Eye on Belichick

Posted on May 17, 2008 
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by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com

“…it’s embarrassing, it’s absurd…”

Yeah, it’s that, all right. Bill Belichick was talking about Matt Walsh, but he could just as well have been tying a bow on this whole episode.

Because it has been nothing but absurdity since last September, and now we have the tight-lipped coaching legend making a surprise appearance on CBS News with Katie Couric last night.

Honestly, I can’t get into a line-by-line on his interview with Armen Keteyian. I’m parsed out, thanks. The details are in the link above (an extended version), and in Mike Reiss’s story this morning. 

Other than a short clip of Walsh filming a game against Cleveland, I didn’t see or hear anything I didn’t expect. Belichick - certainly with the team’s support - was clearly there to counter Walsh’s assertion to HBO Sports and the New York Times that the coach knew he was breaking a rule and has lied about it since, and he has lied about the extent of his interaction with Walsh.

Belichick fired back, going out of his way to paint Walsh as a puffed up, resume-fudging creep. Like any good TV interviewee, he brought a clip, evidently a director’s cut of the Cleveland tape Walsh produced in New York on Tuesday. This version focuses not on Butch Davis’s staff but on the former “third video assistant” behind his tripod, near two or three other guys doing the same thing, in broad daylight, in full view of every person in the stadium.

The clip will now be dissected and refuted and defended like everything else has been, and Belichick will no doubt be called a pathological liar by sunset tonight, if it hasn’t happened already.  He’ll no doubt be slammed for going back at Walsh, and incredibly, someone will accuse him of “dragging out the story”. That should be enough to cause me to have a stroke. Yet on and on it will go, as the calliope drones.

Look. Have we forgotten that ESPN felt liberated enough to paintshop this guy as the Devil Himself not too long ago? That ever happen to you? Ever been attacked from every corner of the 24 hour news cycle nine months running? Ever had so many people so anxious to believe the worst about you that they would accept unchallenged every word of anonymous assistant golf pro and wagon-hitching hanger-on?

Then I don’t think you can say the guy’s out of line in taking his three minutes to respond to the career embellishments of a corner-cutting, finger-pointing nobody. Enough’s enough.

Let the Buyer Beware

Posted on May 16, 2008 
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by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com

By now you’ve read John Tomase’s explanation as to how he and the Boston Herald came to accuse the Patriots of cheating to win Super Bowl 36.

To me, it sounds like reckless personal ambition trumped sound judgement and professional responsibility.  Because we now know the whole thing was predicated on the whispers of anonymous people who had no business claiming they knew anything. And a reporter who callously ignored that fundamental truth in the blind, self serving pursuit of being ‘first’.

Which is not the same thing as being ‘best’. You can never be the best when you truly comprehend the power of your words only after they’ve come raining back down on your own head.

For John Tomase, the long road back begins with a vertical climb. On ice.

For his belly-crawling bosses, well, they get to come back to work this morning secure in the knowledge they have a fall guy in place to cover for their own culpability.

The better for them to strike again, as soon as the heat’s off, and as soon as they find their next ’story’ to root for, their next ’subject’ to malign, their next voracious reporter oblivious to the concept of a public trust.

The next time they can distract you into debating whether you can trust one of their reporters instead of whether or not you can trust them, those who have the true power of the press.

Ownership of one.

Caveat emptor.

One Thing, John

Posted on May 14, 2008 
Filed Under News, Scott Benson | 6 Comments

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by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com

I know I just wrote a whole column yesterday telling the Star Trek Convention (Chapter President, here) to get a life when it comes to Spygate, but I just have to share:

John Tomase, the Herald beat reporter who wrote the infamous Walkthrough-Gate story in February that seemed to ruin the Super Bowl for thousands of Patriots fans (for me, it was more Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck), has acknowledged that he screwed up the story in an afternoon post to his The Point After blog.

