Patriots Lock Up Their Top Cornerback-Aqib Talib-For Another Season

Aqib Talib only played eight games for the Patriots last season (6 regular season, 2 playoff) after he was traded from the Buccaneers but in that short time span, he established himself as the team's best cornerback by far. He has the confidence and ability to be successful at one of the NFL's most difficult positions and today, they signed him to a one-year deal worth $5 million.

I'm sure he wanted a longer deal here or somewhere else but given his track record of injuries and off the field incidents, he probably didn't have much of a market. This means next season for him will be a showcase of sorts as he tries to score a big deal.

He had 19 tackles in the regular season, 10 in the playoffs, a fumble recovery, two passes defensed and he returned an interception 57 yards for a TD in his first game as a Patriot against the Colts. When he left the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore with a hamstring injury, that changed the whole complexion of the contest. I'm not saying he would have made enough of a different to beat the Ravens that day but he certainly wouldn't have hurt the Patriots' awful secondary which was torched by Joe Flacco.

Talib is 27 and entering his sixth NFL season. With a full offseason and training camp with New England, it's not hard to see him really excelling and having a Pro Bowl type year since he should be in the prime of his NFL career. With Adrian Wilson signed last night and now Talib, the Pats are addressing their biggest need-secondary-since the NFL is totally a passing league now. Next I'd love to see them sign some more guys (Freeney, Abraham, etc) that can get after the quarterback, the Patriots' second biggest issue on defense.

Also, linebacker Niko Koutovides (probably the most obscure Patriot) was re-signed to a one-year deal. That fills New England's quota (1) of Greeks on their special teams units.

UPDATE 3/16: Brandon Lloyd has been released but he could return if they restructure his deal (aka take away a bunch of money).

UPDATE 3/17: Patriots signed free agent offensive lineman Will Svitek to a one-year deal.

UPDATE 3/20: The Pats re-signed cornerback Marquice Cole.

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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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Addition By Subtraction: Josh Barrett Placed On Injured Reserve

We all know how terrible the New England Patriots secondary has been this season. Still, I'd say that it's a good thing that safety Josh Barrett was placed on injured reserve today with a calf injury.

He hasn't faced much heat from the media but Barrett (14 tackles in 5 games) has been awful. The times that he's been on the field for the Pats, you can always count on him missing tackles or completely blowing assignments. Again, New England doesn't have many suitable replacements but can they be much worse than him?

The team resigned linebacker Niko Koutouvides (who was around during the preseason) and cornerback Sterling Moore, adding them to the 53-man roster. Koutovides could see playing time with Brandon Spikes' injury while Moore will be on special teams.

For the practice squad, linebacker Mike Rivera, safety Ross Ventrone and cornerback Josh Victorian were added to the eight-man team while cornerback Malcolm Williams was released.

Got it all?

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Patriots Special Teams Get A Greek Infusion

Bruins head coach Claude Julien is renown for his love of the fourth line scrubs (the Fribble Crew as dubbed by Michael Felger) but I would also submit that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a similar love for special teams guys in the NFL. Like Julien, he can't get enough of them but like everything that Coach Hoodie does, there's logic and reason behind it.

Most people on the outside overlook the work of special teams players; it's a position filled with many injuries and little glory but as the Patriots showed in 2001-02 and during their other Super Bowl wins in 2002-03 and 2003-04, having coverage units and return teams you can count on (not to mention a reliable kicker and punter) are a key part of the close contests that litter the NFL playoffs.

When I heard last week that the Pats had worked out linebacker Niko Koutouvides, I didn't bother mentioning it since I had honestly never heard of him so I didn't think it was relevant. My apologies to Mr. Koutouvides and his extended family as he signed with New England today and it turns out that he's been in the NFL for seven seasons (who knew?). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Koutouvides is 6-2, 238 pounds and he has played with the Seattle Seahawks (2004-07), Denver Broncos (2008) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2010). He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick (116th overall) of Seattle in 2004 out of Purdue University. After four seasons with the Seahawks, he signed with Denver as an unrestricted free agent in 2008. He was released by Denver after the season and signed with Tampa Bay in the 2009 offseason.

Koutouvides has played in 103 games with two starts and registered 101 special teams tackles and 54 total tackles on defense. He has also played in eight postseason games, including Super Bowl XL while with Seattle (when they got screwed by the shady refs against the Steelers).

So yeah, if you're Greek and you like the Patriots, it's fair to say that you have a new favorite player. Just make sure that if you get his jersey that you don't go to the bathroom or get food or drinks during kickoffs and punt returns since you'll most likely miss your guy doing his thing on the field.

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