Second (and third) helpings

OUR FUTURE QB: Sadly, it's not Snoop.

Hey Bill, I'm not getting any younger. And neither is your franchise QB. Enough with the dumping picks this year for picks the next year. Year after year. How about using all your picks now to add some much needed playmakers on defense. Enough with this saving-picks-for-the-future stuff. Live a little!

Of all the puzzling drafts the Pats GM/coach/czar/D coordinator/head of building services/ticket-taker has overseen, this is by far the most puzzling. So far. There are still a few rounds left. But Ron Borges is going to have a field day with this one. As will sports blab radio for weeks to come. Belichick just made their merry month of May. Pile on guys and gals. Pile on.

The Pats still have four picks in the last four rounds Saturday so Belichick isn't done. He can trade those away too. Or maybe, maybe, he'll take a defensive end or outside linebacker who can rush the passer. Last I heard that's still a big part of football in the NFL.

I usually take a wait-and-see attitude about draft picks. Really, even the scouts and coaches who make the picks have very little idea how well they will work out. Who knew that cornerback out of Rutgers was going to be a rookie of the year contender? You just never know. But the results of the second and third rounds, widely acknowledged as the rounds where you can get the most bang for your drafting buck, were very disappointing and frustrating.

A cornerback? Two running backs? And a quarterback? Puzzling indeed.

Cornerback was certainly not an area of great need. As was running back. (Even if it was, only one guy can carry the ball at a time so why draft two so high?). And quarterback probably isn't a weakness at the moment. That Brady guy still seems pretty good.

Disappointment and frustration aside, the Pats do have four new players to add to offensive lineman Solder from round one. None of them were on my very uninformed list of players, but apparently they were on Belichick's.

Ras-I Dowling, CB: I was sure the Pats would open the day by drafting Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. Nope. Instead the Pats picked Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling. (How was he not on my list of great football names to draft?) Dowling is 6-1 and almost 200 pounds. Reports are that he would have been a high first-rounder if he wasn't injured last season. He's supposed to be healthy. Like I said last year when the Pats took McCourty, in this pass happy league you can never have enough young, talented corners. I assumed Belichick either felt that he couldn't pass on such talent or that he just wanted to say ''Ras-I'' at team meetings. I also assumed my pass rushers would be next on the draft list.

Shane Vereen, RB and Stevan Ridley, RB: This is when Belichick started to lose me. The Pats could have taken Mark Ingram with the 28th pick in the first round. A potential great running back. But since BenJarvis and Woody had a very good year last year another RB was a very low priority so I wasn't too surprised when the team passed on Ingram, letting the Saints grab him. I got that logic. Then how do you explain making back-to-back running back selections? Did running back suddenly become a need overnight? Did something happen to Bennie and Woody? The two backs the Pats took seem like solid players with potential. Especially Vereen. They might make good replacements for Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. They just won't help the team's sack total.

Ryan Mallet, QB: Here's what CBS Sports draft analyst Rob Rang says about the possible heir to the Brady throne... ''Combine Mallett's off-field issues with the unappealing way he carries himself and poor athleticism for the position, and you have a plummeting quarterback prospect.'' Hmmmm. This pick really had me wondering if Belichick had jumped the shark. The texts from my nephew Pete and my friend Mark can be summed up in three letters ... WTF?

That pretty much sums up my reaction to day two of the draft. A day that saw the Pats enter with five picks and lots of pass rushing potential still on the big board. The day ended with the Pats having added more picks for next year and four players that, at the moment, don't look like they will have much of an impact. The Pats finished 14-2 last year and Brady, one of the three or four best QBs to ever play the game, had one of his best years. It's a good idea to draft some guys for the future. But it's also a good idea to find two or three who can help right away. So far the Pats drafted one guy who fits that bill. Oh, and those 2012 draft picks will look fine on Draft Day 2012. They just won't be much help chasing Ben Roethlisberger around the field in the fall.

There were lots of videos on future QB Ryan Mallett... But any video with Gruden is the best.