I just wanted to make one thing clear — I know I screwed up on the Rams taping story and I don’t intend to hide behind today’s apology or an editor’s note. In Friday’s Herald I will explain as clearly as I can where that story went wrong and begin the journey of restoring your trust in my reporting.

I cannot in good conscience demand accountability of the people I cover and then not provide it myself. So it’s coming on Friday. Just be patient.

John

Okay, John, I can be patient. I have to admit that while I’m so tired of this farcical sh**storm, I’m interested in your explanation. And while I’m all for giving you your space, there’s just one thing:

When you are explaining, as clearly as you can, where the story went wrong, can you also explain the story that you wrote just yesterday, which was posted to the Herald website sometime in the late afternoon?

You know the story I’m talking about, John. The one that told readers - in the headline, and in the first paragraph - that Walsh had admitted in his meeting with the Commissioner to spying on the Rams at the walkthrough. That was your lede, and that was the word you used - spying. A conclusion - unless you’ve been talking to your sources again - you couldn’t possibly have reached on the evidence that was presented to anyone who cared enough to listen and watch.

The same story that buried the lead item from yesterday’s sad circus; that Walsh didn’t have any walkthrough tape, didn’t shoot any walkthrough tape, and didn’t know of any walkthrough tape. Odd, in that you had previously asserted that one did exist, which in large part led us to this point, and now the NFL doesn’t have even one person out of 50 interviewed that says that you’re right.

I’d love to link you to the story, John, but it got misplaced, I guess, and replaced with a generally benign piece bedecked with a ‘Case Closed’ header.

See, I’ve been of the opinion all along that you weren’t alone in that Super Bowl Eve story, and while you were no doubt culpable the minute you put your name on a story you now can’t back up, I know enough to know there’s other people involved in deciding what gets printed in the newspaper. Some have no business doing so, save for the checkbook they perch themselves on.

I don’t mind telling you - for the most part, I like your stuff. (Spare me the rejoinders, commenters.) I’ve always believed two newspapers is better than one, three is better than two, and for my part, I don’t mind somebody who might be a little more, oh, skeptical than I might be. It’s healthy. As long as the writer is standing on something other than his own warped predispositions. When that happens, it’s toxic (see: Borges, Ron, or that horrible piece of shit written by Tony Masserotti today. A despicable little man in both stature and deed).

I think you and your bosses were a little predisposed yourselves on Tuesday afternoon, and I think pretty soon after, some or all of you regretted it. The rub is that you scrubbed it and pretended it didn’t happen. But it did, and I saw it, and while you’re explaining, I’d like you to explain how that all came to pass.
 
After all, if you’re really going to restore the trust in your reporting, you’ll also have to explain how you went from hostile yesterday to contrite today.

Because if Tuesday afternoon’s first edition is what we can come to expect from you in the future, John, especially when the chips are down for you personally, you shouldn’t bother with the explanation at all.

And The Band Played On

Posted on May 13, 2008 
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by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Matt Walsh end up as a defense witness yesterday in this Lewis Carroll-esque Trial of the Century?

Yes, there were ticket scalping allegations and suggestions that a player on IR had practiced with the club, but in the end, Walsh confirmed;

Overall, a pretty good day for the Patriots, right? Don’t each of these respond directly to the heart of the charges against the possibly-corrupt three-time champs?

You and I both know it doesn’t work that way.

Not with Red Light Goodell in charge. I tried to listen carefully to the substance of his remarks, which were generally reassuring for Patriots fans, but I couldn’t help but be put off by the swaggering “you wanna watch the tapes again?” after he finally took the stage. Commissioner, the point might have been to dull them with the poorly shot details, but the end result was three and a half hours of live shot speculation, most of which cast the New England Patriots in a most unfavorable light. Thanks for the final kick in the nuts on the way out the door, Rog.

And most especially it doesn’t work that way when it comes to the media, hungry for any chum, never mind chum this choice, to sustain their own existence.

