Patriots Welcome Back The Other Mr. Carter (sorry Lil' Wayne)

As we all know, there is nothing that the Patriots love more than a bargain. When said bargain involves a guy that they know very well, time to get them some Kleenex to wipe up from all their excitement. Today, New England signed defensive end Andre Carter, the same player that had 10 sacks in 2011 (14 games) with the Pats before suffering a season-ending quad injury.

The good news is that Carter is a smart veteran that always kept himself in excellent shape. The other side is that he's 34 and was sitting at home for the first seven weeks of this season after he was released by the Raiders during the preseason. As always, we can't read too much into statistics from Oakland (a black hole, get it?) but in 12 games last season with the Raiders, Carter had 13 tackles, six assists, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three stuffed runs.

I'm not Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia or head coach Bill Belichick so it's hard to explain where Carter will play since I believe he's solely a defensive end. I know they've put Chandler Jones inside at times but he's having a great season rushing the quarterback with 6.5 sacks so I don't really understand that. New England had an open roster spot so they didn't have to make a corresponding move to accommodate Carter.

I doubt that he'll be able to play on Sunday (1, CBS) vs. Miami (3-3) but who knows? Bottom line is that this is a very low-risk move (I'm sure he's making peanuts) with the potential to be a nice boost for Jones to have another legitimate pass rusher (double digit sacks 4 times in Carter's NFL career) playing with him. If he's healthy, Carter will help the Pats this season since their defense has lost most of its best playmakers (Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Tommy Kelly and Aqib Talib) for at least a few weeks or in some cases the rest of the season.

UPDATE 10/23: Pats officially signed Carter to a one-year deal today while adding DT Sealver Siliga to the practice squad and releasing CB Travis Howard from there.

UPDATE 10/24: I hadn't even noticed it during Sunday's game but I guess Logan Ryan grabbed his crotch as he went into the end zone. Not on Roger Goddell's watch, think of the children (Mrs. Lovejoy from the Simpsons voice)! Today, the Patriots rookie cornerback was fined $10,000 for his low-rent Michael Jackson impression.

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Patriots Keep Collecting Backup Tight Ends Like They're Going Out Of Style; UPDATE: Bye Chad!

With OTAs back in full swing, the New England Patriots continue to shuffle bodies in and out of Foxborough before the real action starts later this summer (training camp, preseason).

Today, they announced the signing of veteran tight end Bo Scaife. In addition, three players were released: second-year defensive end Markell Carter (a 2011 6th round draft pick) and rookie free agents tight end Nick Melillo and offensive lineman Jon Opperud.

You'll remember Scaife from his years at the University of Texas (with Vince Young as his quarterback) then he was reunited with VY in Tennessee. He was a sixth round pick of the Titans in 2005 (179th overall) and played there until 2010. Scaife was with the Cincinnati Bengals last season but didn't see the field in the regular season after hurting his shoulder in the preseason.

For his career, Scaife has 251 catches for 2383 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season was 2008 for Tennessee when he played in all 16 games (only 7 starts) and made 58 catches for 561 yards and two touchdowns. At this point in his career and with this roster, he's only fighting for the third tight end spot with Daniel Fells behind Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez (who as we all know is far from a typical tight end).

Carter was a project that never panned out at all and I had never heard of the two rookies so I can't say they'll be missed. In other Patriots news, it was reported today that Andre Carter has been working out at Gillette during the offseason. Now all the Pats have to do is sign him (assuming he's healthy enough from his quad surgery). With the moves today, there are two roster spots open on the 90-man roster so there's a good chance Andre Carter will be back.

UPDATE 6/7: Yes! After rumblings on Twitter earlier this afternoon comes word that the Pats tried unsuccessfully to trade Chad Johnson and now they're just releasing him. I am pumped since his time here was nothing short of a complete disaster. A guy that can only make 15 catches in that offense doesn't deserve anything more than a line or two after one completely forgettable season. Maybe now he can concentrate even more on his shitty reality shows since I think his NFL career is over (although some stupid team will probably bring him in).

UPDATE 6/18: Scaife and offensive lineman Mike Ingersoll were released today.

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From The Department Of Depressing News: Andre Carter Is Done For The Season

Ryan and I both alluded to it in our game recaps from yesterday's Patriots-Broncos game but now, we will write something which I'm sure New England won't confirm until after it has happened (if at all): defensive end Andre Carter is done for the season with a quad injury.

