Matt Cassel: Unless he’s traded, Matt Cassel will be a member of the New England Patriots next season. Adam Schefter of the NFL Network is reporting that Cassel’s signed tender offer was sent to the league office on Monday. [ProFootballTalk.com]

Matt Cassel: With the New England Patriots highly unlikely to pay big money for anyone during free agency,  quarterback Matt Cassel will most likely be the highest paid member of the team at $14.6 million. That’s over double what Randy Moss makes ($6.4 million) and almost triple what the starter Tom Brady will make ($5 million). Amazing what one good season will do for you. [Reiss’ Pieces]

Matt Cassel: In a move that was expected, the New England Patriots have decided to use the franchise tag on Matt Cassel. The tag carries a $14.62 million hit to the Pats salary cap and means he’ll make more than Tom Brady in 2009. The Patriots could try to move Cassel and see what they can get for a return, most likely a high first round pick. [Reiss’s Pieces]

For two games next season, the New England Patriots will be wearing their red-and-white throwback jerseys to honor the 1963 AFL team as part of the Patriots and AFL’s 50th anniversary.

There’s no word on which of the 3 helmets the Patriots will use so I’ve compiled the helmets the Patriots wore in the 60’s along with the sketches of the uniforms. Note that uniforms didn’t change, just the helmets.

Get Ready For Throwbacks [Reiss’s Pieces]

New England Patriots: After the mass exodus of coaches from the New England Patriots this offseason, they have announced some coaching changes. They have hired Scott O’Brien as special teams coach, promoted Bill O’Brien to quarterbacks coach and promoted Josh Boyer to defensive backs coach. [Patriots.com]

Here is a press release from the New England Patriots announcing the hiring of Floyd Reese as senior football advisor.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have hired Floyd Reese as senior football advisor. Reese, whose 30-plus years of NFL experience have included a wide range of responsibilities in football operations, will be involved with various football-related assignments, including contracts.

Nick Caserio, as director of player personnel, will manage the daily operations of the personnel department, continuing to work closely with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick on all personnel matters.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to have the opportunity to add someone with Floyd Reese’s NFL experience and expertise to our staff,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “Floyd will be a tremendous asset serving Coach Belichick in an advisory role.”

“Floyd and I go back a long way, practically to the beginning for both of us,” said Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. “He has handled as much as one person can possibly handle in this league and to a certain extent, so has Nick. In Nick and Floyd, we have two outstanding men who each bring a wealth of knowledge and flexibility to this organization. I look forward to joining with both of them and working toward the common goal of our team’s improvement and success.”

Floyd Reese will enter his 32nd NFL season in 2009, including 17 seasons in player personnel and 15 seasons as an assistant coach. He joins the Patriots after serving 13 seasons as the executive vice president/general manager of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise from 1994-2006. He also served as the assistant general manager of the Oilers for four seasons from 1990-93. Reese served as an assistant coach with Detroit (1975-77), San Francisco (1978), Minnesota (1979-85) and the Houston Oilers (1986-89).

In his 13 seasons as the general manager of the Oilers/Titans, Reese’s teams won 111 games – setting a franchise record for wins by a general manager. Houston and Tennessee won 11 or more games in a season four times during Reese’s tenure as general manager while recording eight seasons with a record of .500 or better. Over a five-year period from 1999-2003, the Titans led the NFL with 56 wins, including three seasons with 12 or more victories. In 1999, the Titans claimed the AFC Championship and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, falling just a yard short of the title in Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams.

Reese’s positive impact is still being felt in Tennessee. The 2008 Titans earned the AFC’s top playoff seed while 16 of 22 starters on their final 2008 roster were originally acquired while Reese was general manager, including nine of 11 starters on defense. The 2008 Titans are sending six of Reese’s acquisitions to this year’s Pro Bowl – QB Kerry Collins, CB Cortland Finnegan, DT Albert Haynesworth, S Chris Hope, C Kevin Mawae and T Michael Roos.

Reese entered the NFL as the strength and conditioning coach for the Detroit Lions in 1975. He spent three years with the Lions, including a two-year period from 1976-77 while Bill Belichick was also a member of the Detroit coaching staff. In 1978, Reese joined the San Francisco 49ers as the strength and conditioning coach. He joined Bud Grant’s staff in Minnesota in 1979, beginning a seven-year tenure with the Vikings. During that period he held a dual role coaching linebackers and special teams from 1979-83 before being named defensive coordinator in 1984. He coached the Vikings’ linebackers in 1985.

In 1986, Reese began a 21-year association with the Oilers/Titans franchise. He served as the Oilers’ linebackers coach for four seasons from 1986-89. In 1988, the Oilers’ top three tacklers were all linebackers and in 1989, three of the team’s top four tacklers were linebackers. Reese moved into the Oilers’ personnel department in 1990, and served as assistant general manager for four seasons, each of which ended in a playoff appearance.

