The Patriots have released 33-year old TE Alge Crumpler.  Crumpler had off-season shoulder surgery and he is just not ready to play right now.  Crumpler played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Patriots last year and he caught 6 passes for 52 yards (8.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has played in 155 games (132 starts) in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has caught 373 passes for 4,743 yards (12.7 avg) with 39 TD grabs.  Crumpler has made it to 4 Pro Bowls but clearly his best days are in the past.  The Patriots are loaded with good young TEs, so Crumpler just didn’t fit in anymore.

The Patriots have released 32-year old G/T Nick Kaczur.  Kaczur missed all of last season due to a bulging disc in his back which required surgery.  He played in 68 games (62 starts) in his six years with the Patriots.  Kaczur was a good player for the Patriots when he was healthy, but they felt it was time to move on.  If he’s healthy, he should be able to hook on with another team for 2011.

The Patriots have released 30-year old DE Ty Warren.  Warren missed all of the 2010 season due to a torn labrum in his hip.  Warren played in 105 games in his 8 years with the Patriots and he had 373 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries and 9 passes defensed.  Warren had a solid career with the Patriots but they are looking at other players in his spot for 2011.  He should be able to find a new job as long as he is healthy.

The Patriots have acquired 33-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco from the Bengals for a 5th round pick in 2012 and a 6th round pick in 2013.  Ocho Cinco played in 14 games (12 starts) for the Bengals last year and he caught 67 passes for 831 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has now played in 151 games (132 starts) in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has caught 751 passes for 10,783 yards (14.4 avg) with 66 TD grabs.  Ocho Cinco also has carried the ball 24 times for 175 yards (7.3 ypc) in his NFL career.  Ocho Cinco has made it to 6 Pro Bowls in his first 10 years in the NFL.  He could make it to his 7th Pro Bowl in 2011 if he can stay healthy because he will be catching passes from Tom Brady now.  I love this pickup for the Patriots as they didn’t give up too much to get Ocho Cinco.

The Patriots have released 32-year old DT/DE Marcus Stroud.  Stroud came to training camp with a bum shoulder which led to his release.  If he can get healthy, he might get a chance to play with another team but the Patriots won’t miss him.  Stroud picked a bad day to be hurt as the Patriots brought in Albert Haynesworth yesterday.

The Patriots have acquired 30-year old DT Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins for a 5th round pick in 2013.  Haynesworth played in only 8 games for the Redskins last year (he was in Mike Shanahan’s Dog House) and he had 16 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 110 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 324 tackles, 49 tackles for a loss, 30.5 sacks, 24 passes defensed, 6 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.  This is the kind of player that turns around in New England.  They didn’t give up much to take a chance on the former Pro Bowler, so it was worth taking a shot on him.

The Patriots have released 30-year old outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain.  Banta-Cain played in 15 games for the Patriots last year and he had 45 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks and 1 forced fumble.  He played in 85 games in his six years with the Patriots and he had 190 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 23.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception and he defensed 3 passes.  This comes as a little bit of a surprise as Banta-Cain was one of the best pass rushers the Patriots had.

The Patriots have released 25-year old cornerback Tony Carter.  Carter played in 2 games for the Patriots last year and he had 1 tackle.  He has played in 4 games in his first two years in the NFL (one with Denver) and he has 4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and he has defensed 1 pass.  This is absolutely no loss for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have been a passing team for so long now that you have to go way back in time to find the all-time leading rusher in team history.  Sam Cunningham is the all-time leading rusher with the Patriots.  He played in 107 games in his 9 years with the Patriots and he carried the ball 1,385 times for 5,433 yards (3.9 ypc) with 43 TD runs (#2 in Patriots’ history).  Cunningham also caught 210 passes for 1,905 yards (9.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs for the Patriots.  Cunningham only rushed for over 1,000 yards one time in a season with the Patriots.  He made his only Pro Bowl in 1978.  He played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Patriots in 1978 and he carried the ball 199 times for 768 yards (3.9 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He also caught 31 passes for 297 yards (9.6 avg) for the Patriots that year.  Cunningham was never a awesome running back for the Patriots, just a very solid one.