Buzzkill...for now

On Monday, the NFL Network provided the spark to the Julius Peppers-to-New England rumors. On Tuesday, it provided the water.

A day after Vic Carucci reported a deal for Peppers was developing and almost imminent, his colleague, Adam Schefter, pulled the plug on the topic of major conversation in New England.

"This trade is not gonna happen," Schefter said on the WEEI radio station. "Julius Peppers will not be a New England Patriot next season."

Schefter is renowned around the league and in the media for being a reliable source with often breaking news about injuries and transactions, and his definitive words seem to be a severe blow to any hopes of landing the four-time Pro Bowler.

At the same time, Carucci, a senior columnist, has access to the best sources around, and it's unlikely his reporting would be based on anything but an insider's true word.

With two opposite statements, it's clear someone is telling the truth. The other is admirably misled.

Carucci's reasons for the deal made sense. Carolina doesn't want to pay first-round pick money, especially when they can get a player only two picks away from the opening round (No. 34 overall) for a bargain price. Not to mention, Peppers wants a defense like New England's, and New England wants a rusher like Peppers.

Schefter's doubt in the deal's possibility makes sense. Carolina doesn't want to give up a franchise player for a single second-round pick. Not to mention, New England wants Logan Mankins and Vince Wilfork back, and Jason Taylor as a free agent, more than Peppers.

This is nothing new to the way the Patriots operate. New England rarely broadcasts its retooling plans, and its business can be difficult to follow and interpret.

In February of 2007, the Boston Herald reported that the Patriots had serious interest in acquiring Randy Moss from the Raiders. Over the next two months, other media outlets contradicted the rumor, and killed off any speculation of the move occurring. The Herald even came full circle, reporting Moss was headed elsewhere.

On draft day, Moss became a Patriot.

Even last summer, the Patriots made John Lynch a late preseason cut, sparking belief in the media that the move was a salary tactic, and that Belichick intended on having Lynch back.

Lynch remained on the free agent wire, and retired. Months later, hampered by injury, the Patriots were again expected to make an emergency offer to the former All-Pro safety. Didn't happen.

Now, with the Patriots seeking ways to prepare their team for 2009, the media again is as mixed as a Brandy Sour. This time, the subject is Julius Peppers. Once again, the outcome may be a surprise.

Pats seeking Peppers

A busy offseason for the Patriots could get kicked up another notch.

According to numerous sources, first reported by NFL.com's Vic Carucci, the Patriots are in the midst of negotiating a deal with the Carolina Panthers that would send a second-round pick to Charlotte for star defensive end Julius Peppers.

The career sacks leader for Carolina, Peppers has expressed a desire to both become an outside linebacker, and do so with another team besides the Panthers. Both truths are apparently music to the ears of Bill Belichick and Co., as the Patriots are short at the linebacker position, and adding the four-time Pro Bowler would be an instant upgrade.

The news is also the latest in a startling turnaround for the Patriots financially. New England began the offseason almost at the $123 million salary cap figure, but shed Matt Cassel's $14 million franchise tag number and Mike Vrabel's $3.15 million salary in a trade with Kansas City (more on that later) at the start of free agency, while also releasing Rodney Harrison ($3.05 million), Jabar Gaffney ($2 million) and Rosevelt Colvin.

With the breathing room, the Patriots went to work. They signed Jaguars castoff Fred Taylor and former Jet Chris Baker at the start of the free agency period, while also acquiring wideout Greg Lewis from Philadelphia. New England upgraded the secondary by signing former Pro Bowler Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden to fill the weak cornerback positions, and also added a deep threat in four-time Pro Bowl alternate Joey Galloway. New England capped off the shopping spree by luring back defensive end Mike Wright.

But with the Julius Peppers talk swirling around, the Patriots might be ready to make the biggest offseason move since acquiring Randy Moss in April of 2007. The trade would happen a few days or weeks into the future, but it also brings us back to the past - the trade of Cassel and Vrabel, specifically.

For months, it was out in the open that Cassel would be traded. The question focused on what the Patriots would get in return. Some pundits felt a first-round pick was a fair asking price, others said a second-round pick was more appropriate.

But when the Pats gave up Cassel AND Vrabel for that second-round pick, the reaction was mostly negative. A second-round pick was nowhere near enough to get for a potential franchise quarterback and a high-quality linebacker.

Well now, we see New England's logic.

A second-round pick is easier, financially, to sign than a first-rounder. The Panthers have said they'd be "happy" with a second-round pick for Peppers, for that reason.