Carter's agent (as good a source as any) was quoted as saying that the left quad injury will require surgery. Then Carter tweeted "Thank you for showing me and my family support this season. It's been a blast. Wouldn't change it for anything."

As I said last night, this is a very serious injury for the Patriots defense which we all know is the worst in the NFL in terms of yardage given up per game. Carter was New England's best free agent pickup this offseason (light years ahead of Albert Haynesworth or Chad Johnson); he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defensed through the first 13 games and looked poised to make the Pro Bowl and more importantly be a vital member of a playoff team (something he rarely experienced in his stellar career).

With 22 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed, Mark Anderson is the player that will be used most to replace Carter's pass rush pressure. In a bigger role yesterday, Anderson delivered with his best game of the season (2 sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery). The Patriots will need him to provide consistent pressure to keep quarterbacks honest. Otherwise, as usual, quarterbacks will have plenty of time to pick apart the Patriots piss poor secondary.

Rookie Markell Carter has languished all season on the practice squad so it's time to activate him and see if the raw but talented guy from a small school can do anything to help this team in the 2011 NFL playoffs when they will play better quarterbacks and better squads.

UPDATE 12/19: A source says Carter could be moved to IR as soon as Tuesday.

UPDATE 12/20: Carter went on IR today with "a leg injury" and the Pats signed defensive lineman Cedric McKinley to the practice squad. They still have a spot open on the 53-man roster with only five days before their game against Miami on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

In a somewhat surprising move, defensive end Eric Moore was released today. Another sign that Markell Carter will be added to the roster.

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Patriots-Broncos Injury Report

So anybody else sick of Tim Tebow yet? Only two more days until the New England Patriots (10-3) take on the Denver Broncos (8-5) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (how pathetic is that new stadium name?) at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

The injury reports came out today for both teams and Patriots safety Patrick Chung (foot) and offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot) are listed as doubtful. With the team flying to Colorado tonight (rather than the usual Friday), it's likely that both will be declared out later this evening.

13 Patriots are listed as questionable: cornerback Kyle Arrington (foot), wide receiver Deion Branch (groin), center Dan Connolly (groin), wide receiver/cornerback Julian Edelman (back), linebacker Dane Fletcher (thumb), safety James Ihedigbo (shoulder), cornerback Devin McCourty (shoulder), wide receiver/safety Matthew Slater (shoulder), linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee), running back Shane Vereen (hamstring), wide receiver Wes Welker (knee), offensive lineman Ryan Wendell (calf) and running back Danny Woodhead (abdomen) are all 50/50 to suit up in this huge game.

As usual, the opposing team of the Pats has an injury list that's much shorter and straightforward. For the Broncos, safety David Bruton (achilles), safety Brian Dawkins (neck) and cornerback Andre Goodman (concussion) are all questionable. With any luck, Tebow will perform a few miracles and make sure they are all ready to play on Sunday as Denver goes for its seventh straight win.

I'll let you know tomorrow and before kickoff on Sunday who else is out for both teams. I'm so tired of all the hype for this one, hopefully it lives up to its impossible expectations.

Also today, Patriots defensive end Andre Carter was fined $15,000 by the NFL for his personal foul on Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman last Sunday.

We can debate all day about how defensive players basically can't hit the quarterback anymore but you have to admit that this is not surprising since the game has been called this way the last few years.

This was the second time this season that Carter has been fined by the league.

UPDATE 12/17: Just when you forgot about Ross Ventrone, he's been re-signed by the Patriots and added to the 53-man roster, replacing Williams. Watch him make a huge play on Tebow tomorrow, haha if that happens I think my head might explode.

Branch, Vereen, Spikes, Chung and Vollmer were all downgraded to out for tomorrow as well.

UPDATE 12/18: Ryan Mallett and Nick McDonald are the other Patriots that are out today. For the Broncos, Dawkins is the only notable player that is out.

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Patriots Open Up Two-Game Lead In The AFC East With Easy 34-3 Win Vs. Chiefs On MNF

It's rare that an NFL game follows a script that everybody expects, that's what makes the league the best of the four major American sports and so exciting. It is usually so unpredictable from week to week.

