Phillip Adams Gets Released By The Patriots, Expect Him Back Soon

One of the cornerbacks in the Patriots no-name secondary has been released: Philip Adams was let go today which means that Devin McCourty must be on the mend.

A seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2010, Adams has already had three stints in Foxborough so far this season. I would place a fair sized bet that will only increase in the coming days or weeks. Keep that playbook Philip!

Adams played in six games with the Pats and he's been a slot corner. He played a season-high 51 snaps against the Eagles on Sunday but Julian Edelman replaced him at one point after he got beaten two plays in a row. Something to keep in mind with this move today.

Overall, Adams has played 180 snaps in the last five games. He also saw time on special teams. McCourty has missed the last two contests after injuring his shoulder against the Jets a few weeks ago on Sunday Night Football.

With Adams gone, the Patriots have an open spot on the 53-man roster. Clearly McCourty hasn't been himself (we think) this season but if he's healthy, you always prefer to have him over Adams. He'll probably be bunking up with Ross Ventrone under Bill Belichick's desk for the rest of the season.

UPDATE 11/30: The Patriots signed free agent cornerback Nate Jones today. A seventh-round draft by the Cowboys in 2004, he's a Rutgers product like McCourty and Tiquan Underwood. He's played four years in Dallas, three in Miami and one in Denver. He can play safety and special teams. For his career, he has 179 solo tackles, 34 assists, six sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 16 passes defended.

After spending training camp in Denver this season, he was resigned by the Dolphins and played two games for them before he was released on Oct. 5. Hey, at least he was drafted. Progress!

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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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