Breaking down the 92

No Terrance Wheatley as a returner? I thought that was one of the reasons they drafted him in the 2nd round.

Hi James. Wheatley could be an option, but I think the main reason they drafted him in the second round is for his cover skills. I didn't put him on there, or Maroney, with protecting those injuries in mind.
--Mike

Hey Reiss,

What does the increase in the salary cap mean for the pats?

Hi Andrew. There seems to be a bit of confusion on the cap increase. The way it was framed in news reports over the last few days is that the cap has increased almost $12 million from 2008 to 2009, going from around $116m to around $128m. For context purposes, as of early this week, teams were operating with a $127m salary cap. So the news this week is really that the cap has increased by $1m for each team. That will help the Patriots, who are snug to the cap compared to other clubs. I think some people took the news to mean that each team now has an additional $12m to spend. That is not the case.
--Mike

Stephen Neal was signed by Patriots first. He did spend a few months on Eagles practice squad after Pat's waived him, but was soon back with Patriots. I consider him a Belichick find.

Hi Peter. That is true, and I think you are referring to the latest update on "undrafted" gems. You could win that argument. But since they waived him and he landed somewhere else, it's hard for me to give them complete, full credit on that one.
--Mike

gostkowski is an absolute gem. he might be the best kicker in the league. bb, please dont make the vinateri mistake with him.

Vinatieri mistake? It looks like NE let him walk at the best moment. His best years came with NE. I think the same can be said for Vrabel.

I know its one of the less glamorous positions in football (if not the least), but I'm definitely interested in seeing how the long snapper battle turns out. Everything I've heard about Ingram is that he is one of the best in the business, even if he is just coming out of college. Yet Hodel seems to be among the best in the pros over the past several years, too. Since Ingram will cost much, much less against the cap (given that he is a sixth round pick and will be playing for the rookie minimum) does that give him an early edge in the competition? Or is Hodel's contract small enough that this battle will truly be about who does the better job? Is Ingram a prime candidate for the practice squad, possibly?

Gotta give BB some cred.....Gostkowski is better than Vinatieri. Good pick. Good timing. GREAT kicker. I hope those who balked at spending a 4th rd. draft pick on him have had a couple of beers to help wash their words down!