I can only say you have reached a nadir when Rich Eisen, anchor for the friggin’ house network, uses the word “shocking” half a dozen times in a half hour of tape clips, one of which showed a San Diego Chargers cheerleader looking absolutely terrific. The rest showed a group of Cleveland Browns coaches that are no longer employed in the NFL, and Dave Wannstedt. Which is a big deal if you’re playing the University of Pittsburgh this fall. And speaking of Pittsburgh, there was the Steelers too, who will have to explain to me how these tapes relate to their atrocious play on special teams.

In other words, the tapes revealed exactly what the NFL had last September. Shocking!

I swear, it’s only real to these guys when they show the tape on their air. The self-absorption. Shocking!

I didn’t see this, but some message board pals reported that ESPN’s Cris Carter and Mark Schlereth - there to power with their endless hot air the Leader’s Dirigible of Discourse -  were insisting the Patriots used the tapes in the games in which they were shot both before and after Walsh claimed this was not the case. This goes to lend further credence to my theory: we have to start ignoring these people, or we’re going to lose our minds.

I guess that’s what I take away from all ‘this’, whatever you want to call it, the thing which in any name reached its bizarre crescendo with Walsh’s appearance yesterday.

It’s not over, until every last fat lady in Bristol and New York and Los Angeles and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and every other lose-to-the-Patriots city this side of San Diego sings. Which is to say, never. They will always be the Cheat-riots and he will always be Beli-cheat, from the message boards to the editorial boards, even to the stage boards of the goddam house network, evidently.

Particularly if the authors of the varied screeds have been snubbed by Belichick, or lost a playoff game to him. Now, revelations that every person who has ever tried to buy a ticket to the Super Bowl has also been a victim!

It will never be over, not even after fans arm themselves with factsheets to fight off the daily distortions of an instatiable media. It’s a noble effort by these Pats fans, driven to distraction by their team being dragged through the mud in the name of ‘entertainment’ (remember that’s what the ‘E’ in ‘ESPN’ represents), but in the end, it’s futile in a world where unreliable characters like Carter and Schelereth are highly paid to do nothing but fill 24 hours of dead air, every day.

It will never be over, no matter what Matt Walsh or Roger Goodell say. Or the disgraceful Boston Herald, which ended the day by declaring that Walsh had admitted to “spying” (their word) on the Rams walkthrough.

So much for the contrite paper seeking the team’s forgiveness, perhaps sacrificing their poison pen provocatueur at the team’s altar, in exchange for mercy in the courts. Herald, to the Pats: F*** you, as of 4 p.m. this afternoon. 

They changed it later, removing the spy references, but the point was made. It will never be over. It can’t be. It’s the only thing keeping the other side alive.

Sooner we accept that, and realize that to linger any longer with this only invites further exploitation, the better.

That goes for the Pats too, at least the front office kind. After all, their team just blew two straight championships on the last possession. They don’t have something better to do?

Don’t we all?

What a Moment

Posted on May 10, 2008 
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by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com

Jim Nance was the featured attraction at the first Patriots game I ever attended, on a sun-dappled Sunday a long while ago. I caught him at his apex as a pro football player, the reigning league MVP on his way to a second straight AFL rushing title. The rest of the team wasn’t nearly as accomplished as he was, but the mid-60’s Nance could still control a game anyway.

I’m having trouble thinking of a modern-day comparison. I don’t think players like Nance exist anymore. This was a 240 lb. fullback who was the only rusher in AFL history to top 1,400 yards in a single season. At his peak, Nance strung 100 yard games together like popcorn - he’s still the only Patriots running back to lead the league in rushing two years in a row (66-67). Nance was first and foremost a punishing finisher inside (a ball-control machine and the team’s all-time leading touchdown scorer), but he had the kind of speed and elusiveness that lands a guy on the cover of Sports Illustrated (you could look it up). Even today, no Patriots back has had more 50 yard runs.

