Re: Pats Announce Some More Signings...
Miami went looking for Center help in Free Agency, yet they let Al Johnson walk? I'll withhold final judgment.
As for depth: Hochstein fell behind Yates on the depth chart and Billy really struggled filling in for Neal. Connelly and Wendell round out the interior OL.
Tackle: LeVoir was claimed off waivers after being cut down by St. Louis just before last season started. He came in and immediately beat Britt out for #3 OT. Britt has been the #3 and O'Callaghan the #4 prior to LeVoir's arrival. LeVoir subbed in for Kaczur and Light at different times and did a good job.
After the way the OL struggled out of the gate last season without Neal, especially the threesome inside, the depth chart looks very thin. Hochstein is still a strong Center, but I don't think he's as dependable for Guard. Yates struggled, I'd like to think he had a nagging injury that held him back, but until he gets back to his 2007 form, I'm not counting on him. Connelly is a younger version of Hochstein and may beat him out this season. Wendell is still Practice Squad eligible. LeVoir should be good for #3 again. Britt and O'Callaghan don't fill me with a lot of confidence.
I would like to see NE draft a couple OL in this draft. It's a deep one for C and T.
Very good breakdown of the backup OL situation, Mr. Box.
I too wonder why the doofins didn't make a better - or any - effort to re-sign AJ. My initial conclusion is that Sparano, his OLC at Dallas, doesn't think that he can move his feet well enough any longer. We'll see.
The rest of the backups are a collection of flotsam & jetsam: nothing horrible, but nothing dependable, either.
Hochstein, Yates, Connelly & Wendell would all struggle if forced to start at C/G. Al Johnson might be OK if he can stay healthy. Connelly has the most size & upside of the 4, but...? We really need to find Neal's replacement, real soon.
LeVoir was lightly-regarded out of college for a reason. Is he a better swing T than Britt & OC? Probably, but that's more an indictment of Britt & OC than it is a recommendation of LeVoir. I never understood why OC was drafted in the first place; he sticks out physically from the rest of the OLmen like a sore thumb, and doesn't fit what Bill & Scar seem to want in their OLmen. Britt was generally higher-regarded than Kaczur before the '05 draft, but a broken leg during Senior Bowl week caused him to drop to the 5th round. I thought he performed quite well when he started at RT vs. the bungles in '06, but he hasn't had that same opportunity, or performance, since then. I was mildly surprised that he was even re-signed.
As for the other re-signings:
I thought that Wright would sign with someone else, but the Pats must've over-paid to keep him, or the other teams must not have thought he was that good, anyway.
Glad to see Bubba return; I would still like to see him play a position - any position - during TC to see if we can take advantage of his athleticism, smarts & hustle.
Surprised to see Tank return. It's really unfortunate that he has suffered these 3 knee injuries. I remember begging the FO to sign him as an UFA following the '05 season as insurance for Rodney, who had been injured in Pittsburgh during that season. Now, however, I fear that he has likely lost whatever lateral agility he had possesed even a year ago. I would love to see the FO draft someone like Chip Vaughn to replace Tank & Rodney as a hard-hitting, physically-imposing tackling machine.
