Patriots news for the week of 7/21

[BillsFever]

Post Patriots news here!

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Watson Released - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:21:51 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the release of RB Derek Watson.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Watkins Released - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:22:21 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the release of WR Kerry Watkins.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Petruziello Released - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:22:50 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the release of rookie OG Dave Petruziello.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Banta-Cain Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:23:09 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie LB Tully Banta-Cain. Terms of the deal were not disclosed

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Nead Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:23:33 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie TE Spencer Nead. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Kingsbury Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:24:05 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie QB Kliff Kingsbury. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Koppen Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:26:02 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie C Dan Koppen. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Johnson Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:26:21 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie WR Bethel Johnson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Wilson Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:26:47 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie CB Eugene Wilson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Warren Officially Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:27:19 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced the official signing of rookie DE Ty Warren. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Banta-Cain Will Have to Fight for Playing Time - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 08:33:19 -0700

The Boston Herald reports New England Patriots rookie LB Tully Banta-Cain will have to fight to get playing time as a situational pass rusher.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | DE Positions Set - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 08:34:30 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Boston Herald reports the New England Patriots seem to be set at the defensive end positions. DLs Bobby Hamilton and Ty Warren will handle the left side and DLs Richard Seymour and Anthony Pleasant will handle the right side.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Warren Contract Update - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:00:34 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Boston Herald reports the contract signed by New England Patriots rookie DL Ty Warren could be worth up to $20.3 million. The deal includes a huge payment of up to $7 million on the back side of the contract based on Warren's performance in the first five years of the deal. Warren also received a $3 million signing bonus and a $3.5 million option bonus payable in March 2004.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Wilson Contract Update - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:02:39 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Boston Herald reports New England Patriots rookie CB Eugene Wilson's five-year deal included a $2 million signing bonus, base salaries of $274,000 (2003), $342,000 (2004), $410,000 (2005), $478,000 (2006) and $546,000 (2007), and the potential of a $3 million payment before his fifth season based on playing time and performance over the first four years.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Koppen Contract Update - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:15:23 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Boston Herald reports New England Patriots rookie C Dan Koppen signed a four-year deal that included a $115,000 signing bonus to go with minimum salaries of $225,000 (2003), $305,000 (2004), $380,000 (2005) and $460,000 (2006). Koppen will also have the opportunity to earn escalators in the first three years of the deal.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Kingsbury Contract Update - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:18:55 -0700

Updating previous reports, the Boston Herald reports New England Patriots rookie QB Kliff Kingsbury signed a three-year deal with a $50,000 signing bonus and minimum salaries.

[The_Philster]

Rookies signed, Patriots get busy
On the first day of official rookie workouts at Gillette Stadium yesterday, Patriots coaches and management could rest easy that they have no holdouts among their 10 draft picks, all of whom have been signed. All but one -- seventh-rounder Tully Banta-Cain -- should be ready for full duty at training camp, which opens Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.

Banta-Cain, a defensive end/ linebacker from Cal, agreed to a four-year deal, but he has an undisclosed injury that may delay his Patriots debut....more

[The_Philster]

Sixth in a series taking a position-by-position look at the Pats as they head into training camp Wednesday.

Some experts already have called it one of the deepest positional groups in the NFL, an amazing distinction for a Patriots linebacker unit that had so many issues in 2002 that Bill Belichick altered his base scheme and made the biggest free agent splurge in team history.

On paper, the Pats linebackers look formidable, especially with sackmaster Rosevelt Colvin operating out of the 3-4 alignment. In reality, the unit has a lot to prove....

more

[The_Philster]

Seventh in a series taking a position-by-position look at the Pats as they head into training camp tomorrow.

He was signed, essentially out of desperation, late in Bill Belichick's first Patriots training camp in 2000. Otis Smith was in his mid-30's at the time and coming off a major shoulder injury the year before with the Jets. Most of the NFL assumed his days as a productive defensive back were over.

Given the horrific state of his inherited roster, Belichick had little choice. Belichick had Smith come off the bench the first game that season and then inserted him in the starting lineup in Week 2....

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