New England Patriots Rumors & News

Patriots claim Kevin Haslam, release R.J. Mattes

The Point After | Boston Herald — The Patriots made some changes at tackle today.They claimed Kevin Haslam off waivers from the Chargers and released R.J. Mattes to make room. Mattes will be on waivers until tomorrow. The Chargers released Haslam yesterday after signing tackle Max Starks.

Morning links: Pats get cracking at OTAs

The Point After | Boston Herald — Good morning, football fans. The activity intensified yesterday at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots conducted their first organized team activity in front of the media. Here are our stories from the session in today's Herald.My main story focuses on Aqib Talib and the secondary, which had a busy offseason as far as contracts were concerned. Now that the business side is over, how did they look on the field together?

Report: Bill Belichick is no longer NFL's highest-paid coach

The Point After | Boston Herald — Bill Belichick's two-year reign as America's highest-paid coach has come to an end.Belichick's annual salary is $7.5 million, according to Forbes, which ties him with Chiefs coach Andy Reid as the second highest in all the land. Saints coach Sean Payton overtook Belichick with an $8 million salary.The length of Belichick's contract is not known, though common sense would suggest he'll remain with his current job for as long as he'd like, barring a sudden and prolonged downturn.

Brady explains Derby celebration

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's celebration at the Kentucky Derby with connections to Orb was given widespread attention (video here), and Brady was asked about it this morning in an interview with the "Dennis and Callahan Show" on sports radio WEEI. "It was just a fun experience. We've been going to the Kentucky Derby for a long time with a lot of my buddies -- with Wes [Welker], Dan Koppen and Tedy Bruschi, Lonie Paxton, a lot of guys that I've played with.

Brady talks Welker, Amendola, Gronk

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has long been outspoken about his appreciation for wide receiver Wes Welker, who totaled more receptions than any other player during the last six seasons in the NFL, but he said on Thursday morning that Welker's free-agent departure to Denver did not come as a surprise, as he's played in the NFL long enough to understand the nature of the business. "I don't think anything surprises me anymore in the NFL," he said on the "Dennis & Callahan Show" on WEEI sports radio in Boston.

Weekly Patriots chat at noon

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — Every Thursday on ESPNBoston.com, there is a Patriots chat in the early afternoon. Today's chat is scheduled to kick off at noon, and questions can be asked in advance. Catch up then.

Kyle Love has a parting shot for Patriots

Boston Herald — Former Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love took a shot at the organization after his first practice with the Jaguars.When the Pats released Love on May 15, his agent, Richard Kopelman, told the Herald it was due to Love’s recent Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and his unwillingness to forfeit his salary for a season by sitting out while learning how to adjust to and control the disease.Love was claimed off waivers by the Jaguars and wasted little time criticizing the Pats’ business approach.

An OTA checklist

Boston Herald — Now that we’ve witnessed the Patriots on the field for the first time in four months, storylines can really begin to unfold and give rise to new questions. After playing in the last two AFC Championship Games, the Pats are in good shape at the top of their depth chart, but there are still some jobs available as they race through the offseason program and prepare for training camp.Here are five questions surrounding the team after its first open session of OTAs:•     1. How do injuries figure?

Video: Reiss' P.A.T. on OTAs, more

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — In this week's edition of "Reiss' P.A.T.", Mike Reiss checks in from OTAs at Gillette Stadium, visits with Bryan Morry, the executive director of the Patriots' Hall of Fame, and answers your Twitter questions.

OT Haslam latest Rutgers alum to join Pats

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — The New England Patriots claimed offensive tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers Wednesday, and waived offensive lineman R.J. Mattes in a corresponding move. Haslam, who enters his fourth season, was waived by the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday. He went undrafted in 2010 out of Rutgers, and becomes the eighth Rutgers product on the Patriots' 90-man roster. At 6-foot-5 and 304 pounds, Haslam has experience at both guard and tackle, and started three games for the Chargers last season.

Pats' projected starters are 6th oldest

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — One of the tenants behind the Patriots' sustained success under Bill Belichick has been a mix of young talent and veteran experience throughout the roster. When Tom Brady was a young, developing quarterback in the league, veterans such as Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Ty Law and others were around to serve in leadership roles. Brady now lays claim to the elder statesman title on the Patriots roster, and it is he who serves as the team's leader while youngsters such as Rob Gronkowski, Dont'a Hightower, Stevan Ridley and Chandler Jones develop in the early stages of their own careers....

Belichick's Ballard claim looks brilliant

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Eleven months ago, Bill Belichick seemed amused when asked a question about potentially breaking an "unwritten rule" by claiming injured tight end Jake Ballard on waivers from the Giants. The long story short: The Giants were waiving Ballard with the intention of placing him on their PUP/reserve list because Ballard was recovering from microfracture knee surgery and a torn ACL suffered in the Super Bowl (against the Patriots), and wasn't expected to play in 2012.

Bolden & the Patriots' running backs

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One leftover from Tuesday's organized team activity was the status of second-year running back Brandon Bolden, who wasn't on the practice field with his teammates. Bolden's absence Tuesday was health-related, as he has been taking part in the team's offseason program but hasn't been cleared to participate on the field as he continues to rehab an undisclosed ailment. Bolden, who missed two games last season with a knee injury and four because of a league-issued suspension, appeared in 10 regular-season games in 2012.

Following up on areas of interest

New England Patriots Blog | ESPN Boston — On Tuesday morning, five areas of interest for the Patriots' organized team activity were listed. Here is a follow-up based on what we saw on Tuesday's session: 1. Early signs of Brady-Amendola synergy. This came through as clearly as it could in an organized team activity setting. At one point, Tom Brady worked with Danny Amendola on the quick pass that was often a staple with the QB and Wes Welker, while most of the entire team was on the other field for special-teams work.

Patriots swap tackles

Extra Points | Boston Globe — By Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff According to Wednesday's NFL transaction wire, the Patriots have claimed offensive tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers from the Chargers. Not surprisingly, Haslam played at Rutgers. Haslam is listed at 6 feet 5 inches,...    

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