Patriots - Inside Slant

After working unsuccessfully to reach a long-term deal in New England, third-year Patriots wide receiver Jabar Gaffney re-signed a one-year pact on March 5. While disappointed that the sides couldn’t hammer out the long-term pact he’d hoped for when he was due to hit free agency this spring, the former second-round pick of the Texans was quite pleased that his football future will be in New England.

“I wanted to stick around,” Gaffney said after a recent team workout. “I knew I wanted to stay here, especially how last season ended. I wanted to come back and give it another run.”

Gaffney finished his second season in New England with 36 receptions for 449 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 16 games with seven starts. Down the stretch he became one of Tom Brady’s favored playmakers in key moments, including a game-winning touchdown against the Ravens during a stretch when he had four touchdowns in five games. He added another four receptions and touchdown in the postseason.

But it was actually Gaffney’s experiences before joining the Patriots as a street free agent in October 2006 that most influenced his desire to remain in New England. After four losing seasons in Houston, Gaffney signed with the Eagles after the 2005 season, but Philly cut the former second-round pick prior to the 2006 campaign.

“Having been at those places and being in Houston, we never had a winning record,” Gaffney said of the days before his career rebirth in New England. “Here I know we are going to be competitive and have a chance at the end.”

That chance at the end—the postseason and a Super Bowl goal—combined with the upside of playing with Brady can mean much more to players than money ever could.

“It’s matters a lot. You want a chance to win. When you are really competitive and just really love the game of football, that’s what it comes down to,” Gaffney said. “All the money stuff, all the other stuff, that’s all fine and dandy. But a real competitor wants to win.”

Gaffney and his teammates will use a devastating season-ending defeat as motivation to yet again push toward the ultimate goal. The team that ran out of gas two years ago in an AFC title loss in Indy used that pain to put together the NFL’s first 16-0 regular season.

“It’s pretty much the same,” Gaffney said of the similarities between this offseason and last. “We were there and left a little empty handed. We want to get back there and be on the other side of it. A lot of people this offseason have tried to be like, ‘You all were 18-0. You were the first team to go 16-0 and all.’ That’s all fine but we didn’t finish what we set out to do.”

While the team goal—another Lombardi Trophy—is simply stated, the carrot for a New England offense that set endless NFL records last season isn’t quite as easy to pinpoint. But Gaffney, for one, believes there is room for a unit that scored an historic 589 points last season to get better.

“We have pretty much everybody on the offense back, so we should,” Gaffney said with his usual quiet confidence. “And with everybody back, guys that were new last year they are going to be more comfortable in the offense. So we should only get better. It’s just going to take more work.”

A better New England offense in 2008? That may be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL, but it’s just the sort of utopia Gaffney couldn’t walk away from.

Notes, Quotes

• Dom Capers has yet to coach even a single practice in New England, but he clearly already has his supporters in the locker room. Free-agent addition Fernando Bryant has been open in his support for the guy he played under in his time with the Jaguars. Jabar Gaffney has voiced his support, too, having played for Capers with the Texans.

“He brings a great knowledge of the game and defense,” Gaffney said of Capers who will serve as New England’s special assistant/secondary coach this season. “He’s a tremendous mind and coach. He’s going to bring a lot of experience and then another guy that can kind of be like a mentor for players. He helps guys out. He’ll sit down with you one on one and all kinds of stuff.”

• The Patriots released a couple players from the bottom of the roster April 30, parting ways with linebacker T.J. Slaughter and CB Tim Mixon. Slaughter is a seven-year veteran who had joined the team as a free agent Feb. 12 after being out of football last season. Mixon spent the end of last season on New England’s practice squad. Both players became a bit more expendable when the Patriots selected three linebackers and a pair of cornerbacks on draft weekend.

• LB Shawn Crable, one of New England’s third-round picks on draft weekend, compares physically to another Patriots linebacker from the University of Michigan—third-year player Pierre Woods. Crable is 6-5, 243; Woods, who played mostly special teams in two pro seasons, is listed at 6-5, 250.

At least one member of the media tried to liken Crable to another linebacker Bill Belichick coached earlier in his career—Giants great Carl Banks.

“I made a comparison to Pierre Woods. He reminds me a lot more of Pierre Woods than he does Carl Banks,” Belichick said quickly lowering expectations for one of his newest defenders. “Are there some similarities to Carl Banks? I don’t know.”

