Time for some more New England Patriots news and notes, the mostly Matt Walsh free version:

Although this comes from Hashmark’s and it’s our buddy Arlen Specter checking in again:

United States Senator Arlen Specter (R.Pa.) issued the following statement regarding the latest news regarding Spygate. Specter has been an aggressor in this saga.

Here is the statement:

“I think it is very unfortunate that the NFL has already started its nothing new spin before watching the tapes or finding out what Mr. Matt Walsh has to say. Let’s see where the evidence leads.”

What a douchebag.

Mike Reiss over at the Globe has a nice piece on free agent pick up Fernando Bryant. Bryant is a former first round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars and has also played for the Detroit Lions.

It’s all about him quietly fitting in to the Patriots plan.

Reiss’ counterpart at the Globe, Christopher Gasper, writes about the Patriots rookie DB’s and how they’ll be counted on to fill in the holes left by Asante Samuel and others.

According to the Associated Press long time Patriots linebacker and now Cleveland Brown LB Willie McGinest told SI.com he plans on retiring after this season. McGinest is one of several fine linebackers to come from USC that have worn #55 at the school. Among them one of this years top picks Keith Rivers and hopefully still Patriot LB Junior Seau.

This will be McGinest 15^th NFL season.

Drew Bledsoe, Scott Zolak, Todd Rucci and McGinest returned to Foxboro to tour the construction of the teams new Hall of Fame and to record some of their memories of playing for the Patriots.

McGinest reiterated his desire to call 2008 his last season, Bledsoe as we know is roasting coffee beans and making wine, Rucci lives in PA and is in financial planning and Zolak works in the local media. Zolak is rumored to possibly be replacing another former Patriot Gino Cappelletti on the teams radio broadcast of the games.

We even threw in the Bledsoe Q&A with the Boston media.

The Patriots have received a rookie pool of $4.34 million to pay rookies. It means they can’t go over that amount in paying draft picks and free agents. Teams and agents skirt the rookie pool with contract escalators, post first-year option bonuses and one-time incentives. Each selection in the draft is given a value, which is a predetermined cap number. All rookies, including undrafted rookies, have to fit within the assigned rookie pool.

Former Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi talked with USA Today about the remission of his cancer. He received a clean bill of health recently after his May 16, 2007, diagnosis with the most aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, called Burkitt’s lymphoma.