PATS RELEASE ROSEVELT COLVIN

Colvin signed with the Patriots in 2003, and great things were expected of him. He was even the highest paid player on the team in terms of his cap number. It took him some time, but eventually he emerged as the player we expected him to be.

In 2006, he led the team in sacks with 8.5. And last year, he became a real playmaker. He only had 4 sacks, but he intercepted a ball, and forced three fumbles. Combined with fellow OLBs Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas, he was part of a solid trio.

Injury cut his season short, and it hurt the Pats. With him in the Super Bowl, the game may have been different. Had it been Rosevelt instead of Pierre Woods, who fell on that fumbled hand-off, perhaps he would have been able to hold onto the ball.

For the record, I'm not coming up with an excuse, I'm just trying to point out how valuable Colvin is.

But his cap number was way too high. Colvin would have counted for about $7.6 million in 2008, which is about 6.6% of the total cap (estimated to be at $116M for 2008). Considering the Patriots already have Vrabel and Adalius, Colvin was sacrificed in order to appease the salary cap gods.

This isn't good news for the Patriots, but it does have a silver lining. The Pats have more room to acquire new talent, and/or retain guys like Moss.

Also on the linebacker front, the Cowboys signed Zach Thomas to a $3M incentive laden deal.

The Pats also released Oscar Lua, who was drafted in the 7th round last year, then placed on injured reserve, and now he's gone.

Sources:
Pro-Football-Reference.com
The Boston Channel (WCVB)
ESPN.com
AskTheCommish.com
USA Today

PATS OFFER A CONTRACT TO ZACH THOMAS

The Patriots met with Zach Thomas yesterday, and have reportedly offered him a contract. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.

I think this would be a solid signing. But the Pats need to get some younger, more explosive players in the middle of their linebacker corps. Thomas and Vrabel can play inside, but we've seen that for both of them, playing on the outside leads to more big plays.

Source:
Reiss's Pieces on Boston.com

ZACH THOMAS RELEASED

The Dolphins released veteran middle linebacker Zach Thomas. The 12 year veteran turns 35 in September. Thomas has not publicly contemplated retiring, and seems to want to hook up to a contending team in an effort to win a Super Bowl ring.

Thomas only played in 5 games last season, missing time due to concussion and migraines. But he still had 52 tackles in those games. He's averaged 10.8 tackles per game over the last three seasons, which may be a product of Miami's suckiness (more offensive plays run by opponent, more running plays up the middle by opponent because they're ahead, mediocre defensive line, etc.).

When I first saw that Thomas was released, I instantly envisioned him in a Patriots uniform. He's experienced, he's a smart player, he's solid, he's consistent, and he'll probably be cheap.

One major concern is his age, of course. If Seau and/or Bruschi retire, we'd be essentially replacing them with another graying linebacker. Thomas is no longer a playmaker. He's not going to get sacks, or interceptions, or tip passes, or make tackles for a loss. He's a lot like Bruschi in that respect.

But I do think he'll wind up with the Patriots.

Sources:
Boston Globe
ESPN.com