Unlocked?

In scanning the headlines on NFL.com to get all the first-round draft news (Did Atlanta really trade five picks to draft a wide receiver? What was their GM smoking?) I came across this nugget... "Doors Open Friday."

Seems that the league and it's Clueless Commissioner have decided -- for the moment -- to take the judge's injunction against their lockout seriously and let the players come back to work. That's a positive sign. Players can work out at team facilities, get medical treatment, talk to their coaches. Even shop at Patriot Place. So great. Starting Monday it's believed that teams will even be able to sign free agents and plan for minicamps and do all that other fun offseason stuff.

But don't let Roger Goodell fool you. It's just another PR move in a series of PR moves. The fact that it was announced quietly while the league was holding its big draft party in NYC shows just how serious the owners are about moving forward with the season. Not very. The NFL continues its battle in court and is hoping to have the injunction overturned and the locks put back on the stadiums.

As Goodell, who will one day be known as the man who ruined the NFL, said yesterday: "I think the litigation, unfortunately, could go on for some period of time." Long enough to kill the 2011 season if they don't smarten up.

Man the line

As the first round of the NFL Draft unfolded last night, Mark repeatedly texted me "This is breaking our way."

Well, sort of.

Mark wanted DE Cameron Jordan from Cal to finally give the Pats a pass rush and make life miserable for opposing QBs. When the Pats came up to bat for the first of two picks on the night, the man who could be the next Willie McGinnest was right there for the taking. Belichick, stop me if you've heard this before, went in another direction.

SOLDER: Think you can get by him?

The Pats drafted offensive tackle Nate Solder out of Colorado. He won't help the pass rush, but he'll do something that's actually much more important. Keep the opposing pass rush from killing the league's MVP. That really was the biggest need Belichick had to address. At 6-foot-8 and 319 pounds, Solder sure fills that biggest need and then some.

Solder can step in for Matt Light protecting Brady's blindside. Light, one of the all-time great Patriot linemen, is a free agent. Hopefully he stays with the team and maybe moves next to the center and provides veteran leadership. The offensive line, a strength almost every year, was in serious transition with the retirement of Stephen Neal and the uncertainty of Light, Mankins, and Kaczur. By adding Solder (and probably another rookie over the next few days) to Vollmer, Koppen, and Connolly, the offensive line should continue to keep Brady healthy. And after all, isn't that the most important thing you can do?

Cameron Jordan went off the board to the Saints at the 24th pick. (So close to a perfect night!) The Pats came back up with the 28th pick a little after 11 p.m. Do they take 'Bama running back Mark Ingram? Pass rusher Da'Quan Bowers of Clemson?

I texted Mark "Who do you want here?" Then added "Or are we going to trade this one because it's physically impossible for Belichick to use two first-round picks on the same day?" Before Mark could respond Chris "Boomer" Berman bellowed ... "The Patriots have traded away their pick to the Saints who will most likely pick Mark Ingram. A great move by the Saints." In exchange for the pick the Saints sent the Pats their second rounder tomorrow (giving the Pats three second rounders and two thirds) and their first round pick next year. The Pats have two first-round picks. Again.

Two first-round picks in one night. I knew it was a long shot. Ingram would look good putting up 1,500 yards in a Pats uniform. The Saints came away with the two guys Mark and I (and Pete and Shep and ...) wanted. Jordan and Ingram. A good night for the Saints.

But a good night for the Pats, too. They fortified the wall around Tom Brady and now have five -- five! -- picks tomorrow. Night two (second and third rounds) starts at 6 p.m. Friday. Don't be late turning on the TV, the Pats have the first pick. I think Belichick will use it. Maybe on a pass rusher.

Name that player

MOSI'S MOOSES: Best name ever.

Me and my fellow tailgaters (Mark, Shep, Matt) exchanged e-mails all day about who we want the Pats to take in tonight's NFL Draft. (We need pass rushers!) Mark brought a little comic relief by adding a few names to his list that were just that... names.

