Today was cut day in the NFL and several New England players got the axe.  Among the cuts today were TE Alge Crumpler, OL Nick Kaczur, DL Ty Warren, DE Marcus Stroud, LB Tully Banta-Cain, DB Tony Carter and rookie UDFA LB Ryan Coulson.

Of those players Crumpler is most likely to return to the team under a more cap friendly deal.  Kaczur was a salary cap hit, Warren failed the conditioning run, Stroud isn’t progressing from his injury, Banta-Cain was a cap hit, Carter didn’t project for team and why Coulson got cut just days after signing a contract is kind of odd.  It leaves a few reasons.  We know someone who was an undrafted free agent is very unlikely to be a cap hit so that leaves injured, dumb or lazy or some combination of those.

The Patriots also announced the signing of 3^rd round pick QB Ryan Mallett, which we told you last night was going down today, and they also signed 5^th round pick Marcus Cannon, who is battling a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Mallett’s deal is worth $2.2 mil over 4 years with signing bonus a little under $650,000, according to a league source. Cannon’s contract numbers aren’t know at the time but I’d suspect it’s also a four-year deal.

With these signings the only remaining unsigned draft picks are 1^st rounder OT Nate Solder and second round picks DB Ras-I Dowling and RB Shane Vareen.

Rookie TE Lee Smith who is one of the six signed Patriots draft picks had his contract rejected by the league due to some of its language.  They didn’t say what was objectionable about the pact but that the team and Smith will need to tweak a few things for it to pass through the league lawyers.

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While the team works out it’s worth noting that the official Patriots part to the Chad Ochocinco trade is two draft picks.  A 5^th round pick goes to Cincinnati in 2012 while they will receive a 6^th round pick in 2013.

Speaking of Ochocinco, as many of you know his beloved #85 belongs to second year tight end Aaron Hernandez of Bristol CT.  Ochocinco says he wants #85 and he doesn’t care what it costs him.  Did you hear that Aaron?  One of the highest prices paid for a jersey number comes from Clinton Portis who wanted #26 when he was traded to the Washington Redskins a few seasons back.  He reportedly paid $18,000 for the jersey number.

So Aaron what do you want? Cash or maybe a Rolex? Maybe have your rent paid for the year?  The possibilities are endless.

Well earlier today Ochocinco was seen wearing his beloved #85 while Hernandez sported #81, which previously belonged to Randy Moss, in practice.  Rumor is Hernandez asked for nothing and just gave Ochocinco #85 to welcome him to the team.  Knowing Chad’s general generosity he will send something Hernandez’ way.

Ochocinco was seen on the field this morning talking with Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien they appeared to be discussing pass routes.  Due to new league rules any player who signs a new contract or restructures an existing one can not officially practice with the team until next Thursday when the new CBA is fully ratified. Newly acquired DT Albert Haynesworth can only watch practice, work out on his own and take part in team meetings until then.  Ochocinco, who has delayed the restructuring of his contract until after August 4 is now participating fully in practice sessions.

The media covering the team also reported they noticed WR Wes Welker was not even wearing a knee brace during the Thursday workouts.  As you recall Welker tore his ACL in the last game of the 2009 season and made such a miraculous recovery he was ready to play last year during Week 1.

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Newly acquired DT Albert Haynesworth is facing a misdemeanor sexual assault trial in Washington D.C. on August 23^rd.  Haynesworth was indicted on the charge back in April after a complaint was filed from a February 13^th incident at the W. Hotel.

He is accused of fondling the breasts of a waitress at the hotel’s P.O.V. Roof Terrace and Lounge.

Haynesworth earlier this year had a misdemeanor road rage assault charge dismissed after he and the complainant reached an undisclosed financial settlement.

In the incident the alleged victim, Arthur Velasquez, gave Haynesworth the finger in traffic.  When the cars came to a stop, Haynesworth reportedly exited his vehicle and allegedly punched Velasquez in the face.

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The New England Patriots have an agreement in principal with 3^rd round draft pick QB Ryan Mallett.  The former Arkansas Razorback and the team have agreed on a contract that just lacks signatures.  He is expected on the practice field Friday morning.

