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Pats' Andrews charged with assault with a dangerous weapon

The Attleboro Sun Chronicle reports that Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews, who was arrested in February for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon by Mansfield, Mass., police after allegedly pointed a 9-mm handgun at his girlfriend's head after she accused him of cheating on her.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Welker says Asante chose money over championships

In an AP story primarily about his offseason work helping at-risk children in his hometown of Oklahoma City, Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker had some unkind things to say about cornerback Asante Samuel, who left the Pats as a free agent to join the Philadelphia Eagles:

"Asante's a great player, so it hurts not to have a guy like that. But then again, it's part of the business of the game. He chose money over championships, and that’s the way it goes sometimes."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Moss has famous friends at his golf tourney

Patriots receiver Randy Moss had some famous friends on hand this weekend for his Links for Learning/Randy Moss Foundation Golf Tournament in his native West Virginia.

A story in today's Charleston Gazette, says Moss was reunited with his friend and former high school teammate, Miami Heat guard Jason Williams, at the event. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, a Moss teammate at Marshall, also was among those taking part.

The funds raised at the event will go towards learning centers for children Moss' foundation has planned; the first will be built in his hometown of Rand.

Moss, who was honored for his work on behalf of children last month, spent Friday afternoon at two community centers in Charleston handing out shoes to youngsters.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 5:11 PM to Randy Moss | Permalink | Comments 0

Patriots' HOF voting closes July 4

A reminder that voting for this year's inductee into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame closes at midnight next Friday, July 4.

This year's nominees are TE Ben Coates, OL Jon Morris and RB Jim Nance.

There is a one-vote-per-computer-IP-address limit; you can vote at patriots.com.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

CBSsports.com ranks NFL's top 50 players; Brady #1

Pete Prisco of cbssports.com has done his annual ranking of the top 50 players in the NFL, and five Patriots have made the list, topped by Tom Brady at the number one spot.

Prisco seems like he reluctantly elevated Brady to the top of the list (Peyton Manning has occupied that spot for a few years), but writes that Brady "earned it" with his 2007 MVP-winning season.

The rest of the Pats' Prisco chose, as well as the comments he wrote on each:

4. Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots: Talk about resurrecting a reputation. He wasn't on many top 50 lists a year ago. Now he's a top 10 player.

30. Richard Seymour, DE, New England Patriots: He played hurt last season and wasn't the same player as in years past. But he's still one of the best when he's healthy.

41. Vince Wilfork, DT, New England Patriots: He was the best front-seven player on the Pats defense last season. He's a load in the middle. Moving him off the ball is tough for any center.

48. Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots: Yes, he belongs on this list. He had an amazing season as a slot receiver in 2007. Even when teams knew he was getting the football, he made plays.

Former New England corner Asante Samuel, now with the Eagles, made the list at number 37.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Projo blogs upgrade set for Saturday

Saturday morning we plan to upgrade the active projo blogs to a new version of the Movable Type software. All blogs will remain available during this process. Afterwards you’ll see a new look and some new features, and we’ll welcome your comments about them.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Judge gives Jets fan time to amend suit against Patriots

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A federal judge has given a New York Jets season-ticket holder more time to amend a lawsuit that seeks millions from the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for "deceiving customers" by videotaping opponents' signals.

The lawsuit by Carl J. Mayer, filed in September, was due to be dismissed June 30 because of a lack of activity.

Mayer and his co-counsel, Bruce I. Afran, this week asked U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. for more time because Afran has been ill and because of unspecified "revelations" from an investigation into the taping launched by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania after the lawsuit was filed.

They asked permission to amend the lawsuit and serve notice on the defendants by Aug. 30.
Garrett, who sits in Trenton, approved the request in a handwritten note dated Monday at the bottom of Mayer's letter.

A message seeking comment from a Patriots spokesman was not immediately returned Thursday.

Mayer's lawsuit maintained the Patriots' secret videotaping violated the contractual "expectations and rights" of Jets ticket holders "to observe an honest match played in compliance with all laws and regulations." It sought class-action status.

But Mayer and Afran, who have collaborated in legal actions against New Jersey politicians, failed to serve the defendants with copies of the complaint.

