We all know the big news out of Foxboro was the four game suspension of safety Rodney Harrison for admitting he bought HGH online through an Internet pharmaceutical ring out of New York State.
There was more bad news for the Patriots defense this weekend. Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This means that Seymour can not play at all for the six weeks of the season.
Seymour, who had off season keen surgery, was bothered by knee problems all through training camp will be eligible to return to the team anytime between Week 7 and 9. Until that point he can not practice with the team but can attend rehab and meetings. After Week 7 they have three weeks to either activate him or place him on injured reserve for the season.
The Patriots also cut 21 players including veteran quarterback Vinnie Testaverde, linebacker Chad Brown, tight end Marcellus Rivers and cornerback Dante Wesley to get down to the league mandated 53 by 4 p.m. on September 1st (Saturday). Testaverde and Wesley were just signed within the last few weeks as insurance policies. The Patriots also released wide receiver Bam Childress who had a pretty good preseason but with the numbers at wide out he ended up being left out.
Quarterback Matt Gutierrez, an undrafted free agent competing in his first training camp, was the biggest surprise. The Patriot brass felt that if they kept Testaverde they would lose Gutierrez, who played very well earning himself the roster spot, to another team. Another factor into keeping Gutierrez over Testaverde is the obvious strides that Tom Brady’s backup Matt Cassel has made. This is Cassel’s third year and he showed that he knows the offense and has grown in his knowledge of the Patriots system. Feeling confident in Cassel’s ability made going with the rookie Gutierrez over the 21-year vet Testaverde an easier decision.
That’s not saying that this had to be an easy decision because Testaverde has long been a favorite of head coach Bill Belichick. This was evident as the two kept in touch all off-season leading to Testaverde signing a one-year deal just a short time ago. It is believed that Testaverde may be re-added to the roster later in the season as he was last year to add an extra quarterback for the stretch run and playoffs.
In addition to the five veterans here are the other players that were released in the final roster cut down:
The other players released by New England on Saturday were defensive back Larry Anam, wide receiver Chris Dunlap, offensive lineman Mike Elgin, tackle Corey Hilliard, tight end Brian Jones, wide receiver C.J. Jones, wide receiver Kelvin Kight, linebacker Corey Mays, tight end Garrett Mills, defensive lineman Rashad Moore, offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski, tackle Clint Oldenburg, linebacker Justin Rogers, running back Quinton Smith, defensive lineman Santonio Thomas and defensive lineman Zach West.
7th round draft choice linebacker Oscar Lua was placed on the injured reserve with a leg injury ending his season. Lua, from Southern Cal, was performing extremely well and looked to be earning a roster spot until he had to be helped from the field Thursday night during the Patriots 27-20 win over the Giants in the final preseason game.
The Patriots chose some depth at wide receiver keeping six guys: Randy Moss, Donte’ Stallworth, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Kelly Washington. That is one dangerous receiving corp. One name missing there is Troy Brown. Brown has been placed on the PUP list with a knee injury and is under the same conditions as Seymour.
Because of the suspension of Harrison and the roster exemption given to Asante Samuel they do not count against 53-man limit.
The Patriots open the season on September 9th on the road against the New York Jets.
