This is when the real work begins.

The first 72 hours of NFL free agency — a giddy free-for-all of cash, contracts and craziness — have come and gone. All the big-time free agents are off the market. As expected, Julius Peppers, Dunta Robinson and Karlos Dansby all have gotten sizable contracts, while other notables such as Anquan Boldin and Kerry Rhodes changed addresses.

Through the first weekend, the Patriots performed about as expected. They had an offer on the table for Peppers, but the Bears controlled that situation about as well as you can, keeping Peppers at Halas Hall until he put pen to paper. New England also was tangentially involved in the Boldin situation but was overwhelmed by Baltimore, which acted like a team on a mission.

But ultimately, the Patriots’ weekend activity proved the initial statements from management regarding its approach to the 2010 uncapped year were right — while the Pats haven’t stated publicly that they will operate as though a cap were in place, it certainly appears New England will follow the lead of several other teams that have said as much.

“[We’re going] through the same process this year as we did in years past,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said late last month at the combine. “We have a budget in place like we do every year. It doesn’t really change for us in terms of what we do in terms of spending and player acquisition. That really hasn’t changed.”

Now, the merry-go-round has come to a halt and the second wave of free agency begins. It’ll be a series where the Patriots will likely play a greater role than they did the first weekend. They did achieve their first goal in taking care of their own — the news on Vince Wilfork, Tully Banta-Cain and Stephen Neal all came down in one extraordinary six-hour stretch on Friday — but will be faced with some serious personnel decisions in the next week.

Those big decisions likely will start with Leigh Bodden, who was New England’s most consistent cornerback over the course of the 2009 season, was wined and dined in Houston last night and will make an official visit to the Texans' Reliant Stadium on Monday. Is he gone? No, but in the words of Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross: “A guy don’t walk on the lot lest he wants to buy.” In this market, Bodden represents excellent value, even if he does end up signing a deal that nets him between $4 million and $5 million a year. And he knows it.

“I had a good year there, but it’s all about who wants me,” Bodden told a Houston television station on Sunday night when asked about the Patriots. “If they want me, they can get me. If Houston wants me, they can get me. I’m just here to see what these guys have to offer and just meet the coaches.”

While Bodden clearly is the Patriots' top priority among their own guys, veteran running back Kevin Faulk should be right behind him. Faulk, the only player on the roster who pre-dates Bill Belichick's arrival as head coach, is a unique player. He has the on-field numbers to back up a nice deal, but Faulk also garners a tremendous amount of respect in the New England locker room, maybe more than anyone else currently on the 53-man roster. If he walks, it would be another blow to a team that appeared to struggle at times with leadership issues throughout the season.

Of the rest of their own free agents, the Patriots likely will focus on retaining defensive lineman Jarvis Green, while chances are good that linebacker Derrick Burgess, punter Chris Hanson and tight end Benjamin Watson all are further down the priority list.

In addition, the Patriots have been kicking the tires on a number of veteran free agent wide receivers, including Josh Reed, who reportedly is heading to Foxboro for a workout on Monday. On the heels of the Pats' signing of David Patten, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to take a look at a wide variety of available veteran pass-catchers such as Derrick Mason, Antonio Bryant and even Ashley Lelie.