Deal for Vinatieri off board for now
Kicker is still on hold as cap deadline passes
FOXBOROUGH -- Last night was the deadline for applying pro-rated signing bonuses onto this year's cap to lessen the burden on next year's. The Patriots were trying to get a long-term extension done for kicker (and sometime quarterback) Adam Vinatieri, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Vinatieri, who has converted 18 of 19 field goal attempts this season, is hoping to remain a Patriot for the remainder of his career. But not getting a deal in place last night was certainly not the end of the world, as the Patriots can still sign Vinatieri before the end of the year and absorb the pro-rated portion of any bonus next season.
Another candidate for such a deal is guard Joe Andruzzi.
What's my line?
Who will play right tackle now that Tom Ashworth has been placed on injured reserve, shelving him for the season? Brandon Gorin played very well in St. Louis after a shaky debut against Pittsburgh. It appears Gorin is the rest-of-the-season answer, but the Patriots appear thin here. There's no other lineman who is a true tackle. The Patriots used starting guard Stephen Neal at right tackle after Gorin had to shift to left tackle when Matt Light went down in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh. If Neal had to play tackle in an emergency, Russ Hochstein is still around to play guard. The Patriots were once deep on the offensive line, but Ashworth and Adrian Klemm are on injured reserve. Though Ashworth may need only time to heal, the Patriots felt they couldn't wait because they needed the roster spot to activate Earthwind Moreland. Don't be surprised if the Patriots bring in at least a practice squad lineman this week. "It is disappointing for Tom," said coach Bill Belichick. "I am disappointed for him personally, as I told him when I spoke with him last week. He has worked hard. He has been a very dedicated player. It is a tough setback for him." . . . Asante Samuel's shoulder injury doesn't appear serious enough to keep the cornerback out for a long time, but will the Patriots continue to go into games with Troy Brown as an extra defensive back? The team did not bring in candidates for tryouts last week, but that could change this week.
Buffalo gets top billing
The players were rewarded with a day off yesterday because of their impressive win over the Rams. They will skip tape of the St. Louis game and move right on to the Bills, whom they play in a Sunday night contest at Gillette Stadium. Buffalo has won three of its last four, including a 22-17 decision over the Jets Sunday. "If we got beat, 40-0, I doubt we would be giving them the day off," said Belichick. "So I think part of it has to do with the result of the game, but in this case, as positive as yesterday's game was for us, it really has no bearing on Buffalo, and so to come in here and spend a lot of time reanalyzing the St. Louis game, in all honesty, I think we need to dedicate our total effort toward Buffalo, both as a staff and as a football team. We are happy with what happened [Sunday], don't get me wrong. It is over. It is done with and we have to move on to Buffalo." Belichick called Buffalo's offense "as contrasting to St. Louis's as you can get. They are sort of like the Pittsburgh offense, where [Mike] Mularkey was last year, so those things correlate more for us in this particular week than some of the things that took place in St. Louis, without any disrespect to that game or the situation."
