by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

Mike Reiss has the six players that the Patriots named to their practice squad yesterday. All were victims of the team’s final roster cutdown on Saturday. Two spots remain open.

The Pats will be allowed to continue developing draft pick Stevenson, which means there’s still hope for the team’s 6th round selection from 06. Mays and Thomas, two free agents who had their moments this August, remain in the fold as well. Spann, the NFLE corner that nearly made the team, is back, along with 05 fringe lineman Yates and receiver Knight, who got bumped when the Pats traded for Doug Gabriel.

As you know by now, the Pats also cut Bam Childress yesterday and replaced him with return man Jonathan Smith, who had been waived by the Bills. It was a surprise to those - like me - that thought the tiny Buckeye had earned his spot on the team - at a decidedly-shallow position - with a productive pre-season. Smith is purported to be a return threat (he once ran a punt back against the Pats), which Childress is not, but he is probably not a strong enough receiver to make any kind of dent in the rotation. Childress may have been a better bet there, based on his August stats. But clearly, the last-minute acquisition of Gabriel has changed the playing field at receiver for the Patriots, and while it may be too much to ask, the weekend shakeup may also indicate that Chad Jackson is getting closer to action.

The hope is that Childress will grab one of the two open spots on the PS. I just assumed all along that Corey Bramlet would take the other spot; but its been two days since he was cut, and still no Corey. Will the Pats actually go without a QB percolating on the PS? Seems unlikely. Do they have their eye on someone else?

Despite our pleas, safety and special teams ace Hanik Milligan, who had been cut by the Chargers, will not be coming to New England. He signed with the Cardinals over the weekend. A couple of Pats cuts, Dan Klecko and Guss Scott, hooked on with Colts and Texans respectively.

I was all excited about the Steelers losing Ben Roethlisberger to an emergency appendectomy, then I remembered who his opponent on opening night is. Let’s be clear with each other - I want the goddam Dolphins to lose 16 games. If they beat the world champs in their first game, it will be insufferable. Think of the fuss made over the time they narrowly beat Matt Cassel and Bam Childress. We’re still hearing about that. Oh, well, this will make it a better story if they lose to Charlie Batch. That’s mock-worthy.

I’ll just wait until I’m sure the Patriots will beat the Bills. Just to be safe.

Lastly, I’ve gotten a couple of nice e-mails that indicate a few people have actually been reading GDRV, including over the last few days. I know, I didn’t expect it either. Anyway, on behalf of Greg, Bruce and Bill, we appreciate it, and we hope you’ll continue. We’re going back to a regular schedule now after a busy weekend, but if anything happens in the Branch matter, we’ll of course be logging on to the Internet immediately to register our disgust.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

The Patriots pulled off a surprising deadline day trade yesterday, breathing much needed life into the team’s emaciated receiving corps.

As Mike Reiss first reported on his indispensable blog, the Patriots have sent a conditional draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for WR Doug Gabriel. Early reports say that the pick may be a 5th rounder.

The compensation will matter some day, but not today. The need for reinforcements at the team’s weakest position is of more immediate concern.

Gabriel, a 26 year old entering his fourth year, has had some modest success with the Raiders, catching 30+ passes in each of the last two seasons. Unlike to-date-disappointment Reche Caldwell, Gabriel comes to the Pats as a player that may be trending upward. The early feedback from the Coast is good; Scouts, Inc. says Gabriel is a good effort player with size and speed, calling him a solid route runner with capable hands and an element of explosiveness in his game. His 16 YPC average seems to bear this out.

Who knows what Gabriel will do here. Like Caldwell, he may struggle to pick up the Pats offense. But its clear that he has been progressing out in Oakland, and equally clear that he advances immediately to the head of the Pats sparse receiving class. A 5th round pick seems like a small price to pay for the promise that Gabriel brings, especially under these circumstances. He’s affordable, too; for now, anyway.

To learn more about Gabriel, check his news page on Rotoworld.com.

Check Mike’s page for the complete list of Patriots roster moves from yesterday. Let’s see how GDRV did with its roster projections from yesterday morning:

Offensive line - as expected, the Pats elected to keep 9 players here, cutting three. They said goodbye to tackle Randy Hand, guards Dan Stevenson and Billy Yates, and kept Gene Mruczkowski and Wesley Britt for depth. Stevenson joins fellow 6th rounder Jeremy Mincey as 06 draft picks that failed to make the team. They could both be back as practice-squaders later today.

Running back - The easiest guess yesterday was that Patrick Pass would be PUP’d.

Receiver - I’m claiming victory here. GDRV projected that the Pats would keep 5 receivers, and we’ll just gloss over the whole Kelvin Kight thing entirely.

Defensive end - as expected, the Pats trimmed back by one at this position, as Santonio Thomas was released. Marquise Hill lives on.

Defensive tackle - GDRV thought the Pats may cut two here, but LeKevin Smith stayed on, while lightning rod Dan Klecko turned in his playbook.