Truthfully, the Nance described above appeared just briefly during his seven year career with the Pats. He never again matched the dominance of his 66-67 seasons, when he ran for 2,700 yards in 28 games.

But his brilliance in those nascent days of the team makes him the most worthy recipient of your vote for this year’s inductee to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

This year’s vote, which continues through June, presents further opportunity to recognize those men who laid the foundation of the franchise that has since gone on to make NFL history. There can be no question that these are in fact the golden years of the Patriots, but how can we truly understand and appreciate their true significance without knowing - and honoring - from whence they came?

I expect that Ben Coates, the prolific tight end of the mid-90’s, will receive support that is certainly due him, as his feats are the freshest in our minds. No one would argue that Coates shouldn’t walk among the best Patriots ever. Only that Nance should go first, before our fading memories leave him behind forever.

I saw Nance a second and final time on a blisteringly hot and hazy Saturday some two decades later, at an open scrimmage between the Washington Redskins and Dick McPherson’s Patriots. The Patriots were at perhaps the lowest point in their existence, horrible on the field and even worse off it. More and more fans turned their backs, leaving the old Foxboro Stadium as an empty, ugly, gray bowl. They were like the proverbial tree, falling in the forest yet not making a sound. So as they began anew under the enthusiastic McPherson, they opened up the gates to anyone who wanted to show, if only to see Joe Gibbs and the ‘Skins, who would go on to win the Super Bowl.

Inside waited a number of current and former players, rallied to support the wounded franchise that they still viewed, by their actions that day, with pride. They welcomed fans, signed autographs, touted the team and generally lent goodwill at a time when it was needed most, and noticed the least.

Among them was Nance, fending off the heat under one of those floppy terrycloth hats. He didn’t seem a well man, still showing the disabling effects of a heart attack and stroke he had suffered nearly a decade before.

It just so happened this this time, it my son’s first time at a (sort of) football game. It struck me how once again, it was Jim Nance commanding our attention. Well, mine, anyway, and so I said, “Andy, you should go ask that man for his autograph. He used to be a great player when I was your age.” I was already thinking of what a kick my dad would get out of that when we got home.

Nance couldn’t have been more warm and gentle and great, with all of us who gathered around him. Even as the ravages of time and fate were weakening him, Nance lent a credible and dignified presence to a place and time where those things were in short supply, just as he had as a young man.

He was dead less than a year later, just 49 years old.

Now, one of the most successful sports franchises in America builds a football shrine just a few feet from where we beleagured few stood that day. A shrine that now will preserve some of the greatest moments in league history, and the litany of name and faces and teams most responsible for them. Much of it will be dedicated to men whose deeds are so recent we can still recall them, step for step. Good. They should be celebrated, and savored.

So too should be the grandest exploits of those who came before them, and who, even in the most unremarkable times, laid the bedrock on which this new shrine will stand.

Put the great Jim Nance in the Patriots Fall of Fame, where he undeniably belongs.

We Can Rebuild It

Posted on May 5, 2008 
Filed Under Chris Warner, News | 14 Comments

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 by Chris Warner
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Outside of my cynical outer shell, I am essentially a sentimental creature. I love stories with happy endings for underdogs. I still consider myself president of the unofficial Bam Childress Fan Club (aka “The Bamwagon”), even though he’s gone to the Eagles.

Coach Bill Belichick has taught Patriots fans that sentimentality will get you a biscuit and a pat on the head, but not much more. From Bernie Kosar to Drew Bledsoe to Lawyer Milloy, the coach has eschewed fan favorites to build what he considered a better team.

So, how does New England improve this year? On the negative side, they can’t do any better than 16-0; on the positive, we all know what 16-0 got them last season. In 2008, look for the team to take some chances. Time to rebuild with youth, get better as the season progresses and gain momentum going into the playoffs. Hey, it beats peaking in November at Buffalo.

Hence, some measured (and somewhat unfounded) predictions of where the Pats will make changes, keeping a consistent theme of youth.

