Fri, 05/03/2013 - 11:12am — Jerry Spar

The Patriots announced the signing 19 rookie free agents Friday, including another defensive back from Rutgers.

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 11:07am — Anonymous

The Patriots announced the signing 19 rookie free agents Friday, including another defensive back from Rutgers.

Brandon Jones

Brandon Jones

After drafting Rutgers cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon (as well as linebacker Steve Beauharnais) last week, the Pats inked Scarlet Knights cornerback Brandon Jones to compete for a spot in a secondary that already includes Rutgers alumnus Devin McCourty. Jones, who stands 6-foot-1, recorded a team-high five interceptions last season and was a standout special teams player.

Other undrafted players signed by the Pats are: punter Ryan Allen (Louisiana Tech), fullback Ben Bartholomew (Tennessee), defensive lineman Dewayne Cherrington (Mississippi State), safety Kanorris Davis (Troy), offensive lineman Elvis Fisher (Missouri), tight end Brandon Ford (Clemson), defensive lineman Cory Grissom (South Florida), running back Quentin Hines (Akron), offensive lineman Josh Kline (Kent State), offensive lineman Chris McDonald (Michigan State), wide receiver T.J. Moe (Missouri), cornerback Stephon Morris (Penn State), linebacker Ian Sluss (Portland State), offensive lineman Matt Stankiewitch (Penn State), tight end Zach Sudfeld (Nevada), wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins (Cincinnati), defensive lineman Joe Vellano (Maryland) and long snapper Mike Zupancic (Eastern Michigan).

Following are bios on the players from the Patriots media relations staff.

Allen, 23, began his career at Oregon State before transferring to Louisiana Tech. The 6-2, 215-pounder was named the Ray Guy Award-winner in 2011 and 2012, becoming the first player to claim the award in back-to-back seasons.

Bartholomew, 23, played in 31 games with 13 starts during his career at Tennessee. The 6-2, 252-pounder also participated in shot put for the Tennessee track and field team.

Cherrington, 22, began his college career at Holmes (Miss.) Community College where he was a two-way standout before walking on at Mississippi State. The 6-3, 335-pounder earned a scholarship in his final year in 2012.

Davis, 23, played as a linebacker in college where he helped Troy win the Sun Belt Conference championship in 2011 and 2012. The 5-10, 203-pounder finished his college career with 207 tackles and 10 forced fumbles.

Fisher, 24, returned to the field in 2012 at Missouri after being awarded a hardship by the NCAA after being forced to miss the 2011 season with an injury. The 6-5, 300-pounder was a starter at left tackle during his college career and was named a team captain in 2011 and 2012.

Ford, 23, served as a backup tight end in 2010 and 2011 before earning a starting position in 2012 when he finished with 40 receptions for 480 yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-3, 240-pounder finished his college career with 12 touchdowns, which tied a school record for most receiving touchdowns by a tight end.

Grissom, 22, appeared in 46 games with 40 starts at South Florida and posted 105 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The 6-2, 316-pounder was named second-team All-Big East as a senior in 2012.

Hines, 22, began his college career at Cincinnati in 2008 and appeared in one game in 2009 after redshirting in 2008. The 5-11, 190-pounder missed the 2010 and 2011 seasons before finishing his career in 2012 at Akron.

Jones, 23, played in 13 games with 12 starts as a senior, posting 31 tackles, nine passes defensed and a team-leading five interceptions. The 6-1, 187-pounder also was a standout special teams player during his time at Rutgers.

Kline, 23, saw action at right guard, right tackle and on special teams during his college career at Kent State. The 6-3, 310-pounder earned second-team All-MAC honors as a senior in 2012.

McDonald, 23, was a four-year letterman at Michigan State who played in 43 games with 39 starts at right guard. The 6-5, 298-pounder was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection after being the only Michigan State player to start in every game in 2012 on the offensive line. He is the younger brother of Patriots offensive lineman Nick McDonald.

Moe, 22, played in 48 games over his four seasons at Missouri, totaling 188 receptions for 2,101 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 6-0, 200-pounder also had 12 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown and 34 kick returns for 793 yards. He was named a team captain in 2012 and posted 40 receptions for 399 yards and one touchdown.

Morris, 22, played in 49 games with 24 starts over his college career at Penn State and finished with 148 tackles, one interception and 13 passes defensed. The 5-8, 186-pounder was named All-Big Ten honorable mention as a senior.

