Pats back in the news

With training camp upon us, the Patriots are back in the news. There have been multiple articles and what a good citizen Randy Moss has been thus far (come back to me when he's been with the team for significantly more than six weeks), how versatile Adalius Thomas is, and of course, the Patriots' very own "Where's Waldo" situation...delusional cornerback Asante Samuel.

In April, around draft time, Samuel told the NFL Network “We have a difference of opinion in my value. They think I’m worth one price and the other teams think I’m worth a lot more. If a long-term deal can’t be done at fair numbers for me and New England, then I want to be traded.”

I'd like to know what NFL team gave Samuel any sort of numbers to go by as to what his worth is. It's my understanding that no team has talked to Samuel or his agent. And while I acknowledge that I don't know if the agent has talked to anyone or not, I do know that these things tend to get out, and there hasn't been a sniff of a rumor.

I will say this one more time - Samuel had one great year. One. He has not been as consistent as Clemens, or had as good a career as Bly. At least twice during the season, if the opposing QB had pump faked and gone to Samuel's man, the passes would have gone for touchdowns.

Samuel wants to get paid, by all reports, as the best corner in the game. As much as I like him, I don't think he's in the top five (for last season, yes, he was one of the five best...but I need to see more than one great season to call him elite. There have been a lot of one season wonders in the NFL).

A shout out to Joe Andruzzi
I have been remiss in addressing this. Get well soon big guy. May the docs at Dana Farber get you through the lymphoma quickly.

Just a quick note about Andruzzi. The former Patriots guard, to some extent, became the face of the 2001 Patriots after 9/11. With Bledsoe injured, and a then little known Tom Brady at the helm, the most memorable images from that regular season, outside of Bledsoe being put in the hospital by Mo Lewis, were of the Andruzzi brothers clad in Pats jerseys and firefighting gear at the center of the field tipping their helmets to the crows, and of Joe Andruzzi, the first Patriot to take the field after 9/11, charging out of the tunnel, American flags in hand.

The man is a lunch pail, blue collar type player who, in his prime, set the tone for the Patriots line.

May you be beating on a defensive lineman somewhere soon, big guy. The NFL needs guys like you.