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Mike,

I don't know if you have any say in the matter but for reading at work purposes I really preferred when the mailbag was all on one page instead of continued on 7 different pages. I'm guessing its an advertising thing and its better to keep at the eyeballs at the top of the page so I understand if thats the way it has to be.

Thanks so much for all your hard work. This blog is the most entertaining, informative, and well done piece of media I know of.

Mike, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not differentiate inductees by the teams for which they played (as does the Baseball HOF). Their busts have no team logo or colors.

Mike,
I respect your opinion but saying you'd the Pats should be happy with a high second round pick is ridiculous. The Pats are pretty smart and I don't think they would chance having to pay a backup 15 million for a second round pick. I think it's clear they believe that Cassel will bring much more than a high second.

Secondly, it's not logical to evaluate Cassel on his first few games. He was awful! The fact that this 'expert' thinks Cassel is limited based on the SF game gives NO value to a team looking for a franchise QB. Brady looked pretty bad against Miami in 01 and he turned out pretty well. And the comment about his velocity? Did he watch Cassel at all throughout the year? His quick passes to Welker over the middle showed plus arm strength. Additionally, he showed tremendous improvement with his pocket presense and with making better reads.

I'm just sick of people undervalueing Cassel because he's a Patriot and he had a few bad games. The fact that he carried a team with a porous defense that was
led by a legend should trump all this ridiculous analysis.

Mike, please explain to me why the Patriots would receive less than Atlanta in the Shaub deal and less than Detroit in the Willams deal. Your analysis doesn't add up.

Hi Luke. Appreciate the respect, and the passion here. You may be right. One of the things that is important to mention is that it only takes one team to take the plunge. If that one team is aggressive, the Patriots will get a first-rounder, at least. I also feel like Cassel should not get undersold. He deserves a chance to be a starter. He's earned that. His growth in 2008 was remarkable. At the same time, I do think it's important to take into account the team's system and how the coaching staff generally puts players in a position to succeed (league-leading 55 percent of passing offense coming after the catch in 2008 vs. 42 percent with Tom Brady in 2007). When I mentioned my thoughts on the second-round pick, it came after assessing the potential market, factoring in the system, and also considering the role of economics today (e.g. San Francisco saying it wouldn't be feasible to acquire Cassel). I don't think as many teams are going to be willing to spend like they were when the Texans acquired Schaub -- giving up the picks and the big contract. In the end, I'm real curious to see what the market will be for Cassel. If two teams get into it, then the price obviously goes up. I don't even think we know for sure there will be two. So until that takes shape, I'm going to stick with my prediction.
--Mike

Mike, you mention 'big sturdy' cornerbacls several times. I don't see it as the Pats MO, it may change this year but in the past they have brought in players like:
Samuel, Hobbs, Starks, Poole, Wilhite, Wheatley, Webster, Hawkins, Andrews, Gay, O'Neal, Bryant, etc.

All on the small side, there have been the odd bigger CBs such as Scott or L. Sanders but in general they tend to focus on the smaller, quicker CB. Am I missing something?

Great point Chris, and something I am going to edit into the mailbag now. I should have mentioned that I believe this is Belichick's preference to have these big, sturdy corners -- but they are hard to find.
--Mike

I was thinking that too Chris. It seems like the patriots MO is to use 5`9 average corners.

Mike - I love the mention of Sean Smith. He would seem to be a nice fit for this secondary with size, speed and versatility. I've been hoping BB would give him a look after seeing him dominate Julio Jones--a big physical receiver--in the Sugar Bowl. I think safety is much more a need than corner in this draft. Plus, there are a couple of decent corners in the free agent market, some of whom you've mentioned--Greer and Bodden come to mind as reasonably priced options--and Belichick doesn't really value corner that highly when compared to other positions. Tyson Jackson could be a nice fit and possible replacement for Seymour. Lastly, do you screen any of the mailbag questions? I had to laugh at the guy who complained that Wilfork doesn't make big plays. Of course he does, but he's a nose tackle...
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Tom, I'm glad to see someone else point out the ignorance behind the contention that neither Wilfork nor Seymour are "playmakers".

And here's another name for a tall corner in HS and college ball: failed wide receiver. Its a football-wide conundrum: tall DB's rarely make good NFL-caliber defensive players - as MikeR says "hard to fine".

As fans we may want the most for MattC, but I wonder if BB & co. might even PREFER a lower round pick (picks?): much more cap-friendly and a draft postion the Pats scouts have historically excelled. Trade MattC for whatever reasonable offer is out there and concentrate on O'Connell. Likely, they'll add a vet they trust (ala Testerverde), too.

Seymour in the hall of fame is ridiculous