As a result, the court clerk advised Mayer in early June that the lawsuit would be dismissed June 30 unless he gives a federal judge a reason it should continue. The clerk's notice cited a court rule allowing dismissal if no proceeding had occurred for 120 days.

Until Mayer's recent letter, no public action had been taken for nearly nine months.

Mayer has not specified what other defendants or issues might be included in an amended lawsuit. But he has said the new allegations relate to the efforts of Specter, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican and a critic of the NFL's response to what has been called "Spygate."

The Patriots were caught taping signals by Jets coaches, a violation of league rules, during the opening game of the 2007 season. New England won 38-14 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for that incident, and stripped New England of a first-round draft choice.

Goodell in May essentially declared an end to Spygate after meeting with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh, a central figure in the scandal, saying there was no new information that would warrant a further penalty against the Patriots.

Mayer's lawsuit asserted that because other teams found illicit videotaping by the defendants, Jets ticket holders should be compensated for all games played in Giants Stadium between the Jets and Patriots since Belichick became head coach in 2000.

The suit calculated that because customers paid $61.6 million to watch eight "fraudulent" games, they're entitled to triple that amount - or $184.8 million - in compensation under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act and the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Specter: Oh wait, I'm not done with Spygate after all

Reported today by Greg Bishop of The New York Times:

Sen. Arlen Specter clarified Thursday that his involvement in the New England Patriots' videotaping controversy was not over. Neither is his battle with the NFL.

Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview that his comments to the editorial board of The Philadelphia Daily News earlier this week "didn't really come out with the proper flavor."

"My view on the overall situation is that we may well see the other shoe drop somewhere," Specter said. "We went about as far as we could go, given the public attitude today about the economy and gas prices and Iraq. We're always very careful about initiating a congressional investigation.

Click here to continue reading.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Moss' NASCAR truck team coming together

Since the announcement in April that he's forming Moss Motorsports LLC to run a truck in the NASCAR Craftsman series, there hasn't been a lot of news on Randy Moss' newest venture.

But in a mailbag posting on espn.com yesterday, Marty Smith wrote that Moss' team is coming together (scroll about two-thirds down the page).

Wrote Smith:

"According to Moss Motorsports, the wide receiver is in the final stages of completing the purchase of an existing "top team" in the Craftsman Truck Series, Trey. It's in lawyers' hands now, the team says, and Moss is waiting for them to hammer out the final details.

The team says it also is working to finalize a sponsor, and the tentative plan is for a truck debut in the next four to six weeks, once the deal is completed."

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:56 PM to Randy Moss | Permalink | Comments 0

Former Boston Patriots linebacker killed in crash

BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) - Mike Dukes, who played linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers and two AFL teams from 1959 to 1965, was killed in a traffic accident earlier this week. He was 72.

The longtime Beaumont resident was killed when an eastbound pickup crossed the median on Interstate 10 on Monday afternoon, striking his truck head-on, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The trooper's report said the driver of the other vehicle was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Dukes was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dukes grew up in Kentucky and Georgia, and went on to play football for Clemson.

He began his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers in 1959, then moved to the American Football League's Houston Oilers from 1960 to 1963 and the AFL's Boston Patriots in 1964-65.

He moved to the Beaumont area in the early 1980s and became a businessman.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Philly paper: Specter won't ask Congress to investigate Spygate

In an interview with the editorial board of the Philadelphia Daily News, Sen. Arlen Specter says he has gone as far as he can go in pressing for more investigation of the Spygate story, and adds that he will not bring the issue before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he is the ranking Republican. He says the committee "already has too much to do."

Specter has been the most public critic of the way the NFL has handled the scandal resulting from the Patriots' videotaping practices, even calling for an independent investigation of the affair that would be modeled on baseball's Mitchell Report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Specter also says he is "not interested" in the allegations by former NBA referee Tim Donaghy about the manipulation of playoff games by the league.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Colvin says he's about to sign with Texans

HOUSTON (AP) — Free agent linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said Monday he's set to sign with the Houston Texans.

Colvin, who won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, told Houston television station KRIV that final contract details were being worked out.

"Both parties feel like they fit each other," Colvin said. "Hopefully, we can get everything squared away as far as dotting the i's and crossing the t's."

Texans spokesman Zac Emmons said Colvin hasn't signed but will address the media at the team's facility Monday.