Also expected on the practice field on Friday morning are newly acquired WR Chad Ochocinco and DT Albert Haynesworth.  The pair was acquired from Cincinnati and Washington for late round draft picks on Thursday.

The Patriots also have not cut DE Marcus Stroud as previously reported.  They are possibly going to place him on the PUP list but are waiting to make their decision until Saturday when the team has its first full pads practice.  Then if the situation with his injury persists he will either go on the PUP or get released.

Several media reports also say the Patriots are close to signing their first and second draft picks OL Nate Solder and CB Ras-I Dowling.  The contracts are not done but are progressing well and may be finished as early as some time on Friday.

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According to multiple media sources in both Cincinnati and Boston the New England Patriots have acquired WR Chad Ochocinco after the Cincinnati Bengals granted Bill Belichick permission to discuss a contract with his agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Sources say the team signed Ochocinco to a discounted 3-year version of his current contract, which was set to expire after this season. Ochocinco was scheduled to make $6.3 million in 2011; the Patriots needed him to restructure his deal in order to fit under their salary cap.  In return the Bengals get two late round draft picks from the Patriots one in 2012 and one in 2013.

The Patriots were one of three teams granted permission to talk to him, the others being the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.

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Ochocinco, a 10-year veteran, has seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons including a league high 1,369 in 2006.  He has played in 6 Pro Bowls.  Since entering the league in 2001 he is ranked 3^rd with 10,783 receiving yards and 7^th with 751 catches.

Ochocinco is also somewhat of a media star having his own reality show on Versus and having competed on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”.

He is known for wearing the #85, hence the last name of Ochocinco which he changed from Johnson, but currently TE Aaron Hernandez has that number and I imagine there will be some negotiating going on for it very shortly.

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According to several media reports the New England Patriots have acquired former All Pro NT Albert Haynesworth, 30, from the Washington Redskins for a 5^th round draft pick. 

Haynesworth, a 2002 1^st round pick out of the University of Tennessee (15^th overall), made his mark in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans where he played for 7 seasons making 2 Pro Bowls and being named a NFL All-Pro twice.  Named the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, he left Tennessee after the 2008 season when he signed a huge free agent contract with Washington that was reported for $100 million over 7 years.

Haynesworth, once a dominant force in the middle with the Titans, is expected to regain that form in New England as one of the leagues brutal run stoppers.

Haynesworth is not without his baggage though. 

In training camp in 2003 he kicked Tennessee teammate Justin Hartwig in the chest and had to be restrained.  In 2006 he stomped on Dallas lineman Andre Gurode in the chest during a game and was suspended for five games.  Then in 2010 he had several issues between himself and the Redskins coaching staff eventually leading to his exit from the Beltway.

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Haynesworth has had off the field issues too, having had arrest warrants issued for him over a traffic incident in 2006.  The charges were later dropped.  In 2009, he was indicted on traffic charges for an accident that led to a man being paralyzed in which he was reportedly driving his Ferrari in excess of 100 mph.

In 2004, a bank took legal action for failure to repay a commercial loan of nearly $2.4 million and filed suit against Haynesworth.  In 2010 he was sued for paternity by an exotic dancer in New York State, who asked for $10 million for child support and expenses. And earlier this season he reportedly threw a punch during a traffic altercation in Leesburg, VA.

New England is known in the Belichick-era for taking on troubled players and having them return to form.  Two of the Patriots success stories were running back Corey Dillon and wide receiver Randy Moss.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s in his morning press conference refused to talk about the trade other than to say the team was “in the process of acquiring Albert Haynesworth” from the Washington Redskins.

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The New England Patriots have re-signed free agent running back Sammy Morris to a one-year contract.  Morris, who came to New England in 2007 from Miami, has had injury issues since he arrived. 

He missed most of the 2007 and 2009 seasons with chest and knee injuries.  In 2010 he played a reduced role to BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the New England running scheme.