Inside linebacker - Rookie free agent Corey Mays, as GDRV suspected, came up just short on his bid to make the team. Hopefully, he’ll return as a member of the practice squad. He had a good camp at a position of need for the team.

Cornerback - the Pats elected to keep just four corners, and NFLE vet Antwain Spann was the last one to go.

Safety - GDRV missed this one, figuring only one move would come from this position group. Instead, Pats IR’d Tebucky Jones, ending his season (has Hanik Milligan signed with anyone yet?), and as anticipated, finally closed the book on former 3rd round pick Guss Scott.

So basically, they cut made two moves at the safety position and just one at defensive tackle. Close enough.

And finally….. interesting to see Ron Borges - who has been carrying career criminal Don King’s bags for decades, and who has recently been working as a gratis PR agent in Jason Chayut’s office - calling Patriots supporters ‘toadies’ in this morning’s Globe. As we know, Ron’s dad told the little prick-in-the-making a lot about square pegs and round holes, but apparently he missed the one about throwing stones in glass houses.

Naturally, Borges also has urgent tales of growing discontent in the Patriots locker room. Just like he did three years ago, when the departure of Lawyer Milloy caused similar unrest. As we learned then, players are human, a trait they very quickly put aside when people start crashing into them. It’s perfectly understandable that emotions may be running high, with the most contentious holdout of the Kraft era at its apex. So some grubby scribbler grabs a juicy quote, which he then - naturally - interprets as the Seventh Sign.

Do I have to remind you about a certain September Sunday in Buffalo a few years back, and the explosive Peter King SI story that followed, with Tedy Bruschi declaring that he would never again be so foolish as to be loyal to the Patriots? You’d have thought for all the world then that the Patriots were imploding from within. THEY HATE THEIR COACH! Remember? I’m pretty goddam sure that in one of his many giddy stories during that time period, Borges used the same “if they’ll do that to him, what will they do to me?” quote that he used again today. Let me ask you - how accurate did Ron’s dire warnings turn out to be? How accurate have ANY of his numerous rantings turned out to be?

This morning, Ron’s hoping that you’ve forgotten all that. Because Ron Borges can’t stand that you don’t have the same irrational, jealous hatred of Bill Belichick that he does. And so he toils on, and so shall we.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

The Patriots will need to make 10 more roster moves today to finalize their 53 man roster by the league’s mandated 6:00 PM deadline.

The team released 10 players yesterday, including veterans Monty Beisel, Chad Brown and Eric Warfield, while disabling LB Barry Gardner, and sit at 63 players (not counting WR Deion Branch, who did not report, hence the * in the entry title) this morning.

The final composition of the roster is always interesting. How many will they keep at each position? Where will the last cuts be made? Here’s a few thoughts.

Offensive line (3) - The Pats are at 12 players currently, and most published reports suggest they will keep only eight. That would leave only Nick Kaczur, Russ Hochstein and just one other player as the depth. Doesn’t it seem they should have more offensive linemen than that? In any event, tackles Randy Hand and Wesley Britt are battling guards Dan Stevenson, Gene Mruczkowski and Billy Yates for one, or better yet two, roster spots here. At minimum, three of the moves happen here.

Running back (1) - It seems certain that the Pats will place Patrick Pass on the PUP list to account for one of today’s roster moves.

Receiver (0) - Under this scenario, rookie receiver Kelvin Kight makes the final 53, though I have to acknowledge that one of today’s moves could involve him. Considering the uncertain short term of Chad Jackson, it seems unlikely.

Defensive end (1) - Most observers tend to think the Pats will keep five players here, which means Marquise Hill and Santonio Thomas are fighting for one spot. Toss up. Thomas has been OK at times this pre-season, but Hill seems to land on his feet in these situations.

Defensive tackle (2) - They have four players right now. What do they need, two? Mike Wright, one of the defensive ends, can fill in here if needed. LeKevin Smith could be another draft choice to miss the final roster, and this seems like it could indeed be the end for fan favorite/fan pinata Dan Klecko.

Inside linebacker (1) - Some suggest that the Pats will keep all ten linebackers currently on their roster. If this is true, then ILB’s Eric Alexander and rookie Corey Mays will survive. Right now, they have 3 OLB’s and 7 ILB’s (though one of them, Mike Vrabel, is probably headed back outside, so a 60/40 split seems more accurate). I wonder if one move will come from here.

Cornerbacks (1) - Will they keep four, or five? With former corner Artrell Hawkins back at safety, the Pats could feel comfortable going with four. If so, either Chad Scott or NFLE guy Antwain Spann will go.

Safeties (1) - You have to figure the Pats keep six safeties. Unless they IR Tebucky Jones, that means either Guss Scott or rookie Willie Andrews goes. Andrews could contribute as a return man as well as swinging between corner and safety. He gets the nod over Guss.

If it breaks out like this, the biggest roster surprises are OLB Pierre Woods and Andrews, one a street free agent, the other a seventh round draft pick. But don’t forget Ryan O’Callaghan, the rookie tackle that won a starting job in his first training camp.

