I meant to write this yesterday when I heard it on Twitter but I figured I'd wait until it became official: the New England Patriots signed free agent safety Vincent Fuller today.
It's a good move first of all because it means that Matthew Slater and to a lesser degree Sergio Brown should get less playing time. Moreover, Patrick Chung was back at practice today (he's missed the last six games) so hopefully one of New England's biggest weaknesses is finally being fixed.
Fuller is 29-years-old and he was selected by Tennessee in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. He played for the Titans from 2005-2010 and spent one game with the Lions this season before being placed on IR (elbow).
Detroit released him from the injured reserve list Dec. 6 which it opened the opportunity for Fuller (6-1, 192) to sign with another team.
He has has played in 76 NFL games (5 career starts), he's made 163 tackles and six interceptions (4 returned for touchdowns). Prior to signing with the Lions, Fuller worked out for the Patriots in early September before the regular season started (showing that safety depth was an issue even way back then).
In other Patriots news, the Pro Bowl final fan results were released today (can you feel the excitement?). I only mention it since a bunch of Pats won this glorified popularity contest for a game that absolutely nobody cares about. Is there any argument that it's not the worst All-Star game of the four major sports?
Tom Brady was the leading vote-getter in the AFC (second in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers) while Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins and Andre Carter also came in first in the AFC at their respective positions.
Aaron Hernandez, Matt Light and Kyle Arrington finished second while Vince Wilfork, Stephen Gostkowski and Matthew Slater were third.
Pro Bowl rosters are determined by fan votes, player votes and coach votes. Each one counts 1/3 towards setting the 43-man roster. NFL players and coaches will cast their ballots today and tomorrow. The 2012 Pro Bowl is Sunday, January 29 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Regardless of if the Patriots are still alive in the playoffs or not, don't expect any of the big name players to appear in the game. Who could blame them? However, their idiots if they skip out on a free trip to Hawaii; they just have to make up a fake injury.
UPDATE 12/23: In a classic Belichick move, Fuller was released today (he must have been awful) while defensive end Alex Silvestro and defensive back Sterling Moore were added to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
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