Morris, 34, the 2000 5^th round pick of the Buffalo Bills, is expected to add veteran depth to the backfield which includes Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and draft picks Stevan Ridley and Shane Vareen.  It may also include veteran Kevin Faulk, who is currently a free agent.

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Photo credit: Reuters Pictures

The New England Patriots announced this evening the signing of two 2011 draft picks and 12 undrafted rookie free agents as well as a couple of roster moves involving the military reserve list.

Before we get into the signings I forgot to put in an earlier post that the team is going to let DB Tony Carter go later this week.  Bill Belichick informed Carter on Tuesday that the team was going to cut him.  He was little used in his time with the Patriots.

The team announced the signings of 5^th round draft pick TE Lee Smith, who is regarded as possibly the best blocking TE in the last draft.  Smith’s contract terms were not released but it’s believed to be a four-year deal.  According to a league source Smith did get a signing bonus of just over $171,000.

The Patriots also signed 6^th round draft pick LB/DE Markell Carter to a four-year deal with a signing bonus of $94,000.

While they were working on signing a couple of the draft picks they were also busy stock piling undrafted rookie free agents.  The team confirmed the signing of 12 UDRFA’s, 10 of which we listed in a post last night.  Of the two additional signee’s one has local ties as the Patriots inked former UMass kicker Chris Koepplin along with former University of Idaho Vandal DE Aaron Lavarias.

The Patriots now have 88 players towards the 90-man roster limit.  This is counting the unsigned draft picks and their free agents.

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Once again in closing here are the most recent time changes for the public practices on Thursday and Friday from Patriots.com:

Thursday

On field sessions will occur from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Patriots Experience will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Both practices will be unpadded.

Friday

On field sessions will occur from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Patriots Experience will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Both practices will be unpadded.

Don’t forget to stay with Sox & Dawgs through out the free agent frenzy we will update you daily on normal roster moves and as needed on larger free agent signings, restructured contracts and trades.

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On Monday evening the NFL released a complete list of the players who are free agents. Here is the breakdown of New England Patriots free agents:

Unrestricted
RB Kevin Faulk
K Shayne Graham
OL Matt Light
DB Brandon McGowan
RB Sammy Morris
OL Quinn Ojinnaka
DB Jarrad Page
RB Fred Taylor
DE Gerard Warren
LB Tracy White

Restricted
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Franchised
OL Logan Mankins

According to Yahoo! Sports those players they feel are likely to stay with New England are: Mankins, McGowan, Page, Warren and White.  Those they think are likely to look elsewhere include: Light, Morris, Taylor and Graham. While they think Faulk and Ojinnaka could go either way depending what the Patriots are willing to pay and what another team may offer them.  Faulk is going to need to prove to whoever is interested that he is fully recovered from his AL injury that ended his 2010 season.

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According to Chris Gasper of the Boston Globe, the team may have an interest in LB Matt Roth (Browns); DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka (Giants); LB Manny Lawson (49ers); WR Braylon Edwards (Jets); DE Marcus Spears (Cowboys); DE Shaun Ellis (Jets) and RB Ricky Williams (Dolphins).

To me, the Patriots seem to be very silent, which isn’t unusual, right now they are only allowed to negotiate with the player’s agent.  I think Belichick wants to be able to get to end of the week when teams can actually talk to the players and get a feel for them personally.  This will allow them to see how they fit into this puzzle that he has created and continues to tweak on a yearly basis.  The one thing about this franchise, they never do anything in haste.  Everything is always well thought out and I’m sure in some case several options are explored before decisions are made.

Just a reminder that the Patriots practices on Thursday and Friday are open to the public.  This is from the teams website:

Thursday
Practices – 9:30-11:30am and 3:30-5:30pm
Patriots Experience 11:00am – 4:00pm
Both sessions are unpadded practices

Friday
Practices – 9:30-11:30am and 3:30-5:30pm
Patriots Experience 11:00am – 4:00pm
Both sessions are unpadded practices

For more information on Patriots Training Camp visit http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/ or call the Training Camp hot line at 508-549-0001.