Where did that second-round pick, the one that could be dealt to Carolina for Peppers, come from? Kansas City.

In typical, clandestine Patriots fashion, a deal deemed unsatisfactory by many could result in the greatest catch yet.

Pats reach behind enemy lines

Ty Law, Curtis Martin, Vinny Testaverde, Tom Tupa, Hank Poteat, Victor Hobson.

All players went from the Patriots to the Jets, or vice versa. Now we can add Chris Baker to the list.

The tight end agreed to terms with the New England Patriots on Friday, keeping his home in the AFC East but moving it from the Meadowlands to Gillette Stadium.

Just as the Fred Taylor signing was a boost to a thin running back corps, this signing does the same for the tight end position. Baker is a versatile player with decent pass-catching (he caught 41 passes in 2007) and blocking skills. While Ben Watson will likely still be the top receiving option at tight end, Baker provides some able blocking that New England has missed since seeing Daniel Graham and Kyle Brady leave as free agents in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Double whammy

Friday saw the Patriots gain an icon and lose another.

The start of free agency didn't take long to prove fruitful for New England, which added star running back Fred Taylor, but then turned around and dealt fan favorite and eight-year Patriot Mike Vrabel to Kansas City (get used to hearing the Chiefs in negotiations).

Though a dip into the free agent pool was peculiar for a team facing the salary cap problems that New England is, Taylor is a smart addition. The 16th all-time leading rusher, Taylor has defined the word 'consistent' throughout his career with Jacksonville, and will be in the running for a bust in Canton when his career finishes up.

Taylor will also provide depth to a running back corps that was riddled with injuries in 2008. Laurence Maroney lasted only four games before landing on IR, while LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris both missed substantial time with injuries, forcing Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to take on starting roles. Taylor will certainly help create a deep backfield that preserves the health of its members.

But while the offense gained another weapon, the defense lost one. In 24 hours, the Patriots went from potentially gaining an impact defender (DeAngelo Hall, who re-signed with Washington) to actually losing one in Vrabel.

From a depth chart point of view, Vrabel's trade (for an undisclosed draft pick) is understandable, as the team is looking to cut salary, and linebacker is the deepest defensive position.

It makes financial sense as well, as Vrabel's contract was set to expire in 2009, and the trade takes another deal off the books that the Patriots would have had to spend valuable dollars and cap space to renew.

Furthermore, the $3 million-plus that is now off the roster frees the Patriots to make another run at another impact player, via free agency and trade. With Julius Peppers mentioned in various rumors, an essential Vrabel-for-Peppers swap would benefit New England greatly.

Emotionally, however, this deal makes little sense at all. Vrabel was still an effective defensive player, was the team's best pass rusher, and was a leader in the huddle and in the locker room. While Tedy Bruschi was the symbol of New England's grit, determination and heart, Vrabel was easily 1A, a guy who went from being a cut Pittsburgh Steeler to being Mr. Versatility with three Super Bowl winners.

So day 1 of free agency gives the Patriots a former Pro Bowl running back, and deprives them of a former Pro Bowl linebacker. With plenty of players remaining in the market, these seismic moves could very well be joined in the next few days.

Cassel's tag sets up interesting offseason

It was hinted at for months, but on Thursday, the Patriots made it official: Matt Cassel is the 2009 franchise player.

News broke that the Patriots were going to do this several weeks ago, but now that it's happened, it's still a jolt to the New England offseason to-do list.

Though the franchise tag would keep Cassel in New England for next season, and provide a hell of an insurance policy should Tom Brady have an iffy return from knee surgery, it is hardly cost-effective. The tag amounts to $14.65 million against the cap, and along with Brady's $14.62 million hit, helps amount to almost a quarter of the Patriots' salary cap space.

Though both Cassel and Brady are slated to be on board for next year, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of one of them (most likely Cassel) being traded before the start of next year.

The Patriots aren't built to shell out nearly $30 million a year to two healthy quarterbacks. They are the ultimate team, and being this top-heavy in one position violates the balanced structure they've been gunning for and accomplishing since Bill Belichick took over in 2000.

Furthermore, the Patriots have financial work to do elsewhere on the depth chart. Richard Seymour, Logan Mankins, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Vince Wilfork all have contracts set to expire in 2010. All five will likely want to stick around New England (Wilfork has been adamant about it), but it will take money to keep them.

