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The Patriots have claimed 26-year old cornerback Antwaun Molden off waivers from the Texans. Molden played in 14 games for the Texans last year and he had 6 tackles. He has now played in 32 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 28 tackles. Molden has done most of his work on special teams and that is what likely interested the Patriots in him.
The Patriots have released 26-year old OLB Marques Murrell. Murrell played in 1 game for the Patriots last year and he had 1 tackle. He has now played in 23 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 22 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. This isn’t much of a loss at all for the Patriots, as Murrell would have had a hard time getting onto the field at all in 2011.
The Patriots have signed 35-year old long snapper/tight end James Dearth. Dearth didn’t play for the Chargers last year because of a fractured foot. Dearth has now played in 146 games (1 start) in his first 12 years in the NFL and he has caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg) with 1 TD grab. The Patriots won’t be sending Dearth out on any pass patterns as they have brought him in to snap the ball on kicks and punts.
UPDATE: (9/4/2011) – The Patriots have released James Dearth.
The Patriots have released 27-year old safety James Sanders. Sanders played in 15 games for the Patriots last year and he had 58 tackles, 3 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), 6 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. He played in 84 games in his six years with the Patriots and he had 301 tackles, 8 interceptions (3 returned for a TD), 19 passes defensed, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. The Patriots should be able to get along o.k. without Sanders because Patrick Chung is ready to start this year.
The Lions took apart the Patriots last night as they dominated them the whole game long. Tom Brady was so-so as he completed 12 of 22 passes for 145 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT. Brian Hoyer was also not so good as he completed 6 of 12 passes for 88 yards last night. Ryan Mallet finished up this game at QB by completing 9 of 14 passes for 65 yards without a TD pass or interception. Danny Woodhead led the way on the ground for the Patriots last night with 28 yards rushing on 4 carries (7.0 ypc). He also caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg) in this game. BenJarvus Green-Ellis pitched in with 18 yards rushing on 8 carries (2.3 ypc) last night. WR Wes Welker (3 rec, 71 yards, TD), WR Matthew Slater (1 rec, 53 yards) and TE Aaron Hernandez (5 rec, 46 yards) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game last night. The Patriots finished up with 61 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 48 passes (56.3%) for 292 yards last night.
The defense got destroyed by the Lions’ offense last night. Safety Sergio Brown (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Jared Mayo (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Patriots’ D last night. CB Kyle Arrington pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception was also busy in this game. The Lions finished up with 114 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 38 passes (68.4%) for 354 yards last night. The Patriots are now 2-1 on the preseason.
The Patriots have claimed 27-year old TE/FB Garrett Mills off waivers from the Bengals. He played in 7 games (3 starts) for the Eagles & Bengals last year and he caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg). Mills has now played in 16 games (3 starts) in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 9 passes for 110 yards (12.2 avg). The Patriots likely view Mills more as a fullback as they are loaded at TE for 2011.
UPDATE: (8/31/2011) – The Patriots have released Garrett Mills.
The Patriots have waived 24-year old safety Bret Lockett. Lockett is going to miss this entire season due to a torn groin. He also missed the entire 2010 season due to a chest injury. Lockett played in 10 games in 2009 as a rookie for the Patriots and he had 7 tackles and 1 forced fumble. The Patriots just don’t think that Lockett can stay healthy and that’s a big reason why he was let go.
The Patriots have signed 27-year old linebacker Ricky Brown. Brown played in 14 games for the Raiders last year in which he had 13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 forced fumble. Brown has now played in 55 games in his first 5 years in the NFL and he has 102 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed and 3 forced fumbles. Brown will give the Patriots more depth at linebacker and on special teams.
UPDATE: (9/3/2011) – The Patriots have released Ricky Brown.
The Patriots have signed 27-year old linebacker James Ihedigbo. He played in 14 games for the Jets last year and he had 22 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. Ihedigbo has now played in 37 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 49 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble. Ihedigbo is a special teams player but little more although he does have a knack for getting to the QB. This was another solid signing for the Patriots.
The Patriots raced out to a 28-0 lead at the half before taking things semi-easy the rest of the way on the Buccaneers. Tom Brady looked solid in completing 11 of 19 passes for 118 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs. Brian Hoyer made a brief appearance in which he completed 1 of 4 passes for 6 yards. Ryan Mallet finished off the game by completing 9 of 14 passes for 71 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 69-yards for a TD by CB Elbert Mack of the Bucs). RB Stevan Ridley looked solid again, leading the way for the Patriots with 84 yards rushing on 14 carries (6.0 ypc). He also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) in this game. Danny Woodhead looked sharp too with 5 carries for 63 yards (12.6 ypc). BenJarvus Green-Ellis was his usual tough self as he ran the ball 11 times for 51 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs. He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards last night. WR Wes Welker led the way in the passing game last night for the Patriots with 5 grabs for 56 yards (11.2 avg). TE Aaron Hernandez (3 rec, 42 yards, TD) and WR Chad Ocho Cinco (2 rec, 14 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Patriots in this game. The Patriots rushed for 200 yards on 36 carries (5.6 ypc) and the also completed 21 of 37 passes (56.8%) for 183 yards last night.
The Patriots defense was sharp last night. LB Tracy White (6 tackles), safety Sergio Brown (5 tackles) and LB Jared Mayo (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 3 QB hits) led the way for the D last night. CB Kyle Arrington pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception. The Buccaneers rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 37 passes (45.9%) for 180 yards last night. The Patriots are now 2-0 in the pre-season.