The 30-year-old was released by New England after a foot injury sidelined him for the last eight games of last season, including the playoffs.

He signed with the Patriots in 2003 after back-to-back career highs of 10 1/2 sacks with Chicago, but his first season in New England ended after just two games because of a hip injury.

Colvin bounced back to play three full regular seasons for the Patriots before last year's injury. He has 52 1/2 sacks in nine seasons.

Colvin's agent, Kennard McGuire, didn't return a phone call Monday from The Associated Press.

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

ESPN ombudsman critiques network's coverage of Spygate

Le Anne Schreiber's piece can be found here. It's interesting reading that takes some network personalities to task for their performances on the day that Matt Walsh met Roger Goodell.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

And then there was one: Pats release P Player

New England has announced the release of 38-year old punter Scott Player, leaving Chris Hanson as the only punter on the team's roster.

The Patriots had gone though the offseason camps with Hanson, Player and then undrafted rookie Mike Dragosavich duking it out on the field.

For now, at least, it appears Hanson, who was the team's punter last season, will retain the job.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Pats re-sign LB Alexander, release three rookies

From the release:

The New England Patriots re-signed exclusive rights free agent linebacker Eric Alexander today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Additionally, the team released three players signed as rookie free agents this spring -- tight end Tyson DeVree, defensive lineman Henry Smith and defensive lineman Casey Tyler.
        Alexander, 26, has played in 30 games over four seasons with the Patriots from 2004-07. The 6-foot-2-inch, 240-pound linebacker has recorded eight tackles (7 solo) and 26 special teams tackles in his career.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Rodney Harrison writes foreward to book by David Tyree

AP photo / Gene Puskar

Rodney Harrison, the defender who was closest to the play when David Tyree made his unbelievable catch late in Super bowl XLII, has written the introduction to Tyree's book, "More Than Just a Catch," which is due out in September, according to The Boston Globe. In the book, Tyree details his struggles with alcohol and drugs before he turned his life around and became a born-again Christian, as well as the death of his mother late last year.

"Just from a spiritual standpoint, I heard what he went through with his mom, her passing, and everything he kind of endured this season," Harrison told the Globe. "You can see why he was blessed at that particular time. God has a way of showing you different things through different people, and I'm not a hater. You beat us, so I congratulate you and we move on."

Your Turn: Does this thing bother you?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:24 AM to Rodney Harrison | Permalink | Comments 0

Super Bowl rings among jewelry stolen in $2-million Attleboro heist

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Police say New York Giants Super Bowl rings were among the $2 million worth of items stolen from an Attleboro jewelry company sometime over the weekend.

Police say thieves disabled the alarm system at E.A. Dion’s building, cut a hole in the roof and made off with a safe that weighed at least 1,000 pounds and containied gold, gems and the rings.

The incident was discovered by an employee on Sunday when she was unable to access her work e-mail from home, apparently because phone lines had been cut.

Captain David Proia says police are investigating but there are no suspects.

Company President Edward Dion Jr. says the company is running as normal and customers know “we’ve run into a bit of a hiccup.”

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Gutierrez & Powe

Pats' backup quarterback Matt Gutierrez is a native of the Oakland, Calif. area, as is Celtics forward Leon Powe, who had a breakout game last night against the Lakers. Though the two haven't really met, Gutierrez is glad to see him playing so well.

"That was amazing," Gutierrez said of Powe's 21 points-in-15 minutes performance. "The kids from back home always pull for the hometown guys. I had kids texting me, saying, 'Can you believe it?' He was dominant in high school; I was a victim."

Gutierrez starred at De La Salle High, while Powe played for Oakland Technical High.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

A great day for golf

The New England Patriots held their 11th annual Charitable Foundation golf tournament today at The International in Bolton, Mass., which is about 60 miles from downtown Providence.

All of the players and coaches attend, and one of the highlights is the long drive contest. Rodney Harrison reclaimed his title, beating out Chris Hanson and Stephen Gostkowki in the finals. Harrison's best drive in the finals was 287 yards. Hanson hit it 296 yards in the first round.

Defending champ Tom Brady didn't arrive at the course in time to challenge Harrison.

Before heading to their respective tees, Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson had their own contest, though Maroney struggled to make contact with the ball. At one point, Jackson bet his "big brother" that he couldn't hit the ball in three swings. Like it usually is between Jackson and Maroney, there was a lot of laughing involved.