Well once Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel went down with a hand injury last week and it was announced that he'd sit out, with backup Tyler Palko taking his place (for his first career start), the stars began to align for the rare 2011 New England Patriots blowout. That's exactly what happened as the Pats (7-3) took advantage on Monday Night Football with a 34-3 win that didn't even seem that close.

The poor Chiefs (4-6) have seen their season slip away due to major injuries to some key players: tight end Tony Moeaki, safety Eric Berry, running back Jamaal Charles, etc. Yes I know that every team in the NFL has injuries but it's impossible to top that list (Cassel was placed on IR today).

The MNF crew tried to sell the audience on Palko's (25 of 38, 236 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs) limited abilities and for a spell, it kind of worked as Kansas City led 3-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Succop.

It took a while for Tom Brady (15 of 27, 234 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) to get going but once New England's offense was in gear and Palko started to give the ball away like it was on fire, this one was over quick.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had his best game in weeks as New England racked up 157 yards rushing as a team. He had 20 carries for 81 yards and added a 25-yard catch.

Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 96 yards, 2 TDs) woke up his team and the Gillette Stadium crowd from their collective slumber with a 52-yard catch and run touchdown with 4:18 left in the first half. Stephen Gostkowski's PAT made it 7-3 and he added a 21-yard kick with 10 seconds left in the half after Brady and Co. couldn't punch it in.

Things started to get silly in third quarter as Gronk scored a 19-yard touchdown which ended with him hurdling a guy and then falling right on his neck. No worries though, the cyborg was fine. I'd worry about a concussion with him but could you really tell if he had one or not?

Gronk set a record by getting to 20 career touchdowns (in 26 games) faster than any tight end in NFL history. Also, Bill Belichick jumped ahead of former Patriots head coach Bill Parcells for ninth all-time on the NFL win list with 118 career victories.

It was time for nearly every player on the roster to make a contribution as Kyle Arrington picked off two passes (he leads the NFL with 7); along with extensive time on defense in the secondary, Julian Edelman returned a punt 72 yards for a score (his second career punt return TD); Philip Adams had his first career interception while Mark Anderson (1.5 sacks) and Andre Carter (.5 sack) continued to wreak havoc on mediocre quarterbacks (hi Sanchez!).

Gostkowski's 19-yard field goal closed out the third quarter and then even rookie running back Shane Vereen (8 carries, 39 yards) made a cameo appearance in the fourth. Vereen scored his first career touchdown with a four-yard jaunt. Those were the first carries of the regular season for the mysterious 2011 second-round draft pick out of Cal.

It kind of felt like 2008 (old times) as no doubt the national media will be whining about the Patriots running up the score.

New England started off slow tonight but nobody will remember that since they woke up in time to pummel an awful team. With the Jets and Bills tied at 5-5 and meeting next Sunday, the Patriots are sitting pretty with their two-game advantage. In addition, New England is tied with Houston and Pittsburgh for the best record in the AFC.

The Pats will travel to Philadelphia (4-6) on Sunday to meet the desperate Eagles. Philly pretty much has to win out to have a shot at the playoffs and we shall see if Vince Young or Mike Vick gets the start at quarterback for a team which is loaded with talent but has really struggled to find consistency and/or close out wins in the fourth.

Matt Light left late in the game after getting rolled up on by Tamba Hali. Rookie Marcus Cannon got his first snaps as a pro at right tackle. That situation will be something to monitor as this short week goes on.

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Lil' Wayne Presents: The (Andre) Carter 4.5

Something beautiful happened today that I think most Patriots fans never dreamed would occur this season.

Defensive end Andre Carter picked up the AFC's defensive player of the week award after his stellar performance (4.5 sacks, 3 knockdowns, hurry) against the Jets on Sunday night. Not only did he set a Patriots record for sacks in a single game but he also showed why he is the key for the defense the rest of the season.

With nine sacks and 38 tackles this season, Carter reminded Patriots fans how much a pass rush can help to cover up other weaknesses on a defense, namely a terrible secondary that's riddled with injuries and bums.

The 8.5 quarterback pressures that Carter alone had in the vital win against the Jets topped his previous high of 7.5 the week before against the Giants. At this point, it's not hyperbole to say that he's been New England's best defensive player (granted that's analogous to being Summa Cum Laude at Florida State).

The last Patriots defender to receive player of the week honors was former safety James Sanders from last season, Week 10 against the Colts (remember his interception that sealed it?).

