INDIANAPOLIS - Dom Capers, the Patriots' new secondary coach/special assistant to head coach Bill Belichick, said he wouldn't have joined the team if he didn't feel defensive coordinator Dean Pees was comfortable with it.
"Dean and I went out to dinner the night that I was there and I had a great visit with him," Capers said yesterday in a teleconference with the New England media. "We have so many common acquaintances. I felt it would be really a good working relationship or I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing it, but that wasn't the case. I felt very good about it."
Capers, who spent the last two seasons as the Dolphins' defensive coordinator and served as the inaugural head coach of the Panthers and Texans, turned down a job with the Cowboys this offseason because he wasn't sure the staff chemistry was there.
"I learned a long time ago that it's important the staffs fit together," said the 57-year-old Capers. "It's like putting a team together. You have to have a feel for what everybody's roles are going to be and what they can contribute. That's what makes a good football team and I think it's what makes a good staff. I just felt going up to New England was a good fit, and like I said, I've had so much respect for Bill."
Capers has never coached with Belichick, but spoke reverently of him and said that as a coach of the 3-4 defense, he has always admired Belichick's work on that side of the ball. The connection between Capers and Belichick is former Dolphins coach and Belichick disciple Nick Saban, who worked as Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Browns in the 1990s. Capers served as special assistant/defensive coordinator for Saban with Miami in 2006.
"During that time, obviously, we'd have a lot of discussions about Bill and that's where you feel like you're familiar with Bill . . . having worked with Nick," said Capers. "Nick worked for Bill for quite awhile."
Capers didn't expound on his duties.
"I will be coaching the secondary and I think we'll see how things go and what other things I can contribute. I'll certainly be ready," Capers said. "I think one of the advantages of being a head coach for a number of years is that you always knew what you were looking for in assistants, and hopefully I can be that guy."
Specter on the prowl
Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, accused the Patriots of stonewalling his investigation into the team's illegal videotaping of opponents' signals, ESPN.com reported yesterday.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week the league was making progress toward an agreement with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, who said he will tell the league what he knows about the team's videotaping procedures in return for indemnification.
"My suspicion is that they're going to put enough conditions on it so that he won't talk," Specter said. "If they had wanted Walsh to talk, it would have been done a long time ago. They are not helped by keeping him on ice, unless they intend to [permanently] keep him on ice."
On Thursday, the NFL's competition committee said it was satisfied with the league's investigation of the Patriots.
Behind schedule
Kyle Brady's offseason training regimen will be affected by shoulder surgery, a league source said at the NFL Combine. The surgery could affect Brady's availability for the start of training camp.Brady, 36, enters his 14th NFL season in 2008, and his second with the Patriots. He was primarily used in a blocking role last season, playing in 14 regular-season games. He finished with nine catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots have Brady, Benjamin Watson, David Thomas, and Stephen Spach under contract at tight end for 2008.
Didn't see anything
Browns coach Romeo Crennel, who served as Patriots defensive coordinator from 2001-04 and won three Super Bowls with New England, was asked whether the Patriots taped opponents' signals when he was with the team and if it bothered him that the signal-stealing saga was tarnishing what those teams accomplished."No, I never saw anything like that," Crennel responded. "All we did was coach football and win football games. The commissioner, he's taking care of it, he's investigating it, and if he's found anything, he would take action. He hasn't taken any action, so that implies that there is nothing wrong. We just coached football. That's what we did when we were there."
Adams sighting
Ernie Adams, the mysterious Belichick confidant whose official title with the team is football research director, was spotted at the combine yesterday. A reticent Adams had little to add to the videotape intrigue that continues to plague the Patriots.Adams was asked whether he was surprised that it remains such a hot topic. He replied, "You guys need something to put in your papers. You guys need something to put in there. I'm sure you guys will keep grinding it out."
Adams was asked why the Patriots didn't just come out and explain in detail what they were doing with the video they shot of other teams' signals.
"The league came in and they did their investigation and it's closed in their mind and it's closed in ours," he said. "End of story."
Washington wants to stay
Chad Speck, the agent for wide receiver Kelley Washington, said he plans to meet with vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli at the combine. Washington would like to stay in New England, and the Patriots are interested in retaining him. But they are not planning to pay Washington's $4 million option bonus, so if he returns, it would have to be as part of a new deal . . . Wide receiver Bam Childress, who has spent time on the Patriots' active roster and practice squad from 2005-07, signed a two-year contract with the Eagles . . . Appalachian State wide receiver Dexter Jackson listed the Patriots as one of three teams he feels have shown the most interest in him. The diminutive Jackson (5 feet 9 inches, 178 pounds), who can also return punts and kickoffs, said he had a personal interview with the team at the combine . . . Former director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff had his first big win as Falcons vice president of player personnel. Atlanta won a coin flip with Oakland for the third pick in April's draft. That solidified the top five: Miami, St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, and Kansas City. Those teams will be followed by the Jets and Patriots.Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.