Sluss, 23, earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2012 and was also selected as the Portland State team MVP after leading the team with 104 tackles, with four interceptions and four fumble recoveries. The 6-foot, 225-pounder played two seasons at the University of Redlands before transferring to Portland State and redshirting in 2010.

Stankiewitch, 23, started all 25 games at center as a junior and senior at Penn State. The 6-4, 290-pounder was named a team captain for the East in the East-West Shrine Game.

Sudfeld, 23, received a medical redshirt in 2012 at Nevada after an injury in the 2011 opener. The 6-7, 225-pounder caught a career-high 45 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns for Nevada in 2012.

Thompkins, 24, played two seasons at Cincinnati after transferring from El Camino Community College. The 6-1, 190-pounder caught 78 passes for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Vellano, 24, played defensive tackle as a sophomore and junior before being moved to end as a senior at Maryland. The 6-2, 285-pounder was elected as a team captain in 2011 and 2012 and was All-ACC first team as a senior in 2012 after finishing with 61 total tackles and six sacks.

Zupancic, 23, earned three letters as the long snapper for Eastern Michigan. The 6-5, 240-pounder never missed a game in his four-year career, playing in all 48 games.

Patriots second-round pick Jamie Collins gets his first look at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. (AP)For the last couple of years, the Patriots have searched for a linebacker who could work in coverage.



Thu, 05/02/2013 - 9:33pm — Anonymous

Patriots guard Logan Mankins was revealed as the first player on the NFL Network’s “Top 100″ Thursday night, coming in at No. 82.

The first-round pick of the Patriots in 2005, the Fresno State product was named to an All-Pro team in each of the past three seasons and five Pro Bowls during his career.

It marks the third consecutive season he’s made the list — he was at No. 39 in 2011, No. 64 last year, and checked it at No. 82 this season. The list is compiled by a players’ vote.

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 6:32pm — Anonymous
Chandler Jones

Chandler Jones

FOXBORO — For an NFL youngster, the transition between the first and second season can be even tougher than the jump from college to the pros for several reasons, including the fact that the league now has a full year of tape on you. The moves you used to surprise people as a rookie don’t work any more, and it’s on you to make the adjustments to take your game to another level.

For Chandler Jones, those adjustments are multifaceted. For one, in the wake of his 2012 season, he wanted to improve his upper body strength. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end out of Syracuse is a long, lean pass rusher, but wanted to bulk up to try and gain an advantage on opposing tackles.

“I’m still working on it — it’s a long process,” said Jones, the Syracuse product had 10 quarterback hits and six sacks as a rookie with the Patriots in 2012. “You can’t just wake up and just get bigger and stronger. [Strength] coach Harold [Nash] and [assistant strength] coach Moses [Cabrera] do a great job at strength and conditioning, so I’m excited.”

He’s also managed to do some boxing as part of his offseason workouts. He was initially set on training with his brother, MMA fighter Jonny “Bones” Jones, but a toe injury to Jonny may have set that make a bit.

“His toe was pretty bad, I don’t know if you guys saw it — his toe kind of broke out of the skin,” Chandler said of the gruesome injury his brother recently endured. “Actually I didn’t go down and train with him, but I did do some boxing and MMA right up over in Providence with [teammate] Brandon Deaderick. It was great training, very great training.”

It hasn’t been all work this offseason for Jones. He said Thursday he took about five weeks off to relax and recharge after a long rookie year.

“I was talking about that the other day,” he said. “Someone asked me ‘How was the offseason?’ There really isn’t an offseason. Even though you try to unplug from the game and get your mind off of it, you’re always thinking about what you could’ve done on that play or in that game. Physically, yeah, there’s definitely a resting factor, but you know mentally, you’re always thinking about football. That’s your job.”

When it comes to off-field stuff, Jones — who met second-round pick Jamie Collins for the first time on Thursday, just before the rookie was presented with his jersey in a ceremony alongside owner Robert Kraft — is excited to get his second year started for several reasons, not the least of which is that he’ll have a chance to show his chops as a leader.

“Being a rookie, especially being a first-round draft pick, you don’t want to make any mistakes. You’re nervous about going into every drill,” he said when asked about the offseason workouts, which are ongoing at Gillette Stadium. “Now going into my second year in the NFL, I kind of try to lead, be the first one at every drill, and just try to be a leader and that’s what my biggest focus is, taking the game more seriously.”

