went and polled the 32 teams and went to the running back board, you'd probably see a lot of different ordering of those same players, again, depending on how the team's valued, not whether or not they could play, but how much they value their ability in certain situations, is an every down player versus as a specialist, first down, or returner or whatever it was, how much value they put on those.

Q: The main two running backs you've had here over the last couple of years, Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon, they're both big guys who appear to be able to get those tough yards. Is their makeup, size, etc, is that just coincidence or is that you're ideal type of running back?
BB: I think every team in the league would like to have at every position big, fast, tough, productive players.

Q: But as opposed to smaller types of backs.
BB: We have other players that aren't... Kevin Faulk has been very productive for us. We've had other players. The player is what he is. You can't take a 5'8, 200-pound guy and make him 6'2, 240. But if he's productive in his style of play and his physical stature, whatever it is, I think he can have value for you. There's plenty of good backs, Hall of Fame backs, the Walter Paytons of the world and guys like that, Barry Sanders, who weren't 6'2, 235, but they were great players. I wouldn't rule out anybody. Reggie Bush. I'm sure he could play for us. I wouldn't rule anybody out.

Q: When you stack running backs, you don't say which guy is better between them, but do you give them a first down, second down or third down type of value?
BB: Well, we kind of have a grading scale that reflects those things, but clearly they're different players. You might have two players with the same grade on them and one guy is a third-down punt return guy and another guy is the first and second down guy that is a good runner but you probably don't want him out there on third down and he's not a returner. But again, they could have the same grade but they bring a different skill set to you. At that point in time that it came down between those two players, even though they had the same grade, you would make a decision based on which type of player you wanted. Just like you could have a tackle who had that same grade too, do you want to tackle or do you want a third-down back based on not just their skill but all the other things that come with it? Their toughness, their leadership, all the intangibles; all that stuff too.

Q: Do you feel like you have a lot of flexibility this year in terms of moving around?
BB: Yes, I think this year we have quite a bit of flexibility in the draft from a draft strategy standpoint. Last year we went into the draft with no third round pick. It was a compensatory pick and it was not tradeable. I felt like we didn't have too much flexibility. This year, we have an extra third and an extra fourth from last year's trades. Our two sixth round picks are compensatory and they can't be traded. So they're not really a factor in terms of draft strategy. But having those extra mid-round picks in a full draft does certainly give you flexibility to move up in rounds. Again, there's only so far you can move in that first round. From 21 you're not going to be able to get into the top 10, but you could move up a couple of spots, but then from that point on, you would have pretty good flexibility if you wanted to move forward, if you wanted to package picks together. And that's a little bit different from the kind of the situation heading into last year's draft. Again, we know from our draft history, we're not afraid to trade them, moving up, moving down, or like we did last year, just sit there and take them when our turn comes up. There's no way to predict that. It's good to have the flexibility to do it, but there's really no way to predict it. You just how to evaluate the situations as they come along and then when the phone rings, answer it and see what the options are and then decide whether or not that's something that organizationally we feel is a positive and productive move.

Q: Does groundwork help with that process?
BB: There's always that whole process of kind of establishing the lines of communication with the various teams maybe what teams are looking to do or not to, just to kind of expedite the process. Teams, for the most part, are reluctant to make draft choice trades prior to the draft. When I was in Cleveland, I made one with Jimmy Johnson and we swapped spots in the second round for some picks down the line and we both kind of wanted to know what we had to work with rather than getting into the draft and doing that and trying to figure it out on the fly. We both liked going into the draft, 'Okay, this is a fair trade. You want to move back. We want to move up. Great.' It's funny because Jimmy and I have talked about that, but most teams don't like to do it that way. They kind of want to wait and see what's there and decide if the value is there and don't want to move down because they want to take a look and see what is there if they stay. I don't think it's anything good or bad, it's just kind of a difference of philosophy. You don't see too much of that anymore in the NFL. The Atlanta/Denver trade on [John] Abraham. That was to do the deal with the Jets. That was a very specific trade, but just the general movement of draft choices before the draft, there is a lot less of that than compared to what there is on draft day. Sometimes you see in the top five or top 10 if you're hoping for a specific player, but that's really a player trade. You can say it's trading draft picks, but you are really moving to get to a certain spot to get a certain player and that's really a true player trade, you just haven't filled in the name yet.

