Patriots trade Hochstein to Broncos

Who's going to play fullback?

Vollmer and Thomas

Dave Thomas...

TE Thomas... I guess

Why?

They have enough Tight Ends in camp. They will probably have one of them handle the fullback. I'm more concerned about depth at OL. They always have a couple of people get hurt during the year and Hochstein could play multiple positions.

A tight end.

what a bunch of loads. i just got madden 10, now who am i going to play at fullback when im the pats?? I want my $$ back

Dave Thomas. Same guy who's been doing it all preseason.

Red Sox trading pitching... Patriots trading useful linemen... High risk, low reward in my opinion.

David Thomas will be the FB on the rare occasions they use one.

I think this tells us all we need to know about what BB thinks of the young OL on this team.

Good luck Russ, maybe you'll get a chance ot play more.

The Tight ends can fill in there, as could another OLineman or even a Linebacker. There is a good chance that a decent fullback may be available as the teams begin to make there cuts in the next week.or so. This apparently makes room for Ohrenberger and possibly Vollmer who may end up on the practice squad. At least the Pats were able to pick up a late round draft pick next year and make room for a rookie, instead of ultimately cutting one of the backups or rookies on the line that has shown the potential for the future. Hochstein surely did it all as a member of the Pats, and certainly let his play on the field speak for him when it came to the ill spoken words said by Sapp.

One of their tight ends will play fullback....i.e. Thomas. Plus this is an indication that they are happy with the young lineman they drafted this year.

They must be really high on some of this years draft picks. Hochstein is not a super star by any means but has filled in well when needed.
In BB we trust, I hope.

This confirms BB likes what he see from the O linemen the Pats drafted this year, particularly since Russ has made major contributions over the last couple of years, and also has the versatility BB covets.

I'm betting the next trade away is a tight end. I'd take a third round pick for Watson in a heartbeat, but we'll probably be lucky to get a 4th given his diminishing production.

C'Mon...I just bought his shirt for my kid.

C'Mon...I just bought his shirt for my kid.

Lorenzo Neal was recently cut by OAK...

Its not often you find someone who can play all those positions while reliably backing up the starters. Good player.

One of the tight ends.

David Thomas

Who's going to be Identity Theft?

Should be good news for David Thomas. They must like his play at FB enough to be willing to let Hochstein go.

Evidently David Thomas or someone we don't know about yet.

Wilfork and Brace! ;-)

Pioli and McDaniels are fleecing the team...

Dave Thomas will play fullback.

Hey Denver fans, there's another reason why you should be happy with Josh McDaniels. Without him, you would still be pretender's. At least you now have a chance at something. You now have a coach who helmed one of the games premier QB to two additional Superbowls' and he comes to you bearing gifts!

Real head scratcher here--Here is a guy who played FB, Guard and Center and he is now off to Patriot West ( Denver)....

Jesse:
Lorenzo Neal?

This is a move that backs Vollmer's addition to the squad.

How many player's does that make now that have been sent to the Broncos? If McDaniels can't win in Denver with his old team than he will be in trouble. HAHAHA

Dave, first thing I thought of too. Why oh why did Belichick decide to ruin a perfectly good commercial? Sure hope Vollmer knows how to crack a joke.

Recall Sapp called out Hochstein just prior to SB XXVIII v. Carolina. To paraphrase: replacing Woody, Hochstein couldn't even block skinny ESPN talking headz.

Turned out Russ was rock solid all 4 quarters, especially in protection of Brady. My favorite memory of #71 and great example of Pats emphasis on 53 man roster depth.

Do we now own all of the Broncos 2010 draft picks?

Looking back over the practice's and pre season so far i think they are quite high on Wendell. Cuz he was getting reps with first team when Neal was missing.

bye bye BW

I agree Larry, Dave Thomas will be the full back. As soon as I read this article that was the first thing to come to my mind. Remember what MInnesota did a few years back with Jim Kleinsasser, he was a tight end that was converted into a full back

Won't he be busy running Wendy's?

Cystal Ball reads: Brandon Marshall will be a patriot this year...

Dave: LOL!
An indispensable loss, but proof that (some) Germans are capable of humor.
Vollmer ist folgend!

whole* patriots organization?

Excellent job by the Pats again to get value for players who were on the bubble. I'm very impressed with this and the LeKevin Smith trade. I'm a little unimpressed with Denver's impatience though. These were very likely going to be cut players...

Now, I suppose this means either Bussey or O'Callaghan makes the team. I think O'Callaghan would make more sense, and hopefully Bussey slips through waivers.

Coach Belichick is stocking up with late rounds picks.Maybe he'll get lucky like he did with Brady.Where would we be with people without obsessions? Those picks comes around once in a lifetime. Coach, you had yours snap out of it!

Gaspar, are you using dictation software? This week I've seen probably 5 of these silly mistakes. Who proofreads your material as you obviously don't?

"Obviously, he had a great relationship with the hole Patriots organization. "

Hole? Really?

Vollmer's accent will be great in the commercials--ya vohl!

hey commenters, Vollmer is a Tackle, Hochstein is a guard. this move is completely unrelated to the performance of Sea Bass. this means that Ohrnberger and/or Bussey are good enough to replace Russ.

"Who's going to be Identity Theft?" Dave, you owe me a new monitor, that was hilarious.