At the driving range, owner Robert Kraft took a few minutes to catch up with Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable, the team's top two draft picks in April; Randy Moss declined to take part in the long drive contest, but was working on his swing at a nearby tee.

Maroney, Harrison, Matt Gutierrez, Tedy Bruschi, Jason Webster, Richard Seymour, Adalius Thomas and Victor Hobson all took a few minutes to chat with the media before heading out to the course.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Mini-camp, day 3

The Patriots moved up and shortened today's final mini-camp session, and the 45-minute practice was essentially a walkthrough: players were in shorts and jerseys, but without helmets. The defense stayed with the defense and offense with offense the entire time.

Wes Welker, who hadn't participated in the on-field work for the first two days of camp, was out there today, as was David Thomas. Thomas took part on Friday but not yesterday.

The rest of the missing players remained:

WR Kelley Washington
CB Ellis Hobbs
G Stephen Neal
T Oliver Ross
TE Benjamin Watson
LB Bo Ruud
DL Jarvis Green
DL Mike Wright

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Mini-camp, day 2

The Patriots have wrapped up day 2 of their three-day mini-camp, and with the summer weather that arrived today, the team was able to use the fields behind Gillette Stadium rather than being forced inside as they were yesterday.

Today's session was definitely spirited, especially when the offense and defense were working against one another. Safety Tank Williams picked off Tom Brady at one point, drawing the cheers of his blue-jerseyed brethren on defense. Mike Richardson, who spent his rookie season last year rehabbing a training camp injury, got an interception as well, with his coming from a Matt Cassel pass attempt.

Jabar Gaffney hooked up with Brady for a nice touchdown catch, and Marcus Pollard also had a touchdown, from Cassel.

In earlier work, Brady zipped a pass over the middle to Randy Moss with a couple of players in coverage. Afterwards, Brady said it is great to have Moss back, and that he is in great shape.

At one point early on in the nearly two-hour workout, four military helicopters flew low over the trees near the fields; it's not known why they were there, but it was certainly imposing to see them so close.

Gene Mruczkowski was on the field, wearing number 64.

Not on the field today were:

WR Kelley Washington
CB Ellis Hobbs
G Stephen Neal
T Oliver Ross
WR Wes Welker
TE Benjamin Watson
TE David Thomas (Thomas did participate yesterday)
LB Bo Ruud
DL Jarvis Green
DL Mike Wright

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Pats (re-re-re-)sign OL Mruczkowski

New England has announced the signing of G/C Gene Mruczkowski. The 6-foot-2, 305 pounder, who celebrates his 28th birthday today, isn't a stranger to the Patriots: this is the seventh time he has signed with the team.

Originally brought aboard as an undrafted rookie in 2003 out of Purdue, Mruczkowski has played in 18 games with the Pats. He was one of the team's final cuts last September, and was signed by Miami, where he played in a single-season career high 15 games.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Kaczur present at mini-camp

The Patriots have begun day one of their three-day mini-camp, and while T Nick Kaczur is present, he is off-limits to the media this weekend.

Randy Moss has also made it known that he will not speak to the media this weekend.

Tom Brady apparently will step in front of the microphones tomorrow.

Today's on-field work has been moved indoors to the Dana-Farber Fieldhouse thanks to poor weather conditions.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Pats release P Dragosavich

The Patriots have today released rookie free agent punter Mike Dragosavich.

The lanky North Dakota State product had quickly become the sentimental favorite among fans and some media to make the New England roster for his booming punts and now-removed youtube clip of his "janitor dance" from North Dakota State basketball games.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Kaczur arrested for painkillers, then helps with drug sting

According to a story in today's Boston Globe, Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April on a charge of illegal possession of prescription painkillers, and a month later wore a hidden recording device to help the federal Drug Enforcement Agency arrest his alleged dealer.

During the sting, Kaczur reportedly paid $3,900 to buy 100 OxyContin pills from the alleged dealer, Daniel Ekasala, at gas stations in North Attleboro and Foxboro and a supermarket parking lot in Sharon, Mass. OxyContin, the brand name of high-powered pain killer oxycodone, has seen its abuse on the rise in recent years; most pharmacies no longer keep the drug on premises because of robberies.

