The Patriots have signed running back LaMont Jordan to a 1-year contract after he was let go by the Raiders.  Jordan is 29 years old but he still has some tread left on his tires as he was a backup early in his career with the Jets.  Jordan played in 12 games (7 starts) last season for the Raiders and he carried the ball 144 times for 549 yards (3.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 28 passes for 247 yards (8.8 avg) last season.  Jordan was signed because the Patriots aren’t sure that Sammy Morris will be ready to go when the season starts.  Plus, Laurence Maroney has not been a picture of health in his NFL career to date.  Jordan has now played in 97 games (29 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 792 times for 3,285 yards (4.1 ypc) with 24 TD runs.  Jordan has also caught 158 passes for 1,301 yards (8.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  This was a very solid signing for the Patriots as Jordan is a good football player.

The Patriots have signed 32-year old offensive tackle Anthony Clement.  Clement is a huge man at 6′8″, 320 pounds and he should give the Patriots solid depth at tackle.  He started all 16 games for the Jets last season and he’ll be sure to divulge some secrets about the Jets’ offense with Coach Belichick…..not that he’s worried about them but info never hurts.  Clement has a lot of mileage on that huge body of his as he has played in 128 games (107 starts) in his NFL career.  This was a solid move for the Patriots.

In his rookie season, Stephen Gostkowski often appeared nervous but that wasn’t the case in 2007.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Patriots and he was 21 of 24 (87.5%) on field goal attempts and he nailed all 74 of his extra points.  Look for Gostkowski to have more field goal attempts this season as it will be nearly impossible for the Patriots to score as many TDs as they did last year.  Gostkowski has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has made 41 of 50 (82%) of his field goal attempts and he has made 117 of 118 extra points (he had one blocked as a rookie).  Gostkowski will do a good job in 2008….mark my words.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The Patriots appear deep at tight end for the 2008 season and that has to make Tom Brady very happy.  It all starts with 6′3″, 255 pound Ben Watson who is a good receiver that makes a lot of big catches near and in the end zone.  He played in 12 games (8 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 36 passes for 389 yards (10.8 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Watson also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards.  Brady loves to throw to Watson when he has time to look around for him so look for him to catch more passes in 2008.  Watson has now played in 41 games (31 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 116 passes for 1,489 yards (12.8 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 1 time for 11 yards.

The Patriots still have high hopes for David Thomas who has had injury problems his first two seasons in the NFL.  He only played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Look for him to be more involved in the offense this season if he can just stay healthy.  Thomas has now played in 17 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 12 passes for 168 yards (14.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.

26-year old Stephen Spach will have a hard time making the team this season.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he didn’t even catch a pass.  He appears to have too many players in front of him to be anything more than a special teams player unless the Patriots suffer injuries at this position.  Spach has now played in 16 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has caught 7 passes for 42 yards (6.0 avg).

The Patriots brought in 36-year old veteran Marcus Pollard to compete for playing time.  He will definately be a factor in the passing game for the Patriots as catching the football is his main strength.  Pollard played in 14 games (10 starts) with the Seahawks last season and he caught 28 passes for 273 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Pollard to eclipse those numbers this season for the pass happy Patriots.  Pollard has now played in 191 games (135 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 349 passes for 4,280 yards (12.3 avg) with 40 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

So what if Donte’ Stallworth decided to leave in free agency as the only way the Patriots will miss him is if they have a couple of injuries in the WR corps.  31-year old Randy Moss is back and he has shown no signs of slowing down yet.  Moss played in 16 games for the Patriots last season and he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards (15.2 avg) with 23 TD grabs (which is a new NFL record).  Don’t look for Moss to slow down at all as long as he can stay healthy.  Moss has now played in 154 games (148 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 774 passes for 12,193 yards (15.8 avg) with 124 TD grabs.  Moss has also carried the football 23 times for 159 yards (6.9 ypc).  Look for Moss to remain the best receiver in the NFL in 2008.

Wes Welker does all of the dirty work for the Patriots as he has no fear of going over the middle despite being only 5′9″, 185 pounds.  Welker also seems to find the yard sticks and he has great hands.  Welker played in 16 games (13 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 112 passes for 1,175 yards (10.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 34 yards (8.5 ypc).  Look for Welker to be really effective again as he is often working against single coverage due to Moss being on the other side of the field.  Welker has now played in 63 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 208 passes for 2,296 yards (11.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 39 yards (7.8 ypc) in his career.

Jabar Gaffney will replace Donte’ Stallworth as the #3 WR for the Patriots this season.  He is nothing special but he catches anything his fingers touch.  Gaffney played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 36 passes for 449 yards (12.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Look for him to eclipse those numbers this season as he will likely be very busy in the passing game.  Gaffney has now played in 91 games (63 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 218 passes for 2,600 yards (11.9 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 56 yards (6.2 ypc) in his career.

The #4 WR job will be up for grabs between Chad Jackson and Kelley Washington.  The Patriots would probably like Jackson to win the job as he has been a disappointment since being drafted 2 years ago.  The 23-year old had injury problems last season which limited him to 2 games last season (0 starts) in which he didn’t catch any passes.  Jackson’s NFL career has consisted of 14 games (1 start) in which he has caught 13 passes for 152 yards (11.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 22 yards (5.5 ypc) in his career.

Kelley Washington is a big guy at 6′3″, 215 pounds but he has never lived up to his potential.  Washington played in 14 games (0 starts) last season and he didn’t catch a pass while playing mostly on special teams.  The fact that Washington didn’t catch a pass at all last season means that he will likely be buried on the depth chart again this season.  Washington has now played in 58 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 72 passes for 893 yards (12.4 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A