Keep with Sox & Dawgs all through the free agency blitz and training camp as we will keep you up-to-date with all the latest happenings.

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The New England Patriots have reportedly been busy on the first day full day back from the 132-day lockout.  Head coach Bill Belichick reportedly told OLB Tully Banta-Cain that the team would be releasing him at week’s end.  He was scheduled to make just over $2 million in 2011.

According to sources, Banta-Cain has several teams interested in him and it’s highly unlikely he will return to New England.  Banta-Cain has 15 sacks over the last two seasons and had 45 tackles last year.  He had abdominal surgery last Friday and will miss 4 to 6 weeks.

It was also announced by the Frank Bauer, agent of guard Logan Mankins, that the All-Pro lineman will report to camp on time and sign his franchise tag tender sheet unless Mankins and the club can work out a long term deal.  If he signs the tender Mankins will earn $10.1 million in 2011.

The team also has reportedly signed several undrafted rookie free agents to help fill out roster spots towards the 90-man limit.  These have not all been confirmed and have been pulled from various sites. 

The reported signee’s are: OT Corey Woods (Akron); WR/KR Jeremy Ross (Cal); DE Alex Silvestro (Rutgers); LB Jeff Tarpinian (Iowa); OT Kyle Hix (Texas); DL Mike Berry (Auburn); TE/OT Will Yeatman (Maryland); LB Anthony Leonard (WVU); DE/LB Clay Nurse (Illinois) and LB Ryan Coulson (Nevada).

Sox and Dawgs will keep you up to date with all the Patriots news on a daily and on an as it happens basis for larger deals such as trades and big name free agents or cuts.

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Earlier today the NFLPA approved the proposed collective bargaining agreement between the owners and the players by a 32-0 vote.  The new CBA is for 10 years with no opt out for either side.  The agreement officially ends the 132-day lock out of the players by NFL ownership.

A couple of the newer additions to the CBA include a salary scale for rookie players, so no longer will you see those $65 million contracts handed out to players who haven’t played a down.  The scale is more realistic for rookie players.  Also the veteran players will get more of that money that would have been used on signing top draft picks.

In addition there will be no 18-game season and better health and safety provisions.  Also, players who retired pre-1993 will be gaining additional benefits, which was a key point for NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith.

While ownership can claim they got a slightly larger portion of the projected $9 Billion in league revenue.  But teams will have to spend nearly the entire salary cap in an effort to keep all the teams competitive.

With the agreement now an entire off-season of NFL business is going to be condensed into the next two weeks.  Starting today the NFL is distributing a list of eligible free agents. Starting tomorrow, team rosters can increase to the 90-man limit, teams can open their facilities to players, trades can be made and teams can sign drafted and undrafted players, they may also negotiate with free agents but can not sign them.

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On Wednesday 10 teams, including the Patriots will open training camp.  10 more teams will open camp on Thursday an additional 10 on Friday and the last two teams will open on Sunday.  Camp dates are set up so each team has 15 days of prep time before their first preseason game.

On Thursday the teams can start cutting players in order to get under the $120 million salary cap.

On Friday, teams can sign free agents and renegotiate restructured contracts of their current players to try to gain cap space.  And on August 4^th the new league year will start and the NFLPA Union must be reconstituted.

The Patriots have announced that Wednesday’s conditioning run will be closed to fans and media but that Thursday’s session will be open to the public.  A time for practice is yet to be announced.  As with all public practice sessions fans should check Patriots.com for latest information regarding weather and cancellations.

The Patriots ownership also sent out a letter to their season ticket holders thanking the fans for their support.  Here is a copy of the letter via the Boston Herald’s Rap Sheet blog.

The best moment of the day came when Indianapolis Colts center and player rep Jeff Saturday spoke of Myra Kraft, the late wife of the Patriots owner, saying “A special thanks to Myra Kraft, who even in her weakest moment allowed Mr. Kraft to come and fight this out.  Without him, this deal does not get done…He’s a man who helped us save football.” 

With that Saturday then hugged Robert Kraft and football was officially back.

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Photo credit: Reuters Pictures