shakadave

But hadn't Cox played for Belichick in the same basic system with the Jets? IIRC, Cox was not at all new to the BB system when the Pats acquired him.

Beisel is still in the running to become the quickest ILB ever to learn the BB system!

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* * * * *
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mcsully

Good question but different defense.. Jets played 4-3 most those years..

Flying Fungi

regardless, cox and phifer had more combined years in the NFL than beisel's age! crafty vets are crafty for a reason...

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rookBoston

Nice threat topic, Az. I completely agree with your structure.

Phase 3 may not have much for us this year.

A QB, certainly. Flutie or another like him.
Maybe a WR, but probably of the JAG TC-bait variety (assuming we can even find one) with an eye to the kicking game. Tim Dwight-like.
Maybe a veteran LB in the Bryan Cox, Roman Phifer, Chad Brown mold.
Long shot for a veteran OC for depth... but Hochstein is absolutely adequate.

Other than that... probably not much.

Remember we got Grammatica, Caldwell, Jones and Mitchell in Phase 1, and in any other year those would be Phase 3 players. I actually think the 80-man roster is pretty loaded and very deep.

And, as mentioned, the Phase 3 talent pool is very thin this year. Even slimmer pickin's than usual, and not a strong likelihood of finding players who'll be competitive in terms of experience, size and speed.

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JoeSixPat

Well, I'm sure AZ would acknowledge that BB has often remarked about the three phases of the offseason...

But I think you are correct - no one should get their hopes too high for big finds at this stage of FA

This has been the 2nd busiest FA period - for obvious reasons given the extra cap space - so with only 100 FAs left, as teams address remaining needs and pre-season camp injuries, the pool will be smaller, demand will be higher, and its less likely talent and value will skirt by other teams unnoticed

So we're kidding ourselves if we're expecting 2006 to be the same as other years when the FA market was a whole lot different

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MalaysiaPatsFan

I don’t expect the Pats to make a big splash in free agency, nor do I expect a lot of June 1, salary cap cuts to become available. However, looking at the current roster the Pats could still pick up a few middle tier FAs.

QB – If Flutie retires I expect the Pats to pick up a vet QB even if they think Cassell is ready to be the #2 QB. They should have an experienced backup QB to run the scout team. Looking at the free agency list on KFFL a few possibilities are Jay Fiedler, Shane Mathews and Jeff Blake.

WR – I am not expecting the Pats to pick up a big name WR, but another player like Caldwell who is not a big name but shows some promise might be a good pickup. Looking at the free agency list on KFFL a few possibilities are Randy Hymes, Jerome Pathon and Dez White or maybe even Ricky Proehl if he still has anything left in the tank. I don’t know much about any of these guys except Proehl.

LB – I think the Pats might be OK at LB, but I am concerned that one or two injuries could decimate the LB depth and there would be a huge dropoff in talent on the field. Looking at the free agency list on KFFL a few possibilities are Peter Boulware, Chris Clairborne, Quinn Dorsey (was with the Pats briefly before he was traded to Chicago), Ronald McKinnon, Keith Newman, Orlando Ruff and Junior Seau. I realize that some of these guys have not played in the 3-4, but they might still be worth a look. I tried to pick guys with the size to play 3-4 and decent experience and production (except Dorsey).

I admit that I don’t know much about most of these guys. What do you think? Are any of them worth consideration? Most of them should not be expecting big paychecks at this point in free agency. What are the good sites to look at players still available in free agency other than KFFL? I wouldn’t mind seeing David Patten in a Pats uniform this season if he gets cut by Washington.

Mike the Brit

Very much agree -- the new CBA has given teams a lot more cap room than they expected to have a year ago. They can now keep guys that they would otherwise have had to let go. There aren't going to be many fire sales.

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Still here to learn

the taildragger

I wonder if the Pats are interested in Proehl. seems like a perfect fit for one season while Jackson makes the leap. if he plays half as well for us as he plays against us it's a steal.

patsox23

Vrabel has played inside some since 2001. So it was not a totally new position for him.

patsfan55

i would piss my pants if we got keith bulluck
i doubt that he will be let go though

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“My favorite ring? I've always said, you know, I always said the next one. The next one is the best,” Brady says.