Kaczur, who started 15 games at right tackle for the Patriots last season, apparently began buying the OxyContin last November; according to Ekasala's attorney, Bernard Grossberg, Kaczur told DEA officials he bought 100 pills at a time, every few days.

Though Kaczur denied working with the DEA or knowing Ekasala when approached by a Globe reporter, Grossberg acknowledged that Kaczur was the cooperating witness in the case. If the case goes to trial, Kaczur would be required to testify.

Kaczur was originally arrested on April 27 by New York State police when he was pulled over for speeding on the New York Thruway. A small amount of OxyContin was found in his car and he was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments 2

Pats sign offensive lineman Oliver Ross

The Patriots today signed veteran offensive lineman Oliver Ross, 33, a veteran of 10 NFL seasons with the Cowboys (1998), Eagles (1999), Steelers (2000-04) and Cardinals (2005-07). The 6-foot-4-inch, 327-pound offensive lineman was originally drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. Ross has played in 89 career games with 52 starts.

The Iowa State product played in two games with the Cowboys as a rookie in 1998. The next season, he was released by Dallas following the preseason and was signed by the Eagles, for whom he was listed as a gameday inactive for 15 games in 1999. He spent part of the 2000 season on the Steelers’ practice squad before seeing his first significant game action in 2001. That season, he played in all 16 games with seven starts for Pittsburgh, seeing action at tackle and guard. From 2001-04, Ross played in all 64 of Pittsburgh’s games, totaling 35 starts over that span. In 2004, he started every game for the Steelers at right tackle. Ross was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2005 season, starting 12 games while seeing action at both offensive-tackle spots. He played in 11 games with five starts in 2006 before missing the entire 2007 season with a triceps injury.

-- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Dallas Morning News: Patriots are number one

By Rick Gosselin
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - There's an urge every NFL off-season to be different. Go against the flow.
I did in 1996. The Cowboys were coming off their third Super Bowl championship in four seasons. I put the Green Bay Packers No. 1 in my annual off-season rankings that June. I hit - the Packers won it all that year. That was my best call.

My worst call? I put Pittsburgh No. 1 in 1998 and Philadelphia No. 1 in 2005. The Steelers and Eagles missed the playoffs those seasons, both with 6-10 records. I learned my lesson - stay away from the Keystone State.

Parity has taught me another lesson. The meek can inherit the earth. I placed St. Louis 23rd in my annual off-season rankings in 1999, New England 22nd in 2001 and the New York Giants 21st in 2007. All went on to win Super Bowls.

I picked New England No. 1 last June, and the Patriots came within 36 seconds of being labeled the greatest team in NFL history. But when Plaxico Burress caught that 13-yard touchdown pass on a fade rout with 35 seconds left in the Super Bowl, the Patriots lost the game and their bid for a perfect season.

The Giants won the Lombardi Trophy, but I'm still of the belief the Patriots are the best team in football. That's why I'm putting New England atop my off-season rankings once again in 2008. It's the first time I've gone with a team in back-to-back off-seasons since the Packers in 1996-97. Green Bay went to the Super Bowl both years.

The NFL always has been and always will be a game of quarterbacks - and the Patriots have the best in Tom Brady. He presides over the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. His prolific right arm produced 4,806 passing yards, a record 50 touchdown passes and 589 points in 2007.
Brady always seems to have the Patriots playing in front. He put them up 14-0 in the first quarter of a game against Buffalo last season. By halftime in other games, he had the Patriots up 20-0 against Cleveland, 24-0 against San Diego and Washington and 28-0 against Miami.

New England played 1,140 minutes of football in 19 games last season and trailed on the scoreboard only 160 of those minutes.

The 2006 NFL champion Indianapolis Colts also are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations in 2008. They have Peyton Manning. That's why I put them No. 2. The Cowboys are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have Tony Romo. That's why they are No. 3. The San Diego Chargers are allowed to have Super Bowl aspirations. They have an emerging Philip Rivers at quarterback. That's why they are No. 4.

