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McGowan/Malone analysis

Email|Link|Comments (6) Posted by Mike Reiss, Globe Staff May 5, 2009 05:50 PM

ANALYSIS

The Patriots made two moves today -- signing safety Brandon McGowan and waiving punter Tom Malone.

Bringing McGowan into the fold adds another layer of depth at safety, where Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, and Patrick Chung are the top three options.

While those players are a lock to make the roster, McGowan will vie for a fourth spot at the position.

The Patriots have some flexibility with other players on the roster, as cornerback Shawn Springs also can line up at safety. Tank Williams is also a safety by trade, although he was being utilized more as a linebacker in 2008 training camp and the team presumably would like to keep him closer to the line of scrimmage in a specific package.

Ray Ventone and Antwain Spann also play safety, with their primary contributions to this point coming on special teams.

At punter, veteran Chris Hanson has the inside track to retain his job. Competition will come from UCLA rookie Aaron Perez.

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6 comments so far...

Hanson locked up his roster spot in Week 17.

I'm all for this McGowen kid being brought in for competition; but, Mike, can't help but think why the Pats haven't given the other Bears FA safety Mike Brown a look.

Lots of people thought Rodney Harrison was a washed-up, injury-prone 31-year-old safety, too ....

Posted by Tom B May 5, 09 06:11 PM

the thing is Brandon is the top option right now.other then merriweather. because he has the expeariance.he is better then sanders,and he will be great until chung is ready to step in.right now only merriweather is a great starting safety.after him its up in the air until chung is NFL ready.McGowen is a huge pick-up.

Posted by darryl May 5, 09 08:06 PM

As I said yesterday, never enough depth at PUNTER...

Posted by jay8852 May 6, 09 12:11 AM

McGowan had his fair share of (season ending) injurys over the last three years while Sanders has yet to miss a game due to injury. Sanders has much more experience in New England's system and he's also been the better performer statistically. People are way to hard on Sanders...

Posted by Chris May 6, 09 05:43 AM

I agree with Chris--If Coach Belichick, DC Pees and Rodney himself think highly of James Sanders, then it is not my place to question his value to the team.

Posted by Ghost of Lombardi May 6, 09 08:57 AM

I don't know much about McGowen but in general I think it's a good move to provide more depth and competition. We've been getting hit with injury bugs the last few seasons and I think our specials team can definitely improve. Would also like to see Merriweather and Sanders being pushed to get over the hump so we can finally get some confidence in our post-harrison secondary.

Posted by Albert May 6, 09 02:07 PM

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Mike Reiss, Christopher L. Gasper and the rest of the Globe team provide regular updates –and a behind-the-scenes look– on the daily happenings of the Patriots.

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