Every Year At Cutdown Day, We're Reminded That The NFL Is The Coldest Sport Of Them All

At this point, basically nothing surprises me when it comes to the Patriots trimming their roster down to 53 players before the start of every regular season.

Still, even though we all saw Dan Koppen's release coming (he has nothing left), Brian Hoyer getting let go was a surprise and saying goodbye to Deion Branch was borderline shocking. Additionally, Jeff Demps was placed on IR and he's not on the 53-man roster which means he can't return this season under the new rule.

First things first, with Koppen and Branch gone, now Tom Brady is the only Patriot left who started for them in Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX (pours out Sam Adams in the gutter). Clearly Branch had lost a step or two the last few seasons but I think we all figured that after the Pats let Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth walk earlier this preseason, that he had won the No. 3 wide receiver spot. Turns out, that position is basically irrelevant since Julian Edelman will fill it followed by Matthew Slater.

There is always the chance that Gaffney or Branch could return later in the season since New England wouldn't have to pay them as much or God forbid Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Edelman, etc get hurt.

Seeing Hoyer leave isn't a big deal in itself, he is at best average but it means at least for now that Ryan Mallett is Brady's backup quarterback. Gulp. Have you seen Ryan Mallett play football? He looked woefully overmatched in preseason games against scrubs.

Speaking of nobodies, these are the rest of the players released by the Patriots to get to 53: safety Sergio Brown, guard Derek Dennis, receiver Jeremy Ebert, receiver Jesse Holley, fullback Eric Kettani, safety James Ihedigbo, offensive lineman Matt Kopa, linebacker Niko Koutouvides, linebacker Aaron Lavarias, defensive back Derrick Martin, tight end Alex Silvestro, linebacker Jeff Tarpinian, receiver Kerry Taylor, tight end Tyler Urban, offensive lineman Dustin Waldron, guard Jeremiah Warren, offensive tackle Darrion Weems and defensive back Malcolm Williams.

New England is actually down to 52 players so expect them to make at least one roster move and claim someone off waivers that was released by another NFL team.

Almost all of those guys are what I would describe as August heroes, they got a majority of the time in preseason games but you'd be in big trouble if they actually had to see the field in the regular season. Of that list, Ihedigbo is probably the biggest name since he played 67% of the defensive snaps in 2011, not to mention plenty of special teams. Here's hoping the UMass product and Northampton native finds a new NFL home. He proved that he can definitely play in the league.

UPDATE 9/1: Patriots defensive back Ross Ventrone received an injury settlement and was released from injured reserve on Friday, a source confirmed.

Since the injury settlement occurred within five days of being placed on injured reserve, Ventrone is eligible to return to New England later this season.

Ventrone can return six weeks after the length of his injury settlement, which was unspecified.

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Dan Koppen Re-Signs A 2-Year Deal With The Patriots

Some unexpected but great news today as it looks like the New England Patriots have re-signed center Dan Koppen to a two-year deal.

It was a surprise since I had read last week that he visited with the Tennessee Titans and I figured that meant his career with the Pats was over. After getting hurt (breaking his left fibula) in Week 1 last season against Miami, the former Pro Bowler went on IR. Dan Connolly took over for Koppen and did a perfectly fine job. More interesting, he recently signed a three-year deal with New England.

I guess the Pats figure that you can never have enough quality linemen. After all, I have no numbers to back it up but it feels like they go down with injuries more than at any other position. It's no wonder since they have such a brutal, grunt job. Connolly is more versatile while Koppen has only ever played center so I don't think they'll shift him around at this point but you never know.

A graduate of Boston College, Koppen is 32 and he's spent his entire career with the Pats after getting drafted in 2003 (5th round, 164th overall). The team has won two Super Bowls and been to another one with him as Tom Brady's last line of protection so he's doing something right.

The other offensive linemen in the mix are Pro Bowl guards Logan Mankins and Brian Waters, newcomer Robert Gallery, Ryan Wendell (3 starts at center) and Nick McDonald (2 starts at center). All I know is that's a lot of fat guys that the Patriots trust.