The Pats have had some great football names over the years. Mosi Tatupu. Sam Gash. Daryl Stingley. Randy Vataha. Lawyer Milloy. And Tedy Bruuuuuu-schi! They currently have some great names in BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, and of course, Zoltan Mesko.

Mark sent out his list of "Cool-sounding names the Patriots should take":

Taiwan Jones, RB. Eastern Washington.
Titus Young, WR, Boise St..
Buster Skrine, CB, UT-Chattanooga.
Tyler Sash, S, Iowa.

Matt added one more... Cecil Shorts III, WR. Mount Union College.

Brady to Shorts! I like the sound of that.

Wish list

The NFL Draft-a-palooza gets underway Thursday night. The Patriots will be on the clock around-the-clock for most of the weekend, having nine picks over the seven rounds. Unless, as is his wont, Belichick trades away most of those picks.

If the Patriots do make some selections, there are a few areas of definite need. The Globe's Shalise Manza Young gave her excellent "State of the Patriots" report this week (if you want to see it as it is meant to be seen, go to page C10 of Wednesday's sports section) and from reading that it is clear where the Pats are strong, and where they need more help.

Positions of strength: Quarterback, tight end, special teams, and cornerback. Oh, and coach.

Positions in need of help: D line, O line, safety, wide receiver, running back, linebackers.

The Patriots have nine picks this weekend. I figure, at best, the most Belichick will use is seven of those picks. Here's what I expect the positional breakdown to be:

2 defensive linemen

2 offensive linemen

1 defensive back (probably a safety)
1 wide receiver
1 running back

CAMERON #2

CAMERON #1

So that leaves one issue to be addressed. Who should fill those spots?

The Globe has the Pats taking California DE Cameron Jordan with the 17th pick. Mark and I favor the other Cameron... Cameron Heyward from Ohio St. My friend Mark's a Buckeye so he's biased, and I think it's good to get a guy who played for a coach who knows how to cheat better than anyone else. Other defensive line candidates include JJ Watt from Wisconsin, Da'Quan Bowers of Clemson, and Adrian Clayborn of Iowa. Any one of those guys would look good next to Big Vince on the line.

On the offensive side, the best lineman that could slide to #17 is Mike Pouncey from the Pats' Florida farm team. Pouncey would be an impact starter on an offensive line suddenly in transition. He would be a steal at #17. Other O line guys that would fit the Pats is Stefan Wisniewski of Penn St. and Nate Solder of Colorado.

As for running back, a position that was surprisingly strong with BenJarvis and Woodhead making a good one-two punch... well, you can always use more running backs. Especially if that back is Alabama's Mark Ingram. The stud back keeps on sliding down in mock drafts... hopefully right into Belichick's hands with the team's second pick at #28.

I would love to see the Pats package their two picks and move up to grab wide receiver A.J. Green of Georgia. I know, wide receivers in the first round are often disasters (Hart Lee Dykes anyone?). But Green would be a monster, not a disaster. Put him with Brady and the rest of the offense for the rest of #12s career and stand back and watch Rex Ryan try to stop that. Randall Cobb of Kentucky would be a good receiver to grab later in the draft.

But as we all know, it's best to never get too attached to potential draft picks with Belichick making the call. He'll either pull a cornerback from Rutgers out of his draft bag or he'll just keep the bag shut and send the picks off to another team and live to draft another day,

As Mark messaged me today.. "Why do I keep thinking that tomorrow we will begin another year of looking forward to having two first-round picks in the next draft?"

On schedule

The NFL continues to pretend as if nothing's wrong (i.e. that the owners and players aren't locked in a fatal game of chicken) as we head through the offseason.

The draft is just a few days away and young players will don hats and shake hands in NYC with Mr. Clueless Commissioner -- but it's looking less and less like those drafted will be putting on anything more than a hat any time soon.

