Tommy Kelly

We seem to be moving onto the Tommy Kelly defensive line era. He spent his first nine years as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders. He comes here with a clean slate. The Pats gave him a two contract with some guaranteed money, whatever that is.

Things are in place for Kelly to make the roster. The release of Brendan Deadrick and Kyle Love created some roster space. The team has committed money to him.They will give him every chance to make the roster. Unless he gets hurt, he will be here on opening day.

Gronk Back In Town

Rob Gronkowski had one more setback to returning to the field. His agent described back surgery as "preventative maintenance", but nobody really does elective back surgery unless you play in the NFL. Gronk will miss part of training camp. Will he be ready for opening day? That's the big question.

He is starting to look very star-crossed with his accomplishments and injuries. His 58 TD's in his first three seasons put him in the company of Jerry Rice and Randy Moss as the only other players to do it. Both of them stayed healthy their entire career.

Gronk is becoming that familiar player who fights to the end to have a career, but injuries and the body end it prematurely. Will he become that guy? How many years will he play? What will the 2013 season look like for him?

Making A Name For Josh Boyce

Numbers in college don't really translate to success in the NFL. Every year, we see numerous players who never succeed in spit of their collegiate accomplishments. I wonder how Josh Boyce will fare with the Pats.

The 4th round pick from TCU has a very strong resume. His 22 touchdowns rank him at the top on the school's all-time list. He is also 3rd with 161 receptions and 2,535 receiving yards. Last season, he set a school record with 66 receptions for 891 yards and sevens TD's.

None of this will mean anything if he can't catch the ball from Tom Brady. He needs to separate himself from the other 10 receivers on the roster. Everyone has a great background. They wouldn't be here without it.

Keeping Joe Happy

Nate Montana, son of Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana, had a tryout with the San Francisco 49er's. Did they see anything in him that the scouts missed or is it an attempt to keep his father happy?

Nate had a very undistinguished college career at four different schools. He enrolled at Notre Dame in 2008 and attempted to earn a scholarship as a walk-on. That didn't work out so he enrolled at Pasadena City College for 2009. He returned to Notre Dame in 2010 before transferring again to the University of Montana for 2011. He finished his career at West Virginia Wesleyan during the 2012 season.

He managed to get on the field during his time at Notre Dame and completed 9 of 18 attempts for 116 yards. He fared better at West Virginia Wesleyan where he completed 225 of 436 for 2,480 yards.

Needless to say, there was not a lot of interest in him. Without his father's influence, he wouldn't even have a tryout. I wonder if he got his degree.
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Wanted By Jaws

If nothing works out for QB Tim Tebow, at least he has a potential home with the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. It might be his best hope if he wants to return to the NFL. There is no interest from teams at this point.

The team is partially owned by former QB and current  ESPN analyst Ron Jaworksi. Jaws loves the guy and wants him there for his leadership. It should be a no-brainer for Tebow if nothing else comes up.

After playing in the NFL and reaching the playoffs, it's a step back for Tebow, but a necessary one if he hopes to make a return to the league.

A Great Financial Move

When former Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis left the Pats after the 2004 season, he had nothing but the future ahead of him. After helping Coach Belichick win three Super Bowls, he was headed back to coach at Notre Dame, his alma mater. He was the toast of the town when he got there.

Half-way through the 2005 season, he signed a five year contract extension which committed him to the school until after the 2015 season. He lead the Fighting Irish to a 9-3 record and a Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.

The 2006 team had a 10-3 record, but suffered a defeat to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. They also never lived up to their pre-season number two ranking.

From that point forward, it was all downhill with records of 3-9, 7-6 and 6-6. The school parted ways with him after the 2009 season. He left with a winning record of 35-27. However, they still owed him $19 million on his contract.

Weis returned to the NFL for the 2010 season as the Offensive Coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. His relationship with Scott Pioli probably helped get the job. However, it didn't work out and Weis left for the same position in the college ranks with the Florida Gators for the 2011 season.

He lasted one season with Florida .He grabbed an opportunity to return to the head coaching ranks and lead the University of Kansas to a 1-11 record in 2012.

In spite of it all, Weiss picked up a check from Notre Dame for almost $2 million for the 2012 season. They will be paying him thru 2015. Who knows what might have happened if he stayed with the Pats and never left? He had Tom Brady in his prime. Could they have won more Super Bowls?