• LB Junior Seau’s future with the Patriots remains in limbo, but according to a report in the New Bedford (Mass.) Standard Times, the 18-year veteran could be returning for another run in New England. The Times reports the Patriots are bringing Seau in for a physical to check on a surgically repaired shoulder.

• WR Randy Moss is in the process of trying to build a racing team, forming Moss Motorsports with the hopes putting together a group to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series.

“We don’t have all the details in place just yet, but I am very excited about Moss Motorsports becoming a part of NASCAR,” Moss said in a release.

The hope is to have the team in place for a schedule of racing for the 2009 season.

“There are a lot of NASCAR fans in the locker room,” Moss said. “We’ve seen a lot of football players get involved—guys like Dan Marino and Troy Aikman to name a couple. I think it’s a good fit and gives some of the companies I am already working with an additional outlet. It’s a smart move on the marketing side of things but on the personal side of things I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Quote To Note: “Who would have ever thought you would be covering a Bill Belichick draft with no offensive linemen, defensive linemen, or tight ends taken, right?”—Bill Belichick, assessing the Patriots’ draft.

Strategy And Personnel

Franchise Player: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

• WR Troy Brown played just one game in his 15th season after starting the year on PUP. He may retire, but if he doesn’t the team told him that he’s not in its plans moving forward.

• S Mel Mitchell played in 10 games and is a core special teams-type guy. He might choose to go elsewhere as New England only has room for so many one-dimensional special teamers.

• CB Chad Scott didn’t make it through training camp and has been hurt often. He’s a solid veteran backup and could be back with the team in the market for corner depth.

• LB Junior Seau was expected to get his first Super Bowl ring and retire. The Giants messed that little story up. He was healthy all year and made plays. If he doesn’t retire after his 18th season, the only place he’ll be playing is in New England.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

• LB Eric Alexander is a decent though injury prone special teamer although he’s yet to show anything on defense, other than of course his still inexplicable start in the 2006 AFC title loss in Indianapolis.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

• WR Sam Aiken: UFA Bills; $1.555M/2 yrs, $225,000 SB/$40,000 WO; 2008 cap: $757,500.

• CB Fernando Bryant: FA Lions; $776,000/1 yr, $20,000 SB/$20,000 WO; 2008 cap: $491,000.

• LB Victor Hobson: UFA Jets; $645,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: $485,000.

• P Scott Player: FA; terms unknown.

• TE Marcus Pollard: UFA Seahawks; terms unknown.

• CB Lewis Sanders: FA Falcons; $770,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: $491,000.

• CB Jason Webster: UFA Bills; $800,000/1 yr, $130,000 guaranteed/$70,000 WO.

• S Tank Williams: UFA Vikings; $645,000/1 yr, $40,000 WO; 2008 cap: $491,000.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

• T Wesley Britt: ERFA; terms unknown.

• LB Tedy Bruschi: Potential UFA; $4.1M/2 yrs, $1.2M SB; 2008 cap: $1.6M.

• WR Jabar Gaffney: UFA; $1.281M/1 yr, $500,000 SB/$75,000 WO.

• LB Larry Izzo: Potential UFA; $870,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: 485,000.

• WR Randy Moss: UFA; $27M/3 yrs, $12M SB/$3M base guarantee; 2008 cap: $6M.

• LS Lonie Paxton: UFA; $880,000/1 yr, $150,000 SB.

• S Ray Ventrone: ERFA; $370,000/1 yr.

• WR Kelley Washington: UFA; $1.855M/2 yrs, $450,000 SB; 2008: $830,000.

• LB Pierre Woods: ERFA; terms unknown.

• DL Mike Wright: RFA; terms unknown (tendered at $1.47M).

PLAYERS LOST

• TE Kyle Brady (released/failed physical).

• LB Rosevelt Colvin (released/failed physical).

• CB Randall Gay: UFA Saints; $12M/4 yrs, $3.75M SB.

• DL Rashad Moore: Not tendered as RFA/Falcons; terms unknown.

• CB Asante Samuel: UFA Eagles; $59.475M/6 yrs, $6M SB/$7M RB 08-09.

• WR Donte Stallworth: UFA Browns; $35M/7 yrs, $10M guaranteed.

• DB Eugene Wilson: UFA Buccaneers; $1.8M/1 yr, $500,000 guaranteed.