Its the whole patriots organization, not hole! Gotta proof read there mister gasper!

boston_kyle - I think Josh is going to use a different BB move and pull a Terry Glenn benching on Marshal. Ruin his career. That would be great. Only difference is Marshal will shoot someone before he can be cut at the end of the season.

David Thomas will play FB. If he was going to be cut, then this is a good move. BB has scored some beautes in Round 7 anyway. haha

The word is WHOLE not ... HOLE Patriots organization. Proofread! I thought he was a very capable backup and would be worth much more than a late round draft choice. But that's better than nothing if he was going to be cut. We wish him well (except when playing against the Pats of course).

They can't get rid of Russ! He's been a great backup for many years, and, more importantly, I own one of his jerseys, which is going to have to slide to the back of my closet with my Paxton and Vrabel jerseys! Damn!

Chris, you really need to proofre...uh...it's been covered? Never mind. Dave, that was freakin' hilarious!

Guys, chill on "hole" versus "whole". Hochstein getting traded is breaking news, so OF COURSE they used voice-recognition software to get us the story as fast as possible. I'd rather have the "hole" story right away than the "whole" story much later. (And heck, I made a typo here just yesterday....it happens.)

I love that Chris and Mike are as fast as they are with updates, even if the occasional one has a mistake.

Wholey Swiss Cheese!!

*That's the "2" of the "at least 2 trades for Draft Picks" that I predicted 4 months ago!

And I STRONGLY suspect that there's more to come. Are you LISTENING, RB's, TE's, and RT's??? ;o)

I am from Russ' hometown and everyone here knows him....this is front page news out here...cant believe they traded him. He is so versatile....

If we can get value for someone we were going to cut anyways that's great news. Frankly, the Broncos should probably just wait a week and get them for free, but whatever.

Also, Russ's agent didn't do him any favors by admitting he was on the bubble. I'd prefer my guy to say, "Denver obviously wanted Russ since he's so versatile. The Pats must have thought that someone else could eventually grow into his role." Come on man, sell your guy!

Russ will be missed. In the Hoodie we trust.

Pioli and McDaniels are not fleecing the Patriots they are mortgaging a bit of their future because they have the pressure of making an impact in the first season with a new team, they want that familiarity. Didn't we say we want to get younger? Not that Matt or Russ were old but the Pats could keep rolling with inward bound youth and add to any position through the draft or do what BB does best, package them up for a higher pick in the next draft. If the player is replaceable why not get more cards for our hand since BB plays his cards so well in the draft.

I think we got Denvers 7th round pick. Dante, Denver would have not got him because there are a lot of teams ahead of them on the waiver wire list.

Now who wants Moroney?

There are no more editors or proof-readers in the new journalism, and certainly not any on the sports blogs, As a plus, it gives shut-ins a chance to feel superior ("I can spell whole!").

Hochstein is in the last year of his contract, and signed for the vet min with minimal bonuses. The question isn't whether or not Bussey or Wendell (or whoever) are better. After this season, Hochstein will sign for more money...not big dollars, but probably more than the vet min. After this season, when the Pats can sign a 4th round guy now to do the same job for the next 4 years for small dollars, are they going to get enough more from Hochstein to justify the additional cash?

Apparently, the answer is "no".

Russ showed what working hard can do. 5th round pick who got cut, hooked on with the Pats practice squad and from there made the most of his chances. Best of luck in Denver.

Kudos to Russ Hochstein. He was a very reliable workhorse. He bore the brunt of Warren Sapp's comments prior to the SB and came out smelling like a rose. I wish you a long career.

These types of trades are smart as it allows BB to stock pile picks, even late round picks that they can use to move up four or five spots in draft rounds as low as 3rd of 4th.

There's a Russ Hochstein jersey?

This is all about moving forward and not paying for the past. Need younger blood to complement the vets, and Russ expendable. When you get something for a bubble guy, it is a bonus.

Sure, he was a glue guy and supersub. That's why they get a 5th for him instead of him just getting cut.

So Let me get this straight. The trade for Hochstein was for the 7th rounder we acquired from you guys last week when we got Lekevin Smith. So, we got Smith and Hochstein for a 5th rounder. You guys think that is a good deal for Denver?

thanks,

Bronco fan, it works out for both teams. Both players are servicable players. Hochstein is a known commodity so what you see is what you get, but Smith might have some upside. He never got much playing time in New England.

For the Pats it's a good move because OL and DL are probably the team's deepest positions, so they're easily replaceable by others already on the roster.

Denis,
Yes, I actually had a Hochstein jersey customized. I think NFL shop had a sale- I got it for fifty bucks. I've spent more, and less, on Pats jerseys, so not a bad deal.

Sometimes I think Coach Hoodie lets go of people who are in the middle of some packages, just before the start of the season so that he can puzzle opponents with who or whether someone will fill in. And if that forces a change in the packages, 4-3 or 3-4, tight ends or no? so be it. God bless Coach Hoodie.

It's amazing to me that you knucklehead Bostonians have a single braincell in your heads. Your football franchise is going to experience about a major decline in production, directly proportional to Brady the Lady's decline.

You azzclowns are jokes and losers...you indigant losers.

This guy's been in the league for 8 years. That's about how long it will take them to become competitive again, including the McDaniels era. Just one bad decision after another.