Quarterback - The ballad of Tom Brady continues. I like to think of it as a happy, heroic song with many verses yet to be written.

Rookie to watch: Kevin O’Connell. A standout leader on a bad college team.

Replacing: Matt Cassel. More than any other position in football, the role of backup quarterback resembles that of an understudy. If the star goes down, you take the stage and all eyes look to you. Maybe Cassel’s big, it’s the pictures that got small.

(Okay, I’ll make you a deal: no more “Sunset Boulevard” references if you promise to bookmark Patriots Daily. Do it now before I change my mind.)

Running Back – Let’s match the player with his prototype: Laurence Maroney, starting RB; Sammy Morris, backup RB; Kevin Faulk, third-down RB; Heath Evans, utility RB (not quite any of the previous three, but a solid contributor).

Rookies to watch: Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Kenny Cattouse. Green-Ellis runs with power up the middle. Cattouse has great quickness. I’m teetering near my “Patrick Cobbs will make the team!” debacle of 2006, but they need a smaller, quicker RB to backup Faulk. I think Cattouse makes it. (Check this morning to see if I’m already wrong.)

Replacing: Right now, Kyle Eckel is a between-the-tackles-type runner who backs up at least two other between-the-tackles-type runners. Green-Ellis also fits that description. Shouldn’t the most prolific passing team in history get a backup receiving RB? Hello? Is this thing on?

Wide Receiver – Except for Donte Stallworth, the main gang returns: Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney. Chad Jackson gets his last chance to make Belichick look like the savvy dealmaker we thought he was when he traded up in round two in 2006 to get him (and by “we,” you know I mean “I”).

Rookie to watch: Matt Slater. He’s fast and he can return kicks. I know so little about him that I’m beginning to suspect a witness protection program at work here.

Replacing: Just as Jackson will get every chance to show what he can do, so shall Slater. He’d have to do something awful – like get videotaped taunting puppies – in order to have the front office fail to justify his selection in the fifth. Slater may take Troy Brown’s roster spot, although he will never take the same spot in our hearts (see the sentimentality?). If New England keeps only six receivers, say goodbye to free agent special teamer Sam Aiken.

Tight End – Do you think Benjamin Watson and David Thomas talk a lot while they’re in the trainers’ room? And if so, do you think they discuss their myriad injuries, or do they ignore them and, for example, list movies they both want to see?

Rookies to watch: Jonathan Stupar caught 40 passes last year at Virginia. Tyson DeVree caught 37 for Colorado. Both arrived last week as undrafted rookies. Thomas needs a backup and either Stupar or DeVree could fill that role. Stupar has a slight advantage as he seemed to stand out more in camp.

Replacing: Not sure where free agent Marcus Pollard fits. If they need a blocker, I see keeping Stephen Spach for a lot less cash. Most of the other TEs on the roster fill the pass-catching role.

Offensive Line – For a while after his last performance, I nicknamed Matt Light “Matt Darkness-Shall-Reign-Over-All-That-Is-Good,” but I’m over it. The starting o-line will stay intact. Maybe this year they’ll excel all the way through, instead of deciding at the Super Bowl to SMEAR FILTH ALL OVER MY DREAMS.

(Deepgreenforest, coolbluelake; deepgreenforest, coolbluelake. There. Better.)

Rookie to watch: Ryan Wendell, the center out of Fresno State, has the reported technique to become a developmental player. Early reviews of Josh Coffman haven’t been as positive, skills-wise.

Replacing: No one that I can tell. Unless the 6-7 Coffman puts on another 40 pounds (a feat he accomplished in college), Ryan O’Callaghan doesn’t have much to worry about.

Defensive End – If Richard Seymour can get back to his old self, he, Ty Warren and Jarvis Green make a ferocious rotation (Actually, they were still pretty awesome with the 2007 version of Seymour). Hang on, Mike Wright fans: he’s listed as a nose tackle below.