Find the quarterbacks and you'll find the legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Truthfully, who could have envisioned the Rams in 1999, the Patriots in 2001 and the Giants in 2007 winning Super Bowls? Except that St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner was the NFL MVP in 1999, Brady the Super Bowl MVP in 2001, and New York's Eli Manning outplayed Romo, Brett Favre and Brady in consecutive games in winning Super Bowl MVP honors in February.
Manning is the reason the Giants didn't stray far from the top in the rankings this off-season. New York sits sixth. He's one of only four quarterbacks to take his team to the playoffs each of the last three seasons, joining his brother Peyton, Brady and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

I also included Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle in my top 10. All three teams sent quarterbacks to the Pro Bowl last season. I slotted Jacksonville at No. 5 and Philadelphia No. 9.
David Garrard finished third in the NFL in passing for the Jaguars last season with a league-low three interceptions, and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb gets the John Elway pass because of his five Pro Bowl appearances.

Quarterbacking also is the reason Green Bay slides from NFC runner-up in 2007 to No. 18 this month. With the retirement of Favre, the Packers are no longer automatic contenders.

NFL offseason rankings

1. New England
Tom Brady. Enough said. He's the triggerman of the most prolific offense in NFL history. Want more? Randy Moss. Laurence Maroney. Wes Welker. All that firepower produced an NFL-record 589 points in 2007. The defense let New England down on the final drive of the season, and that group will be without its Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel in 2008. But the Patriots survived the loss of a better corner in Ty Law and continued to win championships. The Patriots needed to get younger at linebacker and have done so with first-round draft pick Jerod Mayo. They also needed to get deeper at cornerback and did so with veteran starters Fernando Bryant and Jason Webster in free agency.
Final '07 ranking: 2

2. Indianapolis
The Colts finished as the No. 2 seed in the AFC last season despite losing an NFL-runnerup 81 games by starters due to injury. Indianapolis lost Peyton Manning's go-to guy Marvin Harrison for 11 games, Pro Bowl pass rusher Dwight Freeney for seven games and starting tackles Ryan Diem and Tony Ugoh for a combined 11 games. Yet the Colts still posted a 13-3 record with Manning and a makeshift cast. If the Colts stay reasonably healthy in 2008, they are back in the mix for a second Super Bowl championship in three seasons. Running back Joseph Addai is an emerging star.
Final '07 ranking: 4

3. Dallas
Let's face it - the Cowboys should have been in the Super Bowl last year. For 17 weeks they were the best team in the NFC. They owned a record 13 Pro Bowlers and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Cowboys haven't won a post-season game in 11 years. You must win in January before you can win in February. December also has been a mystery for this team with a 4-5 record in the Tony Romo era. Talent-wise, the Cowboys rank with the Patriots and Colts. But the two AFC teams have proven they can win in the pressure situations. The Cowboys haven't.
Final '07 ranking: 6

4. San Diego
Norv Turner as a coach and the Chargers as a team took huge steps toward credibility in 2007 with a trip to the AFC title game. Now the Chargers have had a year in Turner's offense. Quarterback Philip Rivers has two playoff victories under his belt, one at home and one on the road, and he'll have speedy wide receiver Chris Chambers at his disposal for a full season. LaDainian Tomlinson remains the best runner, Antonio Gates the best tight end and Shawne Merriman the best pass rusher in the NFL.
Final '07 ranking: 3

5. Jacksonville
The name of the game on defense is the pass rush. When defensive coordinator Mike Smith left to become the head coach at Atlanta, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio used the opportunity to hire a pass-rush specialist in Gregg Williams. He put together top 10 defenses this decade for Tennessee, Buffalo and Washington. Then Del Rio gave Williams the tools to implement his scheme. There were four elite pass rushers in this draft and the Jaguars selected two of them, Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves.
Final '07 ranking: 7

6. NY Giants
The Giants became the sixth wild card to win a Super Bowl. Of the first five, three didn't qualify for the playoffs the next season. The only wild card to repeat was Denver in 1998 - and the Broncos had John Elway. Have you bought into Eli Manning yet? The Giants played shutdown defense in the postseason, taking out the high-powered offenses Dallas, Green Bay and New England in consecutive games. But three starters have left that New York defense in free agency.
Final '07 ranking: 1

7. Pittsburgh
The Steelers changed their head coach in 2007 but not the team's personality. Pittsburgh continues to run the ball and play suffocating defense, finishing third in the NFL in rushing and first in defense in Mike Tomlin's debut season as coach. But a first-round home playoff loss was shocking. The running game fell off at the end of the year when Willie Parker suffered a broken leg, so the Steelers drafted some insurance in Big Ten MVP Rashard Mendenhall.
Final '07 ranking: 10

