Patriots News for the Week of 6/23

[Gunzlingr]

Please post Patriots news here.

[The_Philster]

In the latest moved aimed at upgrading the competition at tailback, the New England Patriots on Monday signed unrestricted free agent Mike Cloud, who played the first four seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cloud, 27, had auditioned for the Patriots during the team's mini-camp two weeks ago, and reports indicated he performed well and would eventually be added to the roster. While financial details were not immediately available, it is believed that Cloud will get the league minimum base salary of $530,000 for a four-year veteran.

The caveat with Cloud, as reported by ESPN.com earlier this year, is that he must serve a four-game suspension at the start of the season for a violation of the NFL substance abuse policy. Cloud contended in an appeal that he accidentally ingested the banned substance Nandrolene while taking a supplement.....more (http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1571907.html)

[Gunzlingr]

Three things coach Bill Belichick can never seem to get enough of for the Patriots: depth, competition, and options. Mike Cloud gives him all three.


Yesterday the Patriots signed the free agent running back and former star at Portsmouth (R.I.) High and Boston College to a one-year contract, likely for the league minimum ($530,000, $450,000 of which counts toward the cap) plus incentives.

A second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1999 who did not fit then-coach Gunther Cunningham's style of offense his first two seasons and who spent the past two years as Priest Holmes's understudy, Cloud joins a highly populated Patriots backfield that includes Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk, J.R. Redmond, Antwoine Womack, and rookie free agent Derek Watson.

Cloud, 5 feet 10 inches and 205 pounds, auditioned during the Patriots' May minicamp. He figures to provide a bit of a push for incumbent starter Smith and third-down specialist Faulk, and he could challenge Redmond, whose carries have decreased from 125 to 35 to 4 the last three seasons, and second-year-man Womack, who sat out last season rehabbing a torn ACL, for playing time.

more (http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/175/sports/Patriots_sign_free_agent_RB_Cloud+.shtml)