Attention shoppers

The free agency megastore has been open for about two weeks now. The Buffalo Bills have had themselves a heck of a shopping spree, adding D linemen Mario Williams and former Patriot Mark Anderson. The Bills are going to be tough. They have to rank among the smartest shoppers so far. But what about Bill Belichick and the Patriots? They have added eleven new players. Eleven! But have they spent their money well?

ADD TO CART
The Patriots had several empty carts as shopping hours began. One cart is now overflowing. Wide receiver. The Pats added Anthony Gonzalez, Brandon Lloyd, and Donte Stallworth and they kept Deion Branch and Matthew Slater. And word is that Chad Johnsoncinco is busy studying the playbook and plans on sticking around ... at least long enough for his reality-TV wedding to take place. Tom Brady is going to have lots of guys to throw to. But the last time I checked, the game is played with only one ball. Lloyd and Gonzalez are excellent additions. Not sure what the heck Stallworth is doing back. I thought he was still in jail.

The Pats also added offensive lineman Robert Gallery, formerly of the Raiders. He was the second player taken in the 2004 draft but hasn't really lived up to that lofty position. But he is only 31 and working with magician Dante Scarnecchia may put him in the Pro Bowl. That's what Dante can do with talent. Gallery's signing is an indication that Matt Light might be calling it a career. A great career. The Pats also kept center Dan Connolly. A sign that Dan Koppen is probably not coming back.

Spencer Larsen, a fullback with Denver, was the most recent guy added to the roster. Since Belichick never uses his fullback I'm not too excited about that one. But he should be a good special teams guy. And of course the coach/GM got himself yet another tight end to play with, because apparently you can't have enough of 'em. He picked up Daniel Fells from the Broncos. I don't know what to say about that one.

The other empty shopping carts were all on the defensive side of the ball. They are still pretty empty. The Pats didn't get LaRon Landry as I had been hoping. He went to the Jets. He would have been of some help to Patrick Chung. Instead the Pats added safety Steve Gregory, formerly of the Chargers. He's not a bad player. But is he an improvement over James Ihedigbo? We'll see. The Pats also signed cornerback Will Allen. I thought he had retired. I guess that's Eric Allen. This Allen is 33 and has played with the Giants and Dolphins. Like Gallery, he was a first-round pick ... back in 2001. Hopefully he won't be another Duane Starks.

Other defensive signings were linemen Jonathan Fanene from Cincy and Trevor Scott from Oakland along with cornerback Marquice Cole from the Jets. Not exactly household names and not guys that I would have put in my shopping cart. But then again I didn't know much about Andre Carter and Mark Anderson last year and they turned out to be good purchases indeed. Belichick has a history of finding deals in other team's bargain bins.

NO SALE
Free agency is not just about buying things, it's also about putting some things back on the shelves. The Patriots chose not to bring a few of my favorite players up to the cash register. Mark Anderson joined the Bills formidable defensive front. He was a key player for the Patriots down the stretch and into the playoffs last year. But I guess not big enough for a raise. Hopefully the Pats will use that money to bring back Andre Carter.

The team also said goodbye to a fan favorite... BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Or Bennie as I liked to call him when I was yelling from my seats "Get Bennie into the bleeping game! Let's run the ball!" Bennie carried the ball 547 times in his career with the Patriots. He never fumbled. Not once. Every young player should study the way Bennie takes care of the ball. I'll buy that guy a beer if we ever meet in a bar. Bennie goes down as one of the great Patriot unsung heroes. The Bengals got themselves a good one. Thanks Bennie.

BENNIE: The good-hands man.

Catching on

Coming into the offseason, wide receiver was clearly an area of need. Not anymore.

Bill Belichick and the Pats' front office just built one of the deepest receiver corps in the league. How you liking that, Rex?

The Pats started the day by signing former Indy receiver Anthony Gonzalez. I've been a fan of the Ohio State grad since the Colts made him their first-round pick in '07. He's six feet and 193 pounds. He knows how to run routes (unlike Ocho). He's got great hands. He had a good rookie season and and even better sophomore year (57 catches, 4 TDs) before a knee injury took away most of his '09 and '10 seasons. He didn't fare too well last year without Peyton Manning and the Colts set him free. Gonzalez is 27 with lots of upside. And he's a model citizen.

You can't say that about the other receiver the Pats signed today. Brandon Lloyd. Another six footer. He and Gonzalez are no Megatron, but they bring a little more size to the passing game. And with Lloyd, a good deal of attitude. I want the Pats to have more attitude. Especially if they should find themselves facing little Manning and the Giants again in the Super Bowl. Lloyd has attitude. It's often on display in the video above. Lloyd is 30. That's the prime for a wideout. He spent his first two years catching a lot of passes for the Niners before getting traded to Washington. He immediately got on Joe Gibbs's bad side (he wasn't the only one) and he was soon on his way out and on to Chicago. He lasted a year there before reviving his career in Denver with head coach Josh McDaniels. In 2010 he had nearly 1,500 yards catching with 11 touchdowns. Lloyd said he couldn't wait to be reunited with McDaniels, now back at his old post as Pats' offensive coordinator where he belongs. Now they are back together. Time will tell if it works as well as the first time. But with Brady, Belichick, Welker, and McDaniels around him, I have a hunch Lloyd is going to thrive. Moss-like.

Lloyd signed for $12m over three years. Gonzalez will get much less than that. The Chargers signed Robert Meachem for more than the two combined. Robert Meachem. He's decent, but doesn't even get drafted in my family's fantasy league each summer. We draft about forty wide receivers. Forty. And no Meachem. The Chargers gave him $25 million. The Pats got Lloyd for half that. One team knows how to spend its cap money, one team doesn't. Hopefully the plan is to use some of that money saved and get Welker signed for three or four more years. 

Tom Brady and Gisele have to be feeling pretty good today. You think Brady had weapons last year? Here's the group of guys that #12 will be throwing to in 2012 if all goes as planned...

Wes Welker

Brandon Lloyd

Anthony Gonzalez

Deion Branch

Rob Gronkowski

Aaron Hernandez

Can you say six wide? Can you say so-long Chad? 

The Pats are all set at the receiver position. Now they can use those two first-rounders and two second-rounders on defense, defense, defense, and defense.

All quiet

You know it's been a slow start to free agency for the Patriots when you go to their website and see "Inside The Helmet: Ross Ventrone" on the home page.

I really don't want to get to know Ross Ventrone that well.

I want a wide receiver ... and a pass rusher. Oh, and someone who can play man coverage.

The Pats reportedly did sign a D lineman (Jonathan Fanene), but he's a backup from the Bengals. Enough said.