We will never know, but at least Charlie made some very serious money after rising through the coaching ranks. His departure to Notre Dame was for professional advancement as well as the money. He had mixed results as a coach, but certainly made out well financially.

Playing It Safe

I wonder if team owner Robert Kraft seriously believes that the NFL would ever play the Super Bowl in Foxborough. He is saying all of the right things to placate the local fans, but would the NFL host another cold weather game?

The league is keeping its fingers crossed for the 2014 game to be played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. An outdoor game in February could be a disaster if there is a sudden snow storm. Kraft was instrumental in steering the game to the Big Apple, but I think it's a one short deal for the league.

The game will be under close scrutiny by the NFL for any future consideration for cold weather sites.  The 2015 game will be played in Phoenix. They just awarded the 2016 to Santa Clara and the 2017 to Houston. They are playing it safe by staying with the warmer cities.

Keep Daddy Quiet

There are many analysts who think they know everything wrong with each team. These guys make a living talking about it. Fans have their own voice on talk radio shows where they can voice outrageous opinions no matter what. Coaches are always better off not listening to this stuff.

I had to laugh when I saw the comments from the father of Robert Griffin III. He told the Washington Post that his son is on schedule to be ready for the 2013 season as he comes back from major knee surgery. He also said that the Redskins offense needs to evolve into more of a passing game and rely less on his son running with the ball.

He makes a good point, but why is he speaking up about the offense of the Redskins? I can understand his comments about his son's recovery, but he should leave it there. RG III should tell his father to keep quiet. Coach Mike Shanahan doesn't need his father's input. He has been around the game long enough to know how to structure his offense.

Bad Move By Fans

Tim Tebow has been a controversial figure since he came into the NFL. His time in Denver started the "Tebow Time" media circus. He carried it forward to the New York Jets where he languished on the bench until they finally released him. Now, he is without a team and with few prospects of getting back into the league.

He playing style has been criticized as not being ready for he NFL in spite of leading the Broncos to the playoffs during the 2011 season. Most teams don't want the frenzy that seems to surround him.

Many thought he might end up with the Jacksonville Jaguars, his home team. Fans have started an on-line petition to let ownership know that they have no desire to see him play there. This is unprecedented for the league, especially for someone like Tebow who has no character issues.

As a fan, I'm disappointed in this action by them. I assume Jaguar ownership will not listen to the fans. If they do, they will continue their descent into the cellar of the NFL.

Brian Urlacher

Brian Urlacher parted ways with the Chicago Bears back in March when they were unable to reach a contract. He was destined to take a large pay cut and was not willing to do so. Today, he reached the end of the line when he announced his retirement.

He was the 9th overall pick of the 2000 draft and spent all of his 13 seasons with the Bears. His eight Pro Bowl appearances speak for his career.

I'm sure he will have many opportunities out there. He has appeared in television commercials and done some analyst work. Although he is only 34, his body is probably much more aged. As he begins his retirement, I can only imagine the physical issues he might face down the road.

He was a joy to watch and played the game with great passion. I wish he could have played forever, but that wasn't about to happen.

A Day For 54

It was no surprise to see former LB Tedy Bruschi get elected to the team's Hall of Fame. He was a slam- dunk in the voting done by the fans. He easily beat out the great OL Leon Gray and coach Chuck Fairbanks.

Bruschi's modern day accomplishments and three Super Bowl wins easily trumped the other two worthy candidates. It was only natural for today's fans to bypass Gray and Fairbanks. This type of voting will continue for future years as many of the former greats from the Super Bowl Championship teams will be considered for induction.

I think the team really needs to redefine the modern era for voting. Gray and Fairbanks deserve to be there. The Hall is not right without them.

Chad Does It Again

Former Pats WR Chad Johnson was arrested in Florida for violating terms of his probation in a domestic assault case involving his ex-wife. All he had to do was check in with his probation officer. For some reason, he didn't do it.

He caught a break to begin with after he head-butted his former wife, yet he couldn't seem to find the time to comply with the terms of his probation. I've always been a big fan of his, but he better have a good legal strategy. Maybe he should try and claim some time of brain injury from his days in the NFL. How else could you explain him being so stupid?

His incident last August resulted in his release by the Miami Dolphins and the end of his NFL career. That was not the way for a former six-time Pro Bowl to end it.