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2012 NFL Free Agency Begins Or So I've Heard

The new calendar year for the NFL officially began at 4 p.m. this afternoon, meaning that free agency opened.

For New England Patriots fans, this day is strange. You watch so many teams around the league make big splashes but the Pats rarely spend a whole lot in free agency or acquiring marquee names. They much prefer to draft and develop guys or find castoffs that they turn into valuable players.

So while Vincent Jackson was getting paid in Tampa Bay, Peyton Manning was traveling around the country and Brandon Marshall was traded from Miami to Chicago, the Patriots chose to lock up mostly depth players that don't get many headlines.

Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer received a second-round tender from New England. The $1.92 million tender means that any other team can sign him to an offer sheet. If the Patriots don't match it, they get a second-round pick.

Defensive lineman Kyle Love received an exclusive rights free-agent tender. Center Dan Koppen is headed to the open market in free agency although he could return to Foxboro. Linebacker Niko Koutouvides was signed to a one-year deal with a base salary of $825,000. Finally, Matthew Slater is expected to reach an agreement tomorrow.

Only Brandon Lloyd is left in terms of impact free agent wide receivers. Let's hope that the Pats can get something done with him soon and they don't lose out to a team like the 49ers (who's hosting him on a visit tomorrow). I would list other pipe dreams like Mario Williams but I fear there's no chance they'll land anybody in his range.

UPDATE 3/14: The Patriots resigned linebacker and special teams standout Tracy White, terms were not disclosed. They've also signed former Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene to a three-year contract worth $12 million which includes a $3.85 million signing bonus. I'm excited that the Pats addressed one of their biggest needs but honestly, I've never heard of this bum. Looks like another nobody that they'll try to squeeze something out of on short money. He had 6.5 sacks last season and six sacks in 2009. He's 29 years old, 6-4, 285 pounds and he's from American Samoa. You probably would recognize him from his long hair.

UPDATE 3/15: Today the Patriots resigned Slater and also came to terms with defensive lineman Marcus Harrison, who was on the team for one day (haha really) last season. New England also signed safety Steve Gregory to a three-year deal (averaging between $2 million and $3 million) and they resigned Dan Connolly to a new contract. Gregory was on the Chargers since entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2006.

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Injuries Are Already Starting To Pile Up For The New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have only played two games so far in the 2011 regular season but injuries are proving to be an issue even this early on. That shouldn't be a shock at all since injuries seem to be way up around the league thanks to the lockout screwing up everyone's offseason schedules.

Longtime center Dan Koppen broke his lower left leg (fibula) in the first game against the Dolphins and defensive tackle Myron Pryor went down in the first half of Sunday's game against the Chargers with a shoulder injury. Today, both players were placed on season-ending Injured Reserve. Dan Connolly slid over to center during the Monday Night game and that's where he started last Sunday vs. San Diego.

Koppen's injury looked serious right when it happened but with the way that New England covers up an injury (fake or real), it took this long to get the official word of what we've long expected.

Pryor's injury isn't as notable since he's more of a substitute on the defensive line but all reports from training camp and the preseason are that he was stepping up (something Ron Brace, Brandon Deadrick, etc. have never done). Vince Wilfork, Shaun Ellis, Andre Carter and Albert Haynesworth are all very talented but they would never be called a young group and that's what Pryor brought to the table: energy and youth.

To fill those two roster spots, the Pats have brought back preseason hero Landon Cohen-a defensive tackle and cornerback Phillip Adams, who played as a rookie last season for San Francisco. With Ras-I Dowling (thigh) and Kyle Arrington (concussion) going down against San Diego, he adds depth to a position that's already lacking it in the first place.

In addition, tight end Aaron Hernandez sprained his knee (MCL) last Sunday and he'll miss either a week or two depending on who you believe. That equates to more touches likely for Chad Ochocinco down the field and Danny Woodhead out of the backfield.

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