Q: Can you speak to how important it is to stockpile depth on the defensive line in your system?
BB: Depth is important at every position on the football team. You never know where you're going to need it and as I've said many times before, depth in May is a lot different from depth in November and that's the only time it really matters. You try to get as many good football players as you can on your team. Part of that is to give yourself depth during the season and part of it is to create competition in training camp and heading into the season. I think that competition is good for everybody and it also hopes to develop some flexibility on the roster in terms of teaching guys multiple positions and being able to build your own depth, where one guy can do multiple jobs rather than having two or three different guys to do that because that's a very realistic situation that will occur during the regular season. But it's great to have depth on the defensive line but really you want that at every position. I don't think any team ever has the kind of depth they want. You're always looking for an upgrade and that's one of the things that the draft gives you. Usually there are some quality players at the top of the draft that you can see maybe helping your team sooner, but then there are also selections later on that can give you that kind of depth that you're talking about where guys can grow into the position in time, in a year or however long it takes, for them to kind of get the system down that they can create depth at those other spots. It's a good opportunity to strengthen your team if you can hit on the right guys.

Q: Speaking to depth, what is your overall thought on the depth of this year's draft?
BB: I think every draft has good players in it and again a lot of it is system oriented. I'm sure we have a lot of guys on our board that other teams don't really think that much of and I'm sure that other teams have guys on their board that don't really fit that well for us. I think there are enough players to help our football team and I would imagine that other teams think that too. Some positions have a few more than others, but again, to me the thing about this draft is there are more guys that have less production, less history at this point, particularly early, some of the higher-rated players. They just haven't had the opportunity, for one reason or another, to perform as much or as long as I think historically what you've seen in most of the drafts relative to those grade levels. Like I said, we're all working off the same board and we all have the same challenge.

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Tom Brady - that guy who plays quarterback for the Patriots? - he co-hosted a Sirius NFL Radio deal on Sunday in NYC...some of the excerpted highlights dutifully e-mailed to me from the folks at Sirius and now passed on to....you...

On Rodney Harrison:
Tom Brady: “I don’t think there’s any player on our team that works harder than Rodney and Rodney was out there the other day running and cutting. It’s been a tough injury for him but if there’s one guy who can come back from that injury its Rodney Harrison. He’s a great leader, a great captain and he’s a great person. I’m excited about his return and I’m excited about what he can bring back to our team. I know we could use him. We could have used him last year.”

Co-host Steve Cohen: “He’s one of those guys that make 30 other GMs around the league kick themselves and say, ‘Why didn’t we sign him when the Chargers let him go?’”

Brady: “I can’t believe that the Chargers would ever let him go. He’s the best defensive player I’ve ever played with. When we beat the Eagles (Super Bowl XXXIX), Rodney Harrison was the MVP of that team, he was the MVP of that Super Bowl. I know Deion [Branch] won it and believe me there’s nobody who loves Deion more than me but Rodney Harrison, if you were a Patriots fan, you knew who the best player on the team was. It was Rodney Harrison, without a doubt.”

On losing teammates to free agency:
Brady: “[Adam Vinatieri] is a great teammate. The most clutch kicker in NFL history. A future Hall of Famer. He’ll always be a good friend. I hate to see him go to the Colts. I hate to see him go anywhere other than kick for us but that’s part of what this league is built on. We’ve just got to try to regroup, try to fill that void and obviously we wish him the best of luck.
“Everybody wanted David Givens back and everybody wanted Willie McGinest back and Tom Ashworth. But I think those guys had great opportunities in other places and they decided to explore those opportunities. That’s their right and that’s what they’ve earned and it is hard for me, as a player, to say, ‘Guys, you shouldn’t do that. You should have stayed with us.’ Because they wanted to go on. They wanted to test the free agent market and hopefully they are happy with where they’re at.”

On Richard Seymour and his contract extension:
Brady: “There’s nobody like Richard. I think Richard has more respect from everybody than any other player on our team. He’s such a young man in age but he’s so mature and so professional. He’s had a lot of tough things happen in his life. His father passed away a few years ago and he came to training camp and was as determined as ever. He’s had some injury problems but nothing has really de-railed him. He’s a great man. He’s got a great family. There is no better player in the league to represent the New England Patriots than Richard Seymour.
“I know how thrilled I was. He’s one of my closest friends on the team. I know how thrilled our coaches were and our owner. It’s really a great thing for all the Patriots fans, too. He’ll be a great guy to root for.”

