Hard to say there were any real surprises as the Patriots and 31 other NFL teams cut their rosters from 80 to 53. The moving and shaking hasn’t stopped, of course.
It’s tough losing a solid veteran like Sammy Morris (even if he was the guy who missed the block on Bernard Pollard) and it’s disappointing when a prospect like Brandon Tate fails to develop but clearly the biggest name on the list of players released by the Patriots was safety Brandon Meriweather. Excuse me, two time Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather. Or perhaps, based on Patriots-related message boards, it should have been Brandon “Bad Angle” Meriweather. Meriweather was never as bad as his critics made him out to be nor as good as his Pro-Bowl notices might indicate. He certainly never lived up to his 1st Round draft status. He was a poor tackler, he wasn’t good in run support and he was inconsistent in coverage. It’s probably unfair to compare any other player to Ed Reed but that was who we expected Meriweather to become. It is telling – if the rumors are true – that the Patriots could not find a team willing to give up even a conditional draft pick for a two-time Pro Bowler. That’s partly NFL economics, of course. Top tier teams didn't feel they were a Brandon Meriweather away from the Super Bowl. Bottom tier teams could wait for Meriweather to be cut and save their draft picks. The Chiefs have been mentioned (the Pioli connection) but Kansas City has young stud Eric Berry at safety and bigger problems on the offensive side of the ball. It will be interesting to see how long Meriweather stays unemployed and which team picks him up.
Miami, anyone? (Wrong again.)
Meanwhile, before I could even Google salary cap numbers for the Patriots following the cuts of Meriweather, Morris and Tate (among others, of course), the NWE signed veteran guard and five time Pro Bowler Brian Waters, addressing their biggest problem coming out of the pre-season. The Patriots could wind up with a Pro Bowl prefix at every position on the offensive line with Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Brian Waters and Sebastian Vollmer. Here’s hoping that’s enough to keep Brady clean.
There are rumors Darren Sharper will be signed to bolster the safety position but I don’t see that happening. If Belichick wasn’t comfortable with a starting tandem of Patrick Chung and Sergio Brown he wouldn’t have tried to trade and ultimately cut Meriweather. There are also rumors of Alge Crumpler returning to the Pats with the cuts of rookie tight ends Lee Smith and Will Yeatman. One or both could make it to the practice squad (Oops!) but I agree with other observers that backup tackle Nate Solder or Steve Maneri will line up as the third tight end when New England goes heavy. Alge Crumpler ain’t covering kicks.
Having said that, I wouldn’t bet against a few more moves, but with Waters signed, I’m not sure what that would be. Has one of the other NFL franchises cut a cornerback better than Darius Butler (or Kyle Arrington)? Maybe yet another long snapper?
One thing’s for sure. Nobody ever got rich predicting what Bill Belichick would do next.
Headphones On
Thinking good thoughts for everyone who woke from their NFL dream with a start yesterday.
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