Carter also won the award, in his rookie year (2001) with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17.

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Patriots Take A Time Machine Back To The Glory Days, Demolish Jets 37-16

There wasn't a Jets-Patriots game in recent memory that had such a lack of hype. Riding a two-game losing streak, looking extremely vulnerable and fatally flawed in so many ways, the Pats were becoming as irrelevant as I can ever remember in the last decade.

Well thankfully for us, a funny thing happened on the way to morphing into also-rans of the AFC East and the NFL, New England (6-3) showed their still the team to beat in the division with a 37-16 win tonight at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football.

With the loss, the Jets (5-4) not only fall to second-place but they also drop the season series (2-0) to the Patriots which could be a factor in playoff tiebreakers.

Tom Brady (26 of 39, 329 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) and head coach Bill Belichick became the winningest QB/Head Coach duo in NFL history with their 117th win (sorry Dan Marino/Don Shula).

Another interesting stat that was highlighted on NBC's typically superb broadcast: New England hasn't lost three straight games since 2002-the fourth longest streak in NFL history.

The way that this one played one was shocking since New England's secondary suffered another injury (separated shoulder to Devin McCourty) with guys like Sterling Moore, Philip Adams, Antwaun Molden, Ross Ventrone (he exists!), Sergio Brown and James Ihedigbo all getting playing time. Oh and Patrick Chung didn't even suit up.

The reason the Patriots defense played so well was mostly because of two incredible performances: Andre Carter set a team-record with 4.5 sacks while Rob Ninkovich had two interceptions including his first career interception.

Did I mention that Jeff Tarpinian got his first career start (at linebacker) along with Moore (at safety)? Yup, this is real life.

It is amazing though what a pass rush can do. The Patriots had 15 sacks in their first eight games of 2011; they got a third of that total tonight alone. Mark Anderson had half a sack and he added some pressure from the defensive end position as well. Of course, facing Mark Sanchez (20 of 39, 306 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) and the plodding Jets offense is a big help too. Still, New York had been playing great coming into this pivotal matchup, winners of its last three games.

I can't believe it took me this long to mention him but Rob Gronkowski (8 catches, 113 yards, 2 TDs) was the best skill position player on the field. With Wes Welker (6 catches, 46 yards) held in check by the incomparable Darrelle Revis, Gronk stepped up as he usually does.

Hell, even Chad Johnson (2 catches, 65 yards) made a couple plays, including a 53-yard catch on a blown coverage by Kyle Wilson. Deion Branch (5 catches, 58 yards) made it four consecutive games with a score against the J E T S.

Santonio Holmes (6 catches, 93 yards) was the only Jets receiver or running back to really stand out. Shonn Greene (13 carries, 61 yards) had a decent game but as the deficit piled up, New York was forced to abandon the run-something they're loathe to do.

New England lead 6-0 after the first quarter thanks to a pair of field goals (50-yard and 36-yard) by Stephen Gostkowski. Nick Folk missed a 24-yard chip shot on New York's opening drive, an omen of ineptitude to come by his mouthy teammates.

It looked like a replay of last weekend's loss to the Giants as the Patriots defense slowly started to crumble. It wasn't there fault that New York got on the board by forcing an intentional grounding by Brady in the end zone, which was a safety.

Sanchez gave the Jets their only lead of the game as he took a quarterback draw two yards for a touchdown. New York led 9-6 with 1:20 left in the first half but they left Brady and Co. too much time on the clock.

Looking much more precise than he did earlier in the half (when he could have had three interceptions), Brady hit Gronkowski for a momentum turning 18-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the half.

Unlike the Giants game or any other contest this season, New England's defense got better in the second half while the offense worked in conjunction with it. What a concept!

After a 27-yard field goal by Gostkowski in the third quarter (thanks to Niko Koutouvides' fumble recovery on a muffed punt), Ninkovich made his first pick of Sanchez on what Cris Collinsworth termed a "triple tip." Somewhere Bibi Jones drools to death. Speaking of everyone's favorite porn star, her boy Gronk caught a 5-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to give New England a commanding 23-9 lead. A two score lead against Sanchez and the Jets is analogous to a 30-point lead against most normal teams.

Plaxico Burress gave temporarily hope to Fireman Ed and his many friends (haha yeah right) with a 7-yard touchdown catch to begin the fourth quarter.