In keeping with the "what lockout?" theme, the league announced (to much fanfare) it's 2011 imaginary schedule. (Check out the great graphic on NFL.com) When the 2010 schedule came out this time last year, I optimistically predicted the Pats would finish 13-3. Even with Brady and Belichick at the helm, I felt I was being very optimistic. I wasn't. The Pats exceeded even the rosiest of opinions with a 14-2 record and one of the most entertaining regular seasons in memory. If there ever is a 2011 season, a look at the schedule shows it should be another fun one.

WEEK 1 @ Miami
A few years back those in charge of the NFL thought "What's better than one Monday night game to start the season?" Two of course. That was in the days when those running the league had nothing but great ideas. Oh, I miss those days. The Patriots will go to South Beach for the early game of the MNF double-header. Miami is a team in transition -- again. Under coach Tony Sparano the Fish have gone from surprise division winners to 7-9 and out of the playoffs in three years. But he's a good coach and the team was smart to stick with him. That said, the Pats should start off with a road win in the division against the offensively-challenged Dolphins.

WEEK 2 vs. San Diego
The home opener brings the first of the four AFC West opponents the Pats will play to Gillette. The Chargers were not able to make their late season run to the division title as they always seem to do, coming up just short at 9-7. But they are a tough team to beat and the Pats were lucky to get out of SD last year with an early-season win. The Pats have been great in home openers under Belichick and this one should be no different. Pats get off to a 2-0 start.

WEEK 3 @ Buffalo
Make that 3-0. There will be lots of talk about "trap games" leading up to this one. The Pats have not lost to the Bills since -- well, a long, long time. And they won't lose this one. The Bills may be improving slightly under second-year coach Chan Gailey, but they still have a long way to go. The fact that the game is in Week 3 and not Week 13 means the Pats won't have to worry about playing one of those 6-3 games in a blizzard. Maybe.

WEEK 4 @ Oakland
Ah, Al Davis and the Raiders. The Pats haven't played the Silver and Black since Matt Cassell was filling in for Brady. The Pats romped that time and I would expect the same. The Raiders made solid strides last year under coach Tom Cable which meant, of course, that Davis would fire him. He replaced him with Hue Jackson. If you look at his resume on NFL.com it says after every coaching statistic... No Stats Available. Nice going, Al. Pats get to 4-0.

WEEK 5 vs. NY Jets
OK, now the season really begins. Rematch time. A 4 p.m. game in early October in Foxborough. This is why me, Mark, Shep, Bergs, and Matt still love packing up our cars and going to the games. I can already smell the meat grilling. There's a good chance both teams will be 4-0 or 3-1 at this point and this will be a huge game in deciding who will win the AFC East, the goal that Rex Ryan has finally realized has to come before you can get to the Super Bowl. Since it's at Gillette I'm going with Brady and the Pats. That's right, I've got them at 5-0. It's only April. I'm just making this up. Who the heck knows what will happen.

WEEK 6 vs. Dallas
The last game before the much-needed bye brings Jerry Jones and his Cowboys to Gillette. It's always a circus when the team with the star on its helmet comes to town. Dallas can't be as bad as it looked at the start of last season. The team pulled it together a little after finally dumping Wade Philips. But are they better enough to come into Gillette on a Sunday afternoon and knock off the Pats? No.

WEEK 7 Bye
So that means I have the Pats coming into the bye at 6-0. It's not that much of a stretch. 4-2 seems worst-case scenario. The Pats are home for only three of the first seven weeks of the season. That's not so good when it comes to tailgating. There's nothing better than September and early October football at Gillette. Nothing better. But it is very good when it comes to the second half of the season. The Pats get to play five home games after the bye. That will mean a lot of tailgating in the cold. And hopefully a lot of victories.

WEEK 8 @ Pittsburgh
This Sunday afternoon game starts the heart of the schedule. Till the Pats get to Washington in Week 15 they will get no breathers. The Pats went into Pittsburgh last year and took it to the Steelers for the win that set the tone for the rest of the regular season. The Pats will have two weeks to get ready. Belichick's success rate after byes is outstanding. But I think Big Ben and the Steelers hand the Pats their first loss of the season.

