Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
With apologies to Sen. Arlen Specter, and at the risk of violating unofficial 2008 offseason protocol, let's take a look at the New England Patriots as a football team. Let's take a really close look at them, starting where any analysis should start: with a detailed look at the roster.
I've made some upgrades to the 25-column Excel version we made available during the season. The new file compares how many players the Patriots have at each position against league averages. And a new column (M) shows how players were acquired in 2008:
- "U08" for unrestricted free agents from other teams
- "UR08" for unrestricted free agents who re-signed with New England
- "UL08" for players who left the organization as unrestricted free agents
- "RSL" for draft choices on the reserve/selection list (on roster but unsigned)
- "Rookie FA" for rookie free agents
- "RFA08" for players retained as restricted free agents
The team has 81 players, counting seven unsigned 2008 draft choices and receiver Robert Ortiz (jersey number not yet available). About half of those players -- 40 of them by my count -- come from college programs currently aligned with three major conferences: the Big 12 (15), SEC (15) and ACC (10). If you find an outdated conference affiliation on the roster, please let me know. I manually updated the affiliation list based on information available on ESPN.com, but those do change periodically.
By my count, only Tampa Bay has more players from programs currently aligned with those three conferences (45). For New England, five of the 40 are rookie free agents.
Unofficially, no team in the league has more players from the Big 12 than the Patriots (I have San Francisco with 15 as well, compared to a league-low two for Miami and the Giants). NFL teams currently average slightly more than eight players from the Big 12, counting unsigned draft choices. Consciously or not, the Patriots appear to favor these players. Starters Ellis Hobbs, Ty Warren and Wes Welker come to mind.
Speaking of starters, let's pencil in rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo as one of the Patriots' starting inside linebackers. He hasn't beaten out Victor Hobson yet, but the 10th player chosen in the draft should make an impact quickly. Safety Brandon Meriweather figures to crack the lineup at some point, too. I haven't penciled him in as a starter, but he should be the first defensive back off the bench, and likely a future starter.
For practical purposes, let's consider Jabar Gaffney a starter as the third receiver, with fullback Heath Evans coming off the bench. If we make those moves, the Patriots' starters average 28.7 years old, down from 29.0. That is still older than most teams' starters, but some of the team's aging vets remain important contributors (Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel).
We could go on, but the system might not be able to handle much more football-related Patriots info after such a long layoff. For those needing additional Spygate fodder, check out Patriots coach Bill Belichick on CBS tonight. If you already have other plans, do not worry. Congress will not object to anyone taping it.