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 5:43pm — Anonymous
Stevan Ridley was seventh in the league in rushing yards in 2012. (AP)

Stevan Ridley was seventh in the league in rushing yards in 2012. (AP)

FOXBORO — For Stevan Ridley, a terrific season ended on a sour note when he was knocked out of the AFC title game against the Ravens. The running back — who rushed for 1,263 yards in the regular season — suffered a head injury which left him sidelined in the waning moments of the loss to Baltimore.

In the wake of the injury, Ridley says he’s been able to shake off any lingering effects of what happened and move full into the offseason.

“None at all, man,” he said Thursday when asked if there were any lingering effects from the head-to-head collision. “Just good sleep and trying to get back on the field. I thank the Lord that I’m healthy and brought me back. All I can do now is move forward from that. But it was a nice hit that I took. Just got to shake it off. Comes with the game.

“It wasn’t pretty at all. It was one of the worst [hits] that I took in my life, [but] it comes with the game,” he added. “I love the game and I love football. I mean, it’s going to happen sometimes. But you got to roll with it. Adjust it. Make sure you’re squared away with your doctor, squared away with your team. I’ll be out here this year ready to go.”

Ridley finished the season seventh in the league in total yardage, and came within 10 carries of becoming the first Patriots running back to hit 300 carries since Corey Dillon in 2004. That sort of workload helped bring some real balance in the New England offense, but also meant that Ridley needed to make sure that he caught up on his rest over the last couple of months.

“It’s always good to get a break,” he said. “For us, being in the playoffs the last few years, our break is a little bit shorter than others. But when you take that time, you have to take at least three or four weeks to take time for yourself and visit your family — step away. Once you get back up here it’s 24/7. We’re back on the clock. Once we’re back up here, we’re excited to be here and excited about a new year and a fresh start. So, some time off doesn’t hurt anybody, but we know it’s time to get back to work now that we’re here.

Coming off his first 1,000-yard season, Ridley is looking to build some consistency, and become the first running back Bill Belichick has ever had that’s been able to string together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

“I’m just still grinding. I’m happy,” he said. “Some things went well for me and the team. It worked out for me. But for the future and what’s coming up, you just gotta keep working. You know you can’t just do it one year. You’ve got to keep … be consistent with your production. We’re just gonna keep working hard. I’m gonna keep following my teammates and challenging each other and trying to put us in the best shape we can be in.”

One thing that will be different for the Patriots’ ground game in 2013 is the removal of popular veteran Danny Woodhead (who signed a free-agent contract with the Chargers) and the arrival of veteran LeGarrette Blount (who was acquired in a draft weekend deal with the Bucs).

Ridley was clearly sad to see Woodhead go, but eager to get the chance to work with someone like Blount.

“Oh, man — I’ve talked to Woody I’d say three or four times since he left here. You hate to see the guy go like that, but it was the best move for him. It was him and his family. But we’ll stay in touch and we can get across the country and see each other when we need to,” he said of Woodhead.

“You’re looking at a guy who is 260 pounds, a powerful runner,” he added when asked about Blount. “You’re looking at a guy who is coming in here to a stable of backs. We just had lunch, just talked a little bit, and now we’re excited about it. … The job is not going to be given to anybody, you got to work to get it. With us four in there, I think all four of us can contribute.

“We’ve got a group of guys that are working hard here, and some younger guys and guys that are hungry to play. So, we’re excited about it. Each year holds a new thing and for us, this year we lost a leader but we’ll battle back and just work hard and stick together.”

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 5:12pm — Anonymous
Robert Kraft

Robert Kraft

After taking part in the ceremonial presentation of the jersey to top draft pick Jamie Collins, Patriots owner Robert Kraft took some time with speak with reporters Thursday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Here’s the entire Q&A with the media, which lasted just over seven minutes:

Opening statement: “It’s interesting, for us, [because] this was a nondescript draft class. There were no big names, no big schools, no career records. But we hope it parallels a couple past successful drafts we had where we had two tight ends in 2010, Gronk and Hernandez. Then in ’11, we had two halfbacks with Ridley and Vereen. Now we have two wide receivers with Dobson and Boyce. As I mentioned, this our 20th draft class. It’s a pretty exciting time for us because doing this today really means the start of the new season. All the final pieces are in place here at the stadium. Just some interesting stats to know — we had no picks in the first round, but in the first 102 picks in the draft, we had five, which is more than any other team. We felt this was a deep draft, in the second and third rounds, so we’re excited about that.”