Rookie to watch: Casey Tyler. He’s got the proverbial motor of overachieving 3-4 defensive ends (much like Wright does). Would at least contribute as a strong practice squad player.

Replacing: I don’t see anyone. LeKevin Smith is better suited at end than tackle but has too much flexibility for the Pats to let him go (hope I haven’t jinxed him). The Patriots’ defensive line is like a T.V. makeup department: when they don’t do their jobs, it all goes ugly in a hurry.

Nose Tackle – Vince Wilfork plays mountain in the middle, with Wright spelling him for some passing downs. Wilfork has become one of the best in the game and has that certain je na sais quois of 3-4 nose tackles. Actually, no mystery here: he’s huge, quick and strong.

Rookie to watch: Henry Smith comes from Warren’s alma mater (Texas A&M), but that seems to be the only comparison thus far.

Replacing: As great as it would be to give some of Wilfork’s early downs to a younger player, those are some huge shoes to fill. Quick and strong shoes, too.

Inside Linebacker – Welcome back, Tedy Bruschi. Hope you get some help with Victor Hobson aboard. (Hey, you know what I just realized? The Patriots’ linebackers were old last year. Surprised no one said anything about that.)

Rookies to watch: Jerod Mayo, Bo Ruud. Despite dealing with the inevitable condiment jokes, Mayo appears to be the right find. He’s a heavy-hitting, intense player who should see lots of playing time. In other words, they won’t go light on the Mayo. (Ha! See? No one can resist!) Ruud, at 234 pounds, seems out of position in the middle but took reps there during mini-camp.

Replacing: I assume that Junior Seau shall continue to enjoy surfing. Eric Alexander hasn’t seen significant playing time since he started the 2006 AFC Championship (go figure). If someone can explain why Mayo shouldn’t be a part of the ILB rotation from day one, I’ll listen. (Then I’ll scoff. Fair warning.)

Outside Linebacker – Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel make the type of bookends you want to see in Gillette. Pierre Woods has been a strong special teams player but hasn’t made strides on defense that some expected (again, by “some,” I mean “I”).

Rookies to watch: Shawn Crable, Vince Redd. We’re looking at two tall, rangy athletes with experience in hoops (Crable in high school, Redd briefly at Virginia). Though New England’s defense is only slightly less difficult to figure out than cold fusion, each player’s versatility should accelerate the process.

Replacing: Woods and Ruud may not find their happy-ever-after in Foxboro. Crable could get the Wolverine welcome over Woods. Redd’s build and experience in a similar 3-4 college system mean that a UDFA will make the roster over sixth-rounder Ruud (look forward to the headline “Ruud Awakening”).

Cornerback – This position has seen more shifts than a hospital intern. Asante Samuel and Randall Gay left. Free agents Fernando Bryant, Jason Webster and Lewis Sanders arrived. Ellis Hobbs remains, along with practice-squad member Antwain Spann and second-year player Mike Richardson. Hmm. My chest hurts.

Rookies to watch: Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite, whom I shall officially nickname The Dubs (you read it here first, people). Small and fast, like rabbits but with better awareness, we hope. Of course, as rookies they’ll get burned – it’s only a matter of how badly, how often, and how quickly they learn.

Replacing: Wheatley and Wilhite (I won’t really call them “The Dubs” – it’s a little too skater-speak for me. But please, feel free to do so at home) will take over for Spann and Sanders. At over six feet tall, Sanders no longer belongs in Foxboro. They actually have signs outside the locker room that say, “You must be this short to play corner.” Richardson could stick around because he’s another young, quick guy whom the coaches seemed to like last year before his arm injury.

Safety – At free safety, James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather make up a strong duo. While Meriweather has been rumored to take over cornerback duties, the rookies will allow him time to develop at safety. Tank Williams will step in to relieve Rodney Harrison, who’s approaching his fiftieth birthday (I’m not exaggerating as much as I’d like to be).