Reese served a four-year stint in the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at UCLA (1971-73) and Georgia Tech (1974). He was an All-America defensive lineman for UCLA from 1966-69 and also played one season (1970) for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

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London’s calling: 70,000 of an estimated 86,000 seats have been sold for the New England Patriots versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL regular season game to be held in London at Wembley Stadium on October 25th. Roughly 20,000 of those tickets were sold in 7 minutes. This is the third time the NFL has held a game there and the previous two have been sellouts. [AP via Pro Jo]

New England Patriots 50th season logo

PATRIOTS FREE AGENT QB MATT CASSEL TELLS COMCAST SPORTSNET: NO DISCUSSIONS WITH PATRIOTS AND WOULD “ACCEPT” BACKUP ROLE TO BRADY

BURLINGTON, MA – Patriots free agent quarterback Matt Cassel told Comcast SportsNet’s Mike Felger that he has had no discussions with the Patriots on the franchise tag and that he would “accept” a backup role with the Patriots.

Felger interviewed Cassel during a satellite media tour for the Vizio Top Value Performer of the Year award which Cassel accepted today. Comcast SportsNet’s market exclusive one-on-one interview will appear tonight on the 6:30 and 10 p.m. editions of Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight.

During the interview, Cassel addressed his discussions with the Patriots; accepting a roll as Tom Brady’s backup; his desire to be an NFL starter and other topics.

On talking with the Patriots about the future…
“No, they haven’t started discussions at all. We’re just kind of sitting here. I am working hard, but right now it’s just a waiting game really to figure out what is going to happen next.”

On returning to New England as Tom Brady’s backup…
“If the situation is what it is, then I would accept it and I would continue to do what I have done my entire career which is work hard, put my best foot forward and continue to work on the things that I need to and put out my best effort.”

On whether he wants to play for another team…
“I don’t know right now. Right now, I am just enjoying the off season. We are still fresh off the year. I am just excited about working hard and getting better and seeing what the future has to hold.”

Comcast SportsNet will post its exclusive audio of the interview at 6:45 p.m. at http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/category/wickedgoodsports/patriots/. Please credit Comcast SportsNet with any use.

Update: Here is the audio of the interview courtesy of Comcast SportsNet.

[audio:http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/podpress_trac/web/1787/0/cassel1-22-09-1.mp3]

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Here is a press release from the New England Patriots announcing the unveiling of their 50th Season Logo.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots will be celebrating their 50th season in 2009 and are already preparing for another exciting year. Today, the team unveiled an anniversary logo that will be used throughout the year to brand all of the team’s anniversary activities, publications and press announcements in 2009. The anniversary logo will be utilized throughout the year on the Patriots’ many media platforms and will commemorate each of the season tickets issued in 2009.

The red, white and blue logo contains the text “New England Patriots” and “50 seasons.” It features both the original “Pat Patriot” logo as well as the current “stylized minuteman” trademark that was introduced in 1993. The words “50 seasons” and the “Pat Patriot” logo are centered and rest atop the Patriots’ current logo. Six stars in the design represent the six New England states.

On Nov. 16, 1959, the Boston Patriots became the eighth and final original AFL franchise. During the 1960s, the Patriots played home games at stadiums throughout Boston, including Boston University Field, Fenway Park, Harvard Stadium and B.C. Alumni Stadium. A year after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the franchise moved to the newly-constructed Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and the team was renamed the New England Patriots.

The franchise enjoyed only moderate success in its first 34 seasons (1960-1993), appearing in one AFL title game in 1963 and one Super Bowl in 1985, both losses. In the last 15 seasons, coinciding with Robert Kraft’s purchase of the team in 1994, the Patriots have claimed three Super Bowl victories, five conference titles and eight division championships. Their 173 victories in the last 15 years are the most in the NFL.

New England is currently in the midst of a remarkable run of sustained success as the only NFL team to have a winning record in each of the last eight seasons. The Patriots are one of just two teams in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span, and in 2007 became the only team in NFL history to complete a regular season with a 16-0 record. The team now plays its home games at state-of-the-art Gillette Stadium, a 68,756-seat facility that opened in 2002. Patriots fans are among the most loyal and passionate fans in the country, selling out each home game since 1994. In 2008, the team unveiled The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon, a cutting-edge, 36,000-square-foot experience showcasing the tradition of the New England Patriots, providing a home for the team’s hall of fame and exploring the history of football in New England.

The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon will host a number of alumni events that will allow fans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise with Patriots past and present. Fans will also have an opportunity to help the organization select a number of the most memorable moments and events in franchise history through a series of online voting initiatives that are planned in 2009.