Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas will indeed visit the Patriots early this week, reports Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe. We were previously aware of visits lined up with New Orleans and Dallas. NFL Network has also mentioned the Jets and Bills as interested parties. Thomas, in a recent interview with Sirius radio, said he's looking to play for a winning team. He acknowledged that he won't be signing a blockbuster deal. He said the money isn't as important to him as winning and having fun playing football.
Thomas also told Sirius that he would rather play in a 3-4 scheme than a 4-3 scheme because, in his view, the 3-4 basically features five defensive linemen in front of him (given that the outside linebackers often flank the defensive ends, putting five men on or near the line of scrimmage). Conventional wisdom says the 3-4 favors linebackers bigger than Thomas, but if Thomas is going to seek out winning teams, he'll have a hard time eliminating teams that run 3-4 schemes. New England and Dallas are both 3-4 teams.