The biggest surprise overall is that the Patriots and Deion Branch have probably burned every bridge that would have allowed his return to the team.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

Mike Reiss is reporting the Patriots’ terse statement on the Deion Branch situation, issued late this afternoon.

It may be the last word on the dispute for today, but this one will surely grind on, ad infinitum, until we’re sick of everyone involved, including ourselves.

Today was one for the books. It had a real Lawyer-Milloy’s-been-released kind of vibe. And who do we play a week from Sunday?

I’m getting goosebumps!

Maybe its an omen. And there’s your silver lining for today.

Actually, Reiss may have another. The Patriots’ opponents won’t have Monty Beisel to kick around anymore. Scroll down from the Branch statement to find the 10 cuts made to the Patriots roster today.

There’s a few surprises - Beisel (just because I figured with Barry Gardner hurt, Monty would survive), and veterans Chad Brown and Eric Warfield. Warfield, a former starter with the Chiefs, was expected to provide veteran depth, but never caught on. Hey, this whole exchange program with Kansas City? W’re getting screwed on it.

Another surprise was the release of 6th round draft pick Jeremy Mincey.

Rookie FA Patrick Cobbs did earn his way onto an opening day roster, apparently - the Pats flipped him to the rival Steelers today for an undisclosed draft pick.

Without looking at my notes, today’s cuts seem like good news for rookie LB’s Pierre Woods and Corey Mays, and 1st year corner Antwain Spann.

That’s it for today.

I think.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

Tom Curran of nbcsports.com is reporting this hour that Deion Branch and Jason Chayut have filed a grievance against the Patriots with the NFLPA and have requested that the association hold a special hearing on it today.

The protest is reportedly based on Chayut’s belief that the Pats have reneged on a promise to deal Branch for a “fair and reasonable” offer, after they entertained (and, apparently, declined) an overture by the Jets.

While you’re at nbcsports.com, slide over to Tom’s daily column, where he asks the pertinent question:

“If some team wanted Branch this much, shouldn’t they have stepped to the plate with an offer before the deadline was bearing down?”

Pro Football Talk also alleged earlier that the Jets’ offer was little more than some vigorous AFC East gamesmanship.

All right, I’ll go back to shutting up now.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

Bob Glauber of Newsday.com has reported that the mystery team pimped by Ron Borges in his column this morning is none other than the New York Jets.

According to Glauber, in a report filed about an hour ago, the Jets have agreed to the parameters of a long-term deal with Deion Branch, and are working to negotiate compensation with the Patriots.

Pardon me for being skeptical as to the Jets sincerity. Naturally, the offer comes from a team in direct divisional competition with the Patriots. They wouldn’t have anything to gain by driving up the price on the holdout receiver and virtually assuring than he’ll will remain on the sidelines as the season begins next week. Would they?

The Jets, naturally, play the Patriots twice this season, in weeks 2 and 10.

Edit: Slimy PR intern Ron Borges, on leave from the Globe as he finally breaks in to player representation, is now reporting that the Seattle Seahawks have entered the bidding for a sign/trade with Branch.

At this point, its seems adviseable that GDRV STFU for a bit and see where events take us. It will certainly be an interesting day. We’ll undoubtedly have some reaction later.

by Scott Benson
scott@bostonsportsmedia.com

In a sadly typical column in which he gleefully bashes the Patriots from pillar to post, the Boston Globe’s Ron Borges claims that Deion Branch and his agent Jason Chayut will today inform the Patriots that they have found a suitor that is willing to meet the salary demands of the holdout receiver and give the Patriots a “fair-market offer” for his services.

Who is that team, and what is their offer to the Patriots? How much are they willing to pay Branch? Does it exceed the offer already on the table from the Patriots? By how much? And how do we know that this ‘offer’ isn’t just a Trojan Horse sent by one of the team’s primary competitors?

You’d think a man the Globe claims is one of the finest pro football writers in the nation might have that information, and be in a rush to share it. You’d be wrong. Though he lets us know in no uncertain terms that he has the inside scoop, the best Borges can muster is several column inches worth of doubletalk delivered with a smirk. Ron knows something, and he’s not telling, other than to claim (in the most smarmy way possible; you can almost hear the evil laugh and the moustache twisting) that the Patriots are finally, gloriously about to get their just desserts. BWAAAAAAA HAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAA.

The Pats allegedly have a surprise coming their way and Ron isn’t about to do anything to ruin the shock value. One thing he’s up front about though - the Patriots either consent to the mystery trade offer, or lose Branch until week 10. And subject themselves to another lifetime of “cheap, disingenuous” taunts from Morrissey Blvd.

It calls into question just who Ron is working for here. Is he a journalist reporting news for the once-proud Globe, or a PR hack delivering spoon-fed press releases dictated by a sports agent? He wouldn’t be enabling a last-second, no-look, half-court heave by Chayut here, would he?

I think we know the answer. Go find your own link for the column, if you must. I’m not directing any traffic towards Don King’s - and Jason Chayut’s - store bought lackey.