News

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com wonders whether the Patriots will look to redefine their offense in 2012 under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.  Reiss shares the the opinion of NFL Network's Mike Lombardi, who spoke about the Patriots offense on Bill Simmons' "BS Report" podcast earlier this year.  "I think they have to go back and redefine themselves. They've become a little bit like the Miami Dolphins when they had Danny Marino and only (Mark) Clayton and (Mark) Duper could play. The volume of offense became so great that no young player or any experienced player could come in and do it. .. They have to clean up the system," stated Lombardi.   He also added that he thinks the Patriots will look to add more power to the offense through the running game, with the focus on getting back to the '07 model.

Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe writes that Patriots defensive lineman Kyle Love was honored at his Georgia hometown on Wednesday.  Not only was his No. 72 jersey retired at North Clayton High, it was also declared "Kyle Love Day" in Clayton County.  Manza Young writes, "Undrafted in 2010, Love signed with the Patriots and played in nine games as a rookie; last season, he made great strides, playing in all 16 regular-season games with 13 starts. He also started all three of New England's playoff games."

Ian R. Rapoport of The Boston Herald writes that Bill Belichick was at the University of Alabama's Pro Day yesterday.  Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, who is good friends with Belichick, had this response when asked if he took Belichick out on a night on the town: "You don't know Belichick very well," Saban said, smiling with reporters, as captured by AL.com. "What you do when he comes to town is you go in the meeting room and you order the stuff in and you eat while the film's going. So, that's what we did."

Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com writes that the Patriots may look to draft a wide receiver in the upcoming NFL Draft, even with 10 wideouts currently on the roster.  He argues that Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd are the only locks to be on the field for a huge chunk of plays in 2012, with Lloyd as the only true outside target.  "At the tail end of the first round and into the second, the Patriots could target a project player like Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech, or a production animal like Mohamed Sanu from Rutgers who doesn't have Hill's speed or measurables but caught 115 balls last season," writes Curran.

Mary Paoletti of CSNNE.com reports that the Patriots have been in contract discussions with veteran defensive lineman Gerard Warren.  Paoletti writes, "Though New England is interested in bringing Warren back, the team won't look to resolve the defensive lineman's contract status until after the NFL Draft (April 26-28) or later."