Rookies to watch: They signed Mark Dillard (La. Tech) to a contract, but it’s tough to make a dent in the above rotation. Other than that, it’s possible that Slater will take the defensive side of the ball. Shoot, they’ll try Slater out at option QB to make sure he sees time on the field.

Replacing: Eugene Wilson signed with Tampa Bay (or, as I like to call it, Massachusetts South. You snowbirds know what I’m saying). The description of Willie Andrews as “blazing” refers to more than his speed after his February charge for marijuana possession. They’ll miss his special teams prowess, but the Patriots have paid a lot of attention to getting those types of players this off-season. Speak of the devil…

Special Teams – Longsnapper Lonnie Paxton and kicker Stephen Gostkowski have little rookie competition as yet (although TE Stupar reportedly snapped the ball over the weekend). The battle for punter has been ongoing for over two seasons now, with a virtual posse passing through Gillette. Incumbent Chris Hanson will face off against free agent Scott Player.

Rookies to watch: Mike Dragosavich had a successful tryout over the weekend, booming his punts inside the practice bubble. Out of 158 career attempts at North Dakota State, he had 47 over 50 yards and 61 inside the 20.

Replacing: Belichick and Co. want youth. Player is 38 and Hanson is 31. The situation looks solid for so-called Drago. Besides, any specialist with a nickname that involves “Rocky IV” is fine with me.

Here’s to a younger team with the leeway to rebuild. All the way to the Super Bowl.

(Deepgreenforest, coolbluelake. There. Better.)

Practice Squad (PS, I Love You)

Posted on April 29, 2008 
Filed Under Chris Warner, The Draft | 8 Comments

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 logoby Chris Warner
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As opposed to NFL draft weekend, which moves at the pace of a Victorian novel (tortoise-like, with too much detail), the frenzy of signing undrafted free agents (UDFAs) gets us involved like a mystery: Where do we get our information? Once we get it, how trustworthy is it? What does it mean?

And why are we spending so much time with it?

As of this writing, New England has picked up seven UDFAs, reviewed below. After those, I’ve included a wish list for Foxboro this summer. My apologies in advance if any one of them has been picked up by another team in the interim.

The new Pats rookies, from the best available info:

P - Mike Dragosavich, North Dakota State

Why undrafted: He’s a punter. The term “specialist” gets thrown around a lot to describe punters, yet they aren’t too hard to come by, apparently. Also, name may prove difficult to fit on the back of a jersey.

PS, the Pats love: Averaged almost 45 yards per punt last year, with a long of 70. Dropped 11 punts within the opponents’ 20. Has experience with lousy weather.

OLB – Vincent Redd, Liberty

Why undrafted: While “Liberty” as a theme is immeasurable, Liberty the school is tiny. Redd played at Virginia but Coach Al Groh dismissed him over undisclosed reasons so he transferred. Lacks upper-body strength.

PS, the Pats love: Redd was named in this space last week as a potential Pats pick-up. (I’ve never been more proud. Sad, really.) He played in Groh’s 3-4 system in Virginia and has textbook size (6-5, 263) and speed (4.63 40) for the position. Might give sixth-rounder Bo Ruud a ruun for his money.

DE – Chris Norwell, Illinois

Why undrafted: Not overly productive (32 total tackles) for a less-than-great team. Lacks speed. Unflattering facial hair.

PS, the Pats love: Has ideal 3-4 end measurements (6-6, 295). Had strong games against Michigan and Iowa (five tackles each), and probably hit the Patriots’ radar while they watched films of players on those teams.

TE – Jon Stupar, Virginia

Why undrafted: Has suffered some injuries. Just under ideal height at 6-3. Not the most stout on the line of scrimmage. Only the second-best all-around TE out of UVA this year (Tom Santi was drafted in the sixth by the Colts. Which is fine. I never liked him anyway).

PS, the Pats love: Broke out in his senior season with 40 receptions (actually four more than Santi). Comes from a TE-friendly system. Has been called a high-character guy.