On his initial impressions of top-pick Jamie Collins: “First of all, I know my mom –  bless her memory — lost her dad when she was 9. And here is a young man who lost both his parents by the time he was 6. I know how mentally tough my mother was. I think seeing him and talking to him — I guess he also lost a brother, and he went on a team this year that was 0-12, I think all of those things have weighed on him. He’s just a very wonderful and charming young man to talk to. I think he has had a certain resiliency that a lot of young people don’t have and see. I think he’s really appreciative of the opportunity he has to be here.”

On meeting these draft picks for the first time: “It keeps me vibrant. Seeing the new class come in, seeing the anxiety, but also the chippiness and confidence … I happened to be down in New York earlier in the week with a number of owners, and of course, everyone thinks they had a great draft and improved their team. I’ve been listening to it, and of course in fact, none of us know for a few years. But somehow, when you think about our team, I think we have more returning starters — 22 of our 24 starters are returning [including kicker and punter]; it’s going to be very tough for young people to make this team. I think there will be good spirit, good competition. It’s such a fun time.”

On being at the Bruins game last night: “That was funny. I was actually chatting with Jonathan and my grandson and I don’t know if we were eating anything or what, and I saw the camera, so that was cool. I’m happy to say that when I started doing that towel, everyone started doing it, and then they scored 20 seconds later. So I’m hoping to be back at the next game Saturday night. It will be great to see them … [and] it will be good to see the Celtics win tomorrow night. It’s a great sports time, and the Red Sox are doing great, so hopefully we can do the same when we get our chance.”

Will you be setting up a scouting office at Rutgers? “I spoke to Bill about that, and the good news is he’s done a lot of homework and he really thinks we have a family of players that can make a great contribution to us.”

On fans being bummed out about trading down: “As a fan, I could feel that way. As someone who hates losing in the fall, which is really what matters … like I said, we picked five players in the first 102, which is more than any other team picked. The real strength of the draft … if we had drafted in the top 20-25, we would have taken the same players that we took later. For us, from a cap point of view of having financial flexibility, and the talent, I think this draft wound up very well for us. I understand fans who don’t have the full knowledge of what goes and the value that’s there, how they could be disappointed. But I think we got the equivalent of first-round draft choices in the second and third round, the way I look at it. Time will tell.”

On the announcement from Jason Collins and what it means to the sports world, and if he could see a day like that coming in the NFL? “My hearty congratulations for [Jason]. I think 10 years from now, people won’t even talk about it. We’re about winning and if someone can come in here and help us win, I don’t care what ethic background, what racial background or what gender preference they have. If they can help us win and they’re about team, then we’re happy to have them here. I think we’re living in a world where there are no boundaries any more. There are no borders. We’re connected by technology and I don’t like what’s going on in Washington with this partisanship on both sides. I think we overcome it by being understanding and welcoming all points of view, and good human beings. So good luck to him.”

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 4:04pm — Christopher Price

FOXBORO — Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked Thursday about his thoughts regarding the recent announcement by Jason Collins, and what that meant for the world of professional sports as well as what sort of a reaction a gay player might get in New England.

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 4:02pm — Anonymous
Robert Kraft

Robert Kraft

FOXBORO — Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked Thursday about his thoughts regarding the recent announcement by Jason Collins, and what that meant for the world of professional sports as well as what sort of a reaction a gay player might get in New England.

“My hearty congratulations to [him],” he said Thursday afternoon. “I think 10 years from now, people won’t even talk about it. We’re about winning, and [if] someone can come in here and help us win, I don’t care what ethnic background, what racial background, what gender preference they have, if they can help us win and they’re about team, then I’ll be happy to have them here.

“I think we’re living in a world where … there are no boundaries anymore. No borders. We’re connected by technology. I don’t like what’s going on in Washington with this partisanship on both sides. I think we overcome it by being as understanding and welcoming all points of view and good human beings. So good luck to him.”

For more Patriots news, check out weei.com/patriots.

Wed, 05/01/2013 - 3:20pm — Anonymous

This is one of those cases where the headline pretty much leaves nothing to the imagination — Patriots’ second-round pick Jamie Collins, who has been described as something of a physical freak, is seen here dunking on some guy in a college pickup game. (Just like the YouTube title suggests.) Enjoy.