WEEK 9 vs. NY Giants
The first real meeting between these two teams since that little Super Bowl in the winter of '08. Asante Samuel will not be on the field to miss easy game-clinching picks this time. Devin McCourty will be in his place. The Giants have been an up-and-down team since the Super Bowl but I expect them to be up again in 2011. Tom Coughlin still has the hearts and minds of his players. But I expect the Pats to get back on the winning track at home heading into the biggest road game in years.

WEEK 10 @ NY Jets
The Pats win this one. I already have a gut feeling about that. I don't know what will happen if they meet again in the playoffs, but I think Brady and the Pats are due to go into the Meadowlands and come away with a huge victory. They have come close the last few times. I think the Pats D will be able to shut down Sanchez and Co. and get the W. That would put the Pats at 8-1 and in total control of the AFC East. As it should be.

WEEK 11 vs. Kansas City
Love the Chiefs. I picked them to win the AFC West last year and although they almost choked and gave it away -- they didn't. And they should be even better in 2011. Although getting rid of Charlie Weiss was not so smart. I love the history of the Chiefs. The uniforms. The connection to the Pats. If the Pats don't win the Super Bowl in 2011 (or whenever the league plays again) then I'll be rooting for the Chiefs. But not on this day. Pats will beat New England West.

WEEK 12 @ Philadelphia
Andy Reid and the Eagles just keep on truckin. While the rest of the teams in the NFC East are up and down and up and down ... the Eagles just keep winning and making the playoffs. Where they just keep losing. If Michael Vick has managed to stay out of trouble by this time I think the Eagles hand the Pats their second loss of the season. It should be a hard-fought game and these two could meet again come February.

WEEK 13 vs. Indianapolis
The Colts again? Why don't they just move them back into the AFC East? Of course it's a Sunday night game so the whole country can root for good-guy Peyton against pretty boy Tom. It's the best rivalry in sports and, like last year, will be one of the best home games of the season. As long as the Pats win. The Colts are getting older while the Pats are getting younger. Pats 10-2.

WEEK 14 @ Washington
The Redskins are one of those teams that you really can't know anything about in April. They are likely to be a .500 team but might start to improve in coach Mike Shanahan's second season. Then again, Shanahan's first year was so full of turmoil and QB Donovan McNabb was so erratic that's it's hard to see them being anything but an easy late-season road win.

WEEK 15 @ Denver
The Pats won't go 14-2 in back-to-back seasons. The Broncos, who should be better this year, will make Denver once again a tough place for the Pats to win. A Pats loss in Week 15 will result in a slew of stories and sports blab radio talk about how they have lost three on the road, making them vulnerable come playoff time. All it will mean is the Pats will have to win their last two home games of the year to lock up the key first-round bye. That shouldn't be a problem.

WEEK 16 vs. Miami
The Pats finished out last season with back-to-back games against the Bills and the Dolphins. They play them again, this time in reverse order and this time both at home. It's a good way to finish. The Dolphins have had very little luck with late-season games in the cold of Gillette. This one should be no different. Unless Miami surprises and puts together a solid year, this will be a case of the Pats locking up a bye against an overmatched opponent and giving me and the gang a fun way to celebrate Christmas Eve.

WEEK 17 vs. Buffalo
See above. The Pats will close out at home against Buffalo and most of the talk will probably center on who Belichick will rest for the playoff run. The talk will also center on New Year's Day hangovers (Bloody Marys a must) and college bowl games. This will be a game where many tailgating regulars will want to give away their tickets. Not me. New Year's Day at Gillette sounds like a great way to kick off 2012.

So for the second year in a row I see the Pats -- optimistically -- coming in at 13-3 and winning their division and a first-round bye. That's what being a fan is all about. Optimism. The great thing about rooting for the Pats is that -- at least for the past decade plus -- that optimism is often rewarded.