The Patriots will do all possible to extend most, if not all five, players, but to do that, they'll need cap space. Giant contracts given to Cassel and Brady will make contract extensions a tough commodity.

However, the Patriots are also about preparation, and what this move does do is address the gap between February, i.e. the start of free agency, and late July. The Patriots could not afford to let Cassel walk away, wait four or five months and find out that Brady could not be back in time for the season opener.

They love Kevin O'Connell in Foxboro, but not that much. Not yet.

So the Patriots have bought themselves flexibility. If Brady can start, Cassel gets a thank you and the boot. If not, Matt returns to the helm of an offense he figured out in remarkable speed last year. They can bite the bullet of a healthy quarterback and unhealthy quarterback chewing up cap space. What they won't tolerate is keeping an expensive trade chip.

Is Tom Brady's knee the only problem?

Okay.

It was just a few minutes ago that I saw the photos of Tom Brady in Mexico. With Gisele Bundchen. If you've seen them, you know the one's I'm talking about.

The ones where he's being fed by his girl, and where the two of them are snuggling in the ocean. There may be more, but thankfully, I haven't seen them.

A lot of emotions hit me when seeing those photos (none of them synonymous with "happy" or "excited"), but with a deep breath, I stifled them down, and...

*sigh* Okay.

The problem is obvious: While Patriots fans hope, plead, beg for Brady to be healthy by the beginning of next season, the only glimpses of Tom that we see have nothing to do with football. He barely even talks about football.

At points this offseason, there's been a better chance of seeing a ring on his finger than a football in his hand. And these pictures did nothing to ease the anxiety.

Sure, Brady's love life is none of our business. If he wants to spend every waking moment of the next few months all over the world, in any town but Foxboro, Massachusetts, that's his deal. After all, who can blame him?

Well, as fans, we make it our business to blame him. It's our responsibility to hope he hangs out less with a supermodel and more with guys like Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Matt Light.

But here's the truth, that Patriots fans both hate and fall back on: Tom Brady has earned the right to keep it his business.

This isn't Tony Romo. Tom Brady didn't throw a few touchdown passes, win a few games, and decide he was the biggest star in the league. He doesn't have people wondering if he can handle the big game.

And he has shown that whatever the distraction, he can deal with it.

He had an open relationship with Bridget Moynahan while leading New England to Super Bowl XXXIX. When his son was born during training camp for the 2007 season, he responded by throwing for 50 touchdowns. The fact that the Patriots didn't win a fourth Super Bowl is by no means Tom Brady's fault.

And even as we Patriots fans shield our eyes from Tom Terrific looking like a soft lover-boy in Mexico, we can't forget that only one day earlier, a story broke about how Brady is dropping back, throwing, running and preparing for 2009.

Does that sound like a player whose interests are elsewhere?

The point is, Tom Brady is focused on football. He's focused on leading the New England Patriots. And after missing 2008 and hearing his days numbered by the media, he's likely more focused.

It's just that, when he goes to Mexico, he doesn't show it. He doesn't have to.

So I see the photos, I feel my frustration rise, and I get on with my life knowing that Tom Brady will be one of the NFL's best players next year as quarterback of the New England Patriots.

Just like he always has.

Brady breaks silence on Toronto radio

Tom Brady lives!

Don't believe me? Just ask Toronto's Fan 590 - the station that, on Wednesday, held the first interview with Tom Brady since news of his knee infection got out to the public seemingly years and years ago.

As wild a ride as the 2008 season was for the Patriots, Brady's offseason and recovery from his season-ending injury was just as volatile. First he was out, then he was fine, then he was infected, then he was fine again, then he was behind schedule, and then he was gone. News about Brady disappeared, and with the exception of a Thanksgiving appearance serving pumpkin pie and engagement rumors with Gisele Bundchen, No. 12 did too.

Until now.

Brady didn't say much (injuries happen, you recover for them, I'm looking forward to more rehab, etc.), but the fact that he was in the studio should come as a relief to Patriots fans. Injuries are always a mystery with Belichick and Co., but it's another thing when the injured player (let alone one of Brady's importance) is neither seen nor heard from.

By appearing on the radio, and shedding some, any light on his injury, Brady at least reminds New Englanders that his mind is on football, and returning as the leader of the offense.

Matt Cassel did an admirable, Pro Bowl-worthy job stepping into Tom's NFL MVP shoes, but unless he physically can't make it onto the field, this is still Brady's team.

It's nice to have him back - even for a few fleeting moments on the airwaves.