From there, Branch (8-yard TD) and Ninkovich (12-yard interception return) clinched it with a pair of scores in the span of three plays.

What this win gives Patriots fans more than anything is hope which is something that has been lacking with this team for longer than we care to admit. The Bills (5-4) got embarrassed today by the Cowboys, 44-7, so they're quickly coming back to Earth. Most promising, as Al Michaels pointed out late in the broadcast, the Pats have statistically the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.

We all know that nothing really matters until this team proves it can win in the postseason. Making the playoffs is still basically a forgone conclusion. When the 2011 playoffs roll around, it will be four years since the last Patriots playoff win.

The road to respectability for this defense continues next week in another primetime game: Monday night at Gillette vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) and Matt Cassel.

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Cowboys Fall To The Patriots And It's Not Even Tony Romo's Fault

I will be the first to admit that in the past week, I never once was scared of the Dallas Cowboys or particularly their bipolar quarterback Tony Romo.

I'm not enough of a honk to say I could never imagine Dallas beating New England but can we all admit that the Cowboys are the NFL equivalent of Notre Dame football? Just a completely delusional team and fanbase that think they're championship bound every season.

The Patriots (5-1) had to sweat it out at Gillette Stadium this afternoon against the Cowboys (2-3) but as usual Tom Brady (27 of 41, 289 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) came through with a two-minute drive to clinch it, 20-16 thanks to an 8-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez (8 catches, 68 yards) with 22 seconds remaining.

With its third straight victory, New England has now won 20 straight regular season home games while Brady and Bill Belichick tied Dan Marino/Don Shula's NFL record of 116 wins for a QB/coach combo.

Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 74 yards), Deion Branch (3 catches, 69 yards) and Wes Welker (6 catches, 45 yards) made up for a lackluster running game (101 total yards) that had performed very well the last two weeks.

Ironically, Romo (27 of 41, 317 yards, TD, INT) makes a living of blowing all varieties of games in every way possible but this time, you couldn't really blame Jessica Simpson's ex. Wide receivers Dez Bryant (4 catches, 78 yards) and Miles Austin (7 catches, 74 yards) along with tight end Jason Witten (4 catches, 48 yards) are a formidable trio of weapons in the Cowboys passing game.

I mean if you want to get specific, the Dallas offensive coordinator and head coach Jason Garrett are most to blame as they got the ball back (up 16-13) at their own 28 with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter but they proceeded to run three safe and predictable runs. They knew Romo's late game problems so they basically took it out of his hands; I can't say I blame them but giving Brady the ball at his own 20 with 2:31 left is a recipe for disaster.

Penalty problems didn't help the Cowboys either as they were flagged 10 times for 77 yards. The Patriots only were called for five penalties totaling 35 yards.

Nevermind that New England's offense was sloppy all day (2 interceptions and a fumble, plus a fumbled kickoff), when they had to produce they did: 10 plays, 80 yards and not enough time for Dallas to do anything but have Romo end the game by throwing a hail mary out of bounds (short of the end zone).

The Cowboys defense came in with a good reputation, thanks to new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (Rex's brother). It's way too easy to make fun of the Ryans but you have to admit that they know how to coach defense, especially against Belichick. Rob's Browns team last season was the last one before today's effort that held the Patriots under 30 points.

Dallas cornerback Terence Newman had an interception and a fumble recovery while linebacker Sean Lee had 12 tackles, six solo and an interception. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh added a fumble recovery on special teams.

The Patriots much-maligned defense earned some praise with this effort since they showed that they can survive a non-perfect outing from Brady and the offense (unlike Week 3's meltdown in Buffalo). Kyle Arrington (11 tackles, 7 solo) made his fourth interception of the season while Gerard Warren recovered a fumble. Hell, Andre Carter (5 tackles, 4 solo) even provided a semblance of a pass rush with two sacks.

You had to think Romo was in for a long day when he threw a bad interception on the first Dallas drive. New England brought it to the red zone but DeMarcus Ware (5 tackles, 2 sacks) sacked Brady on third down so the Pats had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

The Patriots forced a punt on Dallas' next drive but Brady gave it right back as his pass intended for Branch was picked off by Newman. New England's defense was faced with a short field (at their own 23) but they pushed the Cowboys back as they had to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Dan Bailey.