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Kamerion Wimbley, a 6-3, 248-pound defensive end from Florida State is a fast-riser on NFL draft boards.

Fast off the edge with a terrific motor and hard-working attitude, he's seen as an ideal outside linebacker for 3-4 defenses.

He's drawn comparisons to Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware who wound up going 11th overall last year to Dallas and had a solid rookie year despite coming out of little Troy State.

Wimbley is a player who'd fit nicely with New England. If he lasts until the 21st overall pick.

We caught up with him this morning by phone.

Pro-Jo: Have you enjoyed the predraft process?

Kamerion Wimbley: I have. I've had the chance to go different places, meet a lot of different people -- influential people in the NFL, college players. It's been very busy. I really haven't had a chance to take a breath and a breather. But I'd rather be busy than not.

PJ: What's surprised you about the process?
KW: All the people involved and the behind the scenes scouting that makes it work. I never realized the number of coaches, scouts and staff. It's much more like a business, a real company with the managers, executives and staff. Its run just like a regular business and football is the product.

PJ: How do NFL teams compare to Florida State in terms of how they're run?
KW: There are a lot of similarities. Becase of FSU's success in sending players to the league, they set our college program up to be similar. Some of our have been in the NFL and a lot that haven't sent players to the league so they understand that aspect.

PJ: Which teams have you visited?
KW: Cleveland is the only place I went to. I think a lot of teams gathered all their info at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine and at our workouts.

PJ: Do you monitor mock drafts and the rising and falling stock of prospects?
KW: Not so much anymore. Initially I did because I had a lot of ground to make up. (Wimbley suffered a sprained knee near the end of FSU's 2005 season). After I hurt my knee, my stock dropped and I didn't think there was an accurate assessment of my ability. I wanted to see how far I dropped and how much work was ahead of me. But right now (the draft is April 29-30) there's nothing you can do.

PJ: You got good reviews on your work against Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the best lineman in the draft). What was it like to play against him?
KW: I don't know if this applies, but if I was an offensive lineman, I would be similar to him. Long arms, explosive, smooth but not overly big. He was definitely a competitor and someone I enjoyed going up against. It was kind of like a chess match.


PJ: Have you played any linebacker and do you feel comfortable dropping into coverage?

KW: I played defensive end the whole time (at FSU) but we dropped sometimes in games and I would cover a back out of the backfield or a receiver sometimes. I feel very comfortable (dropping in coverage). To me, there's not too much difference (playing on the edge) whether my hand is down (like a defensive end) or up.

PJ: After being a defensive end during your college career, do you have mixed emotions about being projected as a linebacker in the pros?
KW: I embrace it. It's a great opportunity for me to do something new. I like new challenges. I heard early on could that I move to linebacker in the league and I liked the fact I was going to be looked at for two positions. It gives you more exposure rather than just being a defensive end. If I go higher as a linebacker than I would as a defensive end, that's fine with me. That's what you want. If I train the whole time as a defensive end and then I move, I'm fine with that.

PJ: You've been called an outstanding worker with exceptional character (by Pro Football Weekly). How important are those traits to you?
KW: The work part, I'll always have that. And that's not hard to maintain. I'm always trying to get better and not be satisfied. I haven't accomplished anything I want to accomplish. In the NFL, you can make the Pro Bowl, win the Super Bowl, be MVP -- you can always have higher goals and there's always something else to accomplish.

As for character, I look back on teammates I had at FSU who've gotten in trouble - great players and athletes who dropped their stock with bad decisions I've realized the importance of taking care of busnienss. Teams have no doubts if you do that, they're not scared to touch you. I try to stress that to guys still in school now, "Don't get in trouble and get arrested."

PJ: Have you seen DeMarcus Ware play?
KW: I have never seen him play but a guy named Brian McFadden (a former FSU corner who's now with Pittsburgh) came back from the Senior Bowl last year and told me I'd be the next DeMarcus Ware because of my ability to play in space and my size. I guess he was right from what I've heard.

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