8. Cleveland
The Browns won 10 games but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Offense wasn't the problem. QB Derek Anderson, WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow were Pro Bowlers and RB Jamal Lewis a 1,300-yard rusher. But Cleveland ranked 30th in defense and 27th against the run. So the Browns traded for almost 700 pounds of quality bulk at defensive tackle, acquiring Shaun Rogers from the Detroit Lions and Corey Williams from the Green Bay Packers.
Final '07 ranking: 11

9. Philadelphia
A slow start - 0-2, then 1-3 - doomed the Eagles in the NFL's most competitive division in 2007. But victories at Washington and Dallas in the second half of the season reminded the East that Philadelphia continues to lurk. The Eagles intercepted an NFL-low 11 passes last season and forced a league-low 19 turnovers. So the Eagles signed Pro Bowl CB Asante Samuel away from the Patriots in free agency. He had 10 interceptions himself in 2006.
Final '07 ranking: 15

10. Seattle
Age and eight seasons of NFL wear-and-tear caught up with Shaun Alexander last season and the Seahawks finished 20th in the NFL in rushing. So Seattle cut the league's 2005 rushing champion and MVP. The Seahawks signed free agent Julius Jones to replace him and gave him a big new blocker in free-agent Mike Wahle. Seattle continues to benefit from its residency in the NFC West, where Arizona, San Francisco and St. Louis self-destruct on an annual basis.
Final '07 ranking: 8

11. Minnesota
With the quarterback concerns in Green Bay and Chicago, the Vikings see an opening in the NFC North and took a win-now approach this offseason. They traded for NFL sack leader Jared Allen and signing Chicago go-to guy Bernard Berrian away from the Bears. But contention will hinge on the development of their own young QB Tarvaris Jackson.
Final '07 ranking: 17

12. New Orleans
With Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and a healthy Deuce McAllister, the Saints have an offense that's Super Bowl-ready. But after finishing 26th in defense, New Orleans needed to overhaul that side of the ball. So they drafted DT Sedrick Ellis, signed pass rusher Bobby McCray in free agency and traded for LB Jonathan Vilma.
Final '07 ranking: 22

13. Tennessee
It's still on-the-job training for Vince Young, who threw almost twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdowns (9) in his second season. But the Titans are winning along the way, finishing 10-6 last season for a wild-card playoff berth. In dire need of some big plays on offense, Tennessee drafted RB Chris Johnson with his 4.24 speed.
Final '07 ranking: 9

14. Tampa Bay
The Bucs won the NFC South in 2008 despite the absence of star running back Carnell Williams for 12 games with a knee injury. He's back, and fan favorite Warrick Dunn returns to Tampa as an insurance policy. Monte Kiffin is restocking the defense with youth, adding pass rusher Gaines Adams in 2007 and cover corner Aqib Talib in 2008.
Final '07 ranking: 12

15. Cincinnati
The arm of Dan Marino made the Dolphins a playoff contender throughout the 1990s even when Miami's running game and defense weren't up to par. That's the fate of Carson Palmer now in Cincinnati. He's a franchise quarterback with an inadequate cast. He gives the Bengals the hope of beating any team on any Sunday. But he must go it alone.
Final '07 ranking: 20

16. Buffalo
The Bills lost a league-high 89 games by starters due to injury and finished 30th in the NFL in offense and 31st in defense. Yet Buffalo chased a playoff berth into December, finishing 7-9 with two losses coming on last-second field goals. Good health should make the Bills a contender in 2008. So should the addition of Pro Bowl DT Marcus Stroud.
Final '07 ranking: 21

17. Houston
The Oilers had the misfortune of playing in the same division with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. Now the Texans have the misfortune of playing in the same division with the Indianapolis Colts in the 2000s. The Texans have a talented young cast in QB Matt Schaub, WR Andre Johnson and DE Mario Williams - but an inability to beat the Colts.
Final '07 ranking: 15

18. Green Bay
The retirement of Brett Favre takes the winningest and most prolific passer in NFL history out of a Green Bay uniform this season. Inexperienced and untested Aaron Rodgers replaces him. This is a talented team. The Packers reached the NFC title game last January. But how much of that was Favre? Suddenly, the defense must carry the Pack.
Final '07 ranking: 5