C – Ryan Wendell, Fresno State

Why undrafted: Small (6-2, 286) and slow (5.35 40). Lacks great strength and athleticism. Fresno State plays in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which isn’t a top-tier league.

PS, the Pats love: Started all four years at guard or center. Has solid technique and knows how to use leverage in one-on-one battles. Could fit as a back-up lineman with position flexibility, much like Russ Hochstein.

RB – Kenny Cattouse, Troy

Why undrafted: Gained less than 800 yards for Troy. The Trojans share a mascot name with USC but not their reputation for talent. Unremarkable size at 5-10, 205. Last name has similar spelling to a place of ill repute.

PS, the Pats love: These Trojans don’t run much, but Cattouse still managed to gain 5.9 yards per carry. Also caught 37 passes for 235 yards (6.4 avg.), making him worth a look as a third-down back.

OT – Josh Coffman, East Carolina

Why undrafted: A little light at 292 pounds, Coffman lacks a reputation as a path-blazing lineman. Has played tackle for only two years: went to ECU as a tight end but took a redshirt season after his sophomore year to put on 40 pounds (Take that, “Freshman 15”).

PS, the Pats love: Coffman’s height (6-7) gives him a lot of potential. Though not powerful, he has good speed and quickness. His reach makes him a promising pass-blocker.

DL – Casey Tyler, Portland State

Why undrafted: Played well at the Division II level, but may not have the ability to measure up in the pros. Since when is Portland a state?

PS, the Pats love: At 6-5, 305, Tyler has the size to play a 3-4 DE or 4-3 tackle. Had 43 stops and three sacks his senior year. Possesses solid straight-line speed to get around the edge.

With only one or two spaces left for this spring’s 80-man roster, New England can keep slots open for potential free agents signings or fill them with fresh-faced rooks. Below, five UDFAs to mull over:

RB – Hugh Charles, Colorado

Why undrafted: Diminutive at 5-8, 190, he played for a losing team (6-7) and, as a starter, compiled less than 1,000 yards rushing in 2007. Also, has two first names.

PS, I love him: Gained 5.3 yards per carry and caught 24 passes. Strong (25 reps of 225) and fast (4.43 40), with insane leaps (36.5 inch vertical).

WR – Paul Raymond, Brown

Why undrafted: “Small” reasons, including his stature (5-8) and school. Just a coincidence, but again: two first names. Might be more of a track sprinter than a football player.

PS, I love him: Fastest guy in the Ivy League, which is a little like being the smartest guy in dummy camp, but whatever. Notable quickness and return experience make him a Bam-Childress-in-waiting, the type of player who hangs around and forces coaches to consider him.

OLB – Curtis Gatewood, Vanderbilt

Why undrafted: Played DE in college, but at 6-2, 242, lacks ideal size for a 3-4 OLB. Doesn’t have great upper-body strength. Name sounds like a preppy movie character played by James Spader.

PS, I love him: With his quickness, would perform well on special teams and could contribute in pass-rushing situations.

CB – Jonathan Zenon, LSU

Why undrafted: Slow and a little stiff. Not the best tackler. When spelled with an “X,” last name merely becomes an inert gas.

PS, I love him: Played for the champion Tigers; started for three years. Has the knack for being around the ball. High Randall Gay factor.

K – Chris Gould, Virginia

Why undrafted: See the “K” next to his name? He’s a kicker. Who drafts kickers? (Oops.) Also, needs to work on his accuracy.

PS, I love him: His older brother Robbie kicks for the Bears – very well, we might add - and spent the 2005 camp with the Pats. It says here that Belichick has rued cutting the older Gould in favor of keeping Adam “Veni, Vidi, Vici” Vinatieri, who a year later moved to the creatively-named Indianapolis (roughly translated: The City of Indiana).

We will know more by the end of the week. And by “more,” I mean “possibly something, but don’t get your hopes up.”

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