'Just didn't work out'

"Just didn't work out."

That's all Bill Belichick had to offer when  asked why the Pats cut defensive lineman Jonathan  Fanene, one of their biggest free agent signings coming into this season.

"Just didn't work out." That's all he ever says. Which is fine with me. I don't want/need my coach/GM to say much. I can see what's happening for myself. Just coach. And that's what Belichick does.

So add Fanene to the list of guys I was excited about when the team signed this offseason who are gone before I even have my first tailgate cocktail.

First it was Anthony Gonzalez. Then Joe Addai. Then Robert Gallery. Now Fanene.

Watch out Bobby Carpenter... you're next.

Comings and goings

My ... people come and go so quickly here. It's that time of the year. Training camps are opening up all around the NFL this week and players will be added, dropped, added, dropped. I call it the "Ross Ventrone period" of the football year after the scrappy Pats defensive back who was dropped and re-signed more times last year than Ocho caught passes.

Today the Pats dropped veteran running back Joseph Addai and added veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. I guess Belichick figures the Pats can never have enough good tight ends. Shiancoe -- if he doesn't get cut by the end of the week -- can play the Alge Crumpler mentor role to Gronk and Hernandez. And he has good hands. I thought Addai was going to play the mentor role to young running backs Ridley and Vereen but you have to make it through your conditioning test first.

So for the record ... Here are the veteran fee agents signed over the past few seasons that I was certain would help the team who never even made it to Week 1. Tory Holt. Anthony Gonzalez. Joseph Addai. And those are just the three I care to remember. Oh, and Shaun Ellis. He was a big disappointment. But he at least made the team. Belichick can't be right every time.

Here's hoping Gallery, Carpenter, Fanene, and Gregory aren't next on that last.

Break it down -- running back

Running back. The often overlooked position in the Patriots' offense. But it shouldn't be. Antowain Smith. Corey Dillon. Kevin Faulk. They not only carried the ball during the Pats Super Bowl runs, they also carried a big part of the load.

So who carries the load this season? That will be THE most interesting question in training camp and during the preseason. Watching second-year guys Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley battle for the starting spot will almost be worth the full ticket price for the two preseason games. Almost.

STARTERS
I'm going with Ridley as the guy who will win the job. Of course that means it will probably be Vereen. Ridley showed break-away potential last year, leading the team in rushes over 20 yards. But he had a few fumbles near the end of the season and come playoff time was banished to the bench. He'll need to fix that. Vereen was injured early last season and didn't get back on the field till the end. The California grad is a Kevin Faulk third-down type back. That's a key role. Danny Woodhead's play dropped off after his outstanding first season with the Pats but he's still a playmaker. Veteran Joseph Addai, the former Colt, is a player I have high hopes for. But I thought that about Tory Holt a few years ago, and Fred Taylor, and Anthony Gonzalez. Those guys didn't work out so well.

BACK-UPS
It has long annoyed me that Belichick, the great student of the game that he is, has not had a fullback on his roster for most of the past decade. You have to have a fullback. It's about hard-nose football. Well, I've changed my mind about tight ends so maybe the coach is changing his mind about fullbacks because there are currently three on the roser. Tony Fiammetta, Eric Kettani, and Spencer Larson. Hopefully one of them will see a lot of action this year. Rookie Brandon Bolden is a dark horse to make the team.

It won't be easy for any of these guys to fill in for Bennie. He was a rock. He may not have had a lot of long rushes, but inside the ten he was almost a sure thing. And he never fumbled. Very tough to replace.

Hey Joe

Does it really matter who carries the ball for the New England Patriots? That's one of those yes and no deals.

As long as the offense has Brady at the helm and a cast of Welker, Gronk, Hernandez, Lloyd, et al. then the running game is going to be secondary. And the choice of who leads that running game will be too.

That said, someone has to carry the ball. Someone you can depend on to take care of the ball and get it in the endzone when you're inside the 5-yard line. That's why Bennie was such a good running back for this offense. Not flashy. But solid. And tough. So solid and tough that he was able to land himself a nice signing bonus with the Bengals.

With Bennie gone the Pats are looking to second-year players Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen to step up. They were both high draft picks. Ridley showed some flashes last season. Vereen was hurt most of the year. They are just a lot of potential and not much more at the moment.

That's where Joseph Addai comes in. The Pats signed the 29-year-old veteran free agent from the Colts. It's worth a shot. Addai was drafted in 2006 late in the first round, just a few picks after Belichick and the Pats took Lawrence Maroney. When the Pats made their pick Peyton Manning reportedly called Brady and said "You got our running back." Seemed the Colts wanted Maroney too, but had to settle for Addai. You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need. The Colts needed a feature back to give the Manning-led offense some balance. That's what they got with Addai. And they got their elusive Super Bowl. Maroney was never quite that guy for the Pats.

Addai started with two 1,000-yard seasons but has been slowed by injuries the past four seasons. Yet he is only 29. He still has a lot of tread left. Just like former Packer Ryan Grant. He's also 29. He went to the Lions.

I favored the Pats signing Grant over Addai. I have a feeling one of them is going to have a big comeback season. We'll see which one that turns out to be.