Since the only real controversy at this point is at OT, let's go a bit further.
Consider us starting camp say in the first week of August. Who would be your starting OT's and backups?
From comments posted by mediots and most posters, both Light and Kaczur are seen to be going.
That's not a simple and easy question to answer because of the unknowns. The biggest factor will be labor negotiations in my opinion. If there is a cap (which I think there will be) then Kaczur's chance of returning drops immensely. If on the other hand the NFL goes with the uncapped year for one more season, then Kaczur probably returns if they cannot re-sign Light. If the Pats do keep Light then Kaczur's return is very doubtful regardless of whether the year is uncapped or not.
Another factor is free agency. The further we go before it starts the less attractive other team's free agents become; conversely, retaining their own players becomes more of a priority.
From the Patriots perspective the positive to re-signing Light is that there is more comfort level from day one and for the 2011 season as a whole; the negative is long-term implications to the cap and budget with the amount of money allocated to that one position as well as potentially dead cap money in the very near future.
Similarly the retaining of Kaczur provides a comfort level for 2011 at both tackle and at guard. The negative is that your 4th highest paid player projects to be a backup, which means you have less money for other players and positions.
We as fans are focused on this season, so of course we would like to see both players on this year's roster. The reality is that this will be very doubtful. The team's philosophy has always been to balance what is best this year with what is best in future years. A prolonged delay to the onset of free agency may very well alter that way of thinking for this year, but as of this moment I'm still more inclined to believe it will be business as usual for the Patriots - which would mean either Light, Kaczur or both will not be Patriots in week one.
Worst case scenario would be Solder and Vollmer as your starters with some combination of Maneri, LeVoir and a free agent as backups. A more likely scenario is Solder, Vollmer and one of Light or Kaczur, along with either Maneri or LeVoir as the 4th tackle.