19. Carolina
The offense cratered with the loss of QB Jake Delhomme last September. The Panthers wound up 29th in the NFL in offense and fell from the ranks of playoff contenders. Coach John Fox overhauled his roster, deleting seven starters. Fox wants to become a running team again and rookie RB Jonathan Stewart will provide him that opportunity.
Final '07 ranking: 23

20. Washington
The highest-paid coaching staff in the NFL delivered a 9-7 record and wild-card finish in 2007. Now head coach Joe Gibbs, offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are all gone. Novice Jim Zorn is calling the shots at head coach. The lineup returns virtually intact with some new young pass catchers.
Final '07 ranking: 13

21. Arizona
The NFL's 28th ranked pass defense kept the Cardinals from contending for a playoff spot in 2007. So Arizona signed a pass rusher (Clark Haggans) in free agency and drafted a cornerback (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie). But their future remains in the hands of QB Matt Leinart.
Final '07 ranking: 16

22. Chicago
The Bears must have a ton of confidence in young tight end Greg Olsen because they let starting wideouts Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian walk out the door. They cut Muhammad and let Berrian sign in free agency with the Vikings. The quarterback position remains unsettled.
Final '07 ranking: 19

23. St. Louis
Three starting offensive lineman finished the 2007 season on injured reserve, which explains why the Rams rushed for a league-low five touchdowns, allowed 48 sacks and threw an NFL-high 28 interceptions. St. Louis must keep QB Marc Bulger and HB Steven Jackson upright and on the field.
Final '07 ranking: 31

24. Oakland
Plenty young pieces are in place, especially with the addition of dynamic rookie RB Darren McFadden. But two huge question marks remain at head coach (Lane Kiffin) and quarterback (JaMarcus Russell). The Raiders allowed an NFL-high 24 rushing TDs, and now DT Warren Sapp has retired.
Final '07 ranking: 29

25. Detroit
The experiment with Mike Martz and his Greatest-Show-on-Turf offense fizzled. Too many turnovers cost him his job as offensive coordinator after one season. So defense and the running game are back in. Third-round RB Kevin Smith is a sleeper candidate for NFL Rookie of the Year.
Final '07 ranking: 24

26. Kansas City
The Chiefs are following the route taken by Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys - trade away your best player (DE Jared Allen) and use the draft picks to accelerate the rebuilding. Pencil in these rookies as starters: DT Glenn Dorsey, OT Brandon Albert and CB Brandon Flowers.
Final '07 ranking: 28

27. Baltimore
When the Ravens committed a league-high 40 turnovers in 2007, it cost offensive guru Brian Billick his job as head coach. John Harbaugh inherits a talented but aging defense and a huge question mark at the quarterback position. How quickly do the Ravens go to rookie QB Joe Flacco?
Final '07 ranking: 25

28. Denver
As head coach and executive vice president of football operations, Mike Shanahan has fired coordinators and quarterbacks and even run off a GM. When is he going to hold himself accountable for this mess? He has won one playoff game since John Elway retired in 1999.
Final '07 ranking: 18

29. NY Jets
The Jets couldn't protect their quarterbacks (53 sacks) and couldn't stop the run (29th in the NFL) in 2007. So they signed free agent blockers Alan Faneca and Damien Woody and traded for former Pro Bowl DT Kris Jenkins.
Final '07 ranking: 27

30. San Francisco
Five starters are gone from a team that finished 32nd in offense, 25th in defense and 5-11 in the West. Is that addition by subtraction? The 49ers signed WR Isaac Bruce in free agency but at 35 how much gas is left in his tank?
Final '07 ranking: 26

31. Miami
Tony Sparano is the new coach and Jeff Ireland the new GM but make no mistake about it - this is a Bill Parcells team. The Dolphins will be bigger and stronger with new linemen Jason Ferguson, Justin Smiley and Jake Long.
Final '07 ranking: 32

32. Atlanta
Owner Arthur Blank is trying to distance himself from the Mike Vick era, drafting QB Matt Ryan to be the new face of the franchise. Blank also has a new GM (Thomas Dimitroff), a new coach (Mike Smith) and little optimism.
Final '07 ranking: 30

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments 0