On the ensuing kickoff, Matthew Slater fumbled. Luckily, Tashard Choice fumbled it right back to the Pats five plays later as the teams were tied 3-3 after one quarter.

New England's first drive of the second quarter stalled again in the red zone as Gostkowski hit a 26-yard field goal. After forcing a Dallas punt, the Patriots got the ball back and made it 13-3 with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to Welker. On the field he was ruled out but it was clear that was the wrong call so Belichick challenged it and it was reversed.

Romo answered with his best drive of the game, finding his boy Witten for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left in the half.

New England got the ball first to start the second half but they couldn't do much so they punted to Dallas.

Romo got the Cowboys down to the 7-yard line but Carter's 11-yard sack on second down forced Dallas to get more conservative (foreshadowing!) as Choice took a dump pass to the 4-yard line. Bailey tied it with a 22-yard field goal.

A 12-play drive seemed promising for Brady and Co. but they were forced to punt yet again. However, Dallas bailed them out by running into Zoltan Mesko. Four plays later, Hernandez fumbled after a hit by Bradie James.

The Cowboys couldn't take advantage of that as they eventually punted on the ensuing drive. The Patriots weren't content with three turnovers as Lee picked off Brady in Dallas territory.

The red zone proved to be a major issue as Dallas couldn't punch it in again. A shovel pass (really?) to Choice on 3rd-and-Goal from the 5-yard line shockingly enough didn't work. Pats linebacker Brandon Spikes (8 tackles, 6 solo) made the play in what was one of his best performances as a pro. Bailey's 26-yard field goal still put the Cowboys up 16-13 and in position to pull off a major upset.

New England went three-and-out on their next possession but no worries since Dallas wouldn't dare let Romo throw the ball no matter what.

You always want a bye week later in the season when injuries have really mounted but at 5-1 and sitting in first place in the AFC East, I can't complain too much about the Patriots having next week off. Their next game is Sunday, October 30 at Pittsburgh and who knows, maybe Jerod Mayo will be back by then. The Steelers are always one of the AFC's top teams but in the last decade, I feel like the Patriots usually find a way to beat them home or away.

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Patriots Keep Making Moves, Set to Sign Andre Carter

This is the most unique time in NFL history since the entire league year has been condensed into a much shorter amount of the calendar.

After signing defensive end Mark Anderson on Friday and defensive tackle Shaun Ellis earlier on Sunday, reports surfaced on Sunday night that the New England Patriots had signed another piece to its defensive line: free agent defensive end Andre Carter.

Welcome to 2011 where Carter announced the news on his Twitter page (@mr_carter99) saying "I am proud to announce that I will be playing for the New England Patriots for the 2011 season. Thanks you for your prayers and support."

With that simple message, the Pats have picked up another player that could potentially play a big role. Now New England's lack of a pass rusher in its 2011 draft class or earlier in free agency doesn't look so bad huh?

Out of the University of California, Carter is 32-years-old and a former first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers. After five seasons in the Bay (2001-05), he's spent the last five seasons with the Washington Redskins (2006-10) so needless to say, he's probably looking forward to playing for a team that's not terrible and/or a complete mess.

Much like Ellis, one of Carter's greatest assets seems to be his durability. In his 10 NFL seasons, he's played in all 16 games seven times (including the last six seasons). He must have been seriously hurt in 2004 because he only played seven games but other than that, he's played 15 in two others and 16 in the rest.

In 149 career games including 133 starts, Carter has amassed 442 total tackles (340 solo, 102 assists), 66.0 sacks, 15 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He's been in double-digits for sacks three times: 12.5 in 2002 with San Francisco, 10.5 in 2007 with Washington and 11.0 in 2009 in Washington.

Bill Belichick can talk all he wants about how the defensive alignment isn't important but these recent moves (coupled with the addition of Albert Haynesworth) seems to underline the fact that the Patriots will be playing more 4-3 this season than 3-4. With that in mind, Carter is more of a natural fit in a 4-3 in a outside linebacker/defensive end role.

Best of all, these pickups mean that Jermaine Cunningham can get more time to adjust to the rigors of the NFL entering his second season while Eric Moore won't be counted on as much as he was down the stretch last season.

There's also sources saying that New England will release safety Brandon McGowan on Monday. Stay tuned to see if that actually happens.

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