*ESPN.com* is reporting that former Patriots cornerback Ty Law has agreed to a multiyear deal with the New York Jets. The contract is reported to be for at least three years and could average $6 million per season with a signing bonus of at least $5 million as part of his deal. Law had turned down a four-year $24 million offer from New England last offseason.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald reports that now that Patriots running back Cedric Cobbs is healthly we should have a better idea whether the second-year running back can play. If he can prove that he can, he could head into regular season as Corey Dillon's primary backup further bolstering the Patriots depth at running back. Cobbs has been solid during training camp. He's been in excellent shape and has shown excellent energy on the field. "I'm having a much better start than last year. I actually get to go through the practices and get coached up on the things that I do wrong and the things I do right. The coaches let me know, so that's a big positive. You've just got to take the negatives that they give you, and try to do better the next time and look forward to bettering yourself," said Cobbs.
Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe writes an article today on the Patriots defensive line. In the Patriots 3-4 defense it all starts up front with a solid defensive line and the Patriots have three of the best with Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork. "No defense can be any good without good defensive linemen, or without them being able to do their job effectively, put it that way," Belichick said. "Because it all starts with them. Not saying every defensive lineman has to be a great player, certainly they all aren't, but if a defensive lineman isn't consistent, if he doesn't consistently do what he's supposed to do, then it's very difficult for the players playing behind him to consistently do what they're supposed to do."
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald explores the most heated job competitions to watch during training camp and preseason. In the backup quarterback competition neither Doug Flutie and Rohan Davey have looked particularly sharp in training camp while seventh round draft pick Matt Cassel has often looked like the second best quarterback on the field. Felger also explores competition for a starting spot on the secondary, left guard, right tackle, third tight end, receiver and return jobs.
In alumni news, Ron Borges of the Boston Globe reports that former Patriots linebacker Vincent Brown is currently participating in a summer coaching internship with Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers a story on Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel. Curran is counting the days until the first preseason game on friday at Cincinnati in which Cassel should debut. Cassel has been particularly sharp at quarterback during training camp, especially for a player that had limited playing time in college. "Hopefully we'll have him ready to be able to play in the Cincinnati game (Friday night on the road) and start to get an evaluation of how he is going to perform in real game conditions," said head coach Bill Belichick. "Unfortunately, he] hasn't had very much of an opportunity to do it in his entire career, which is unusual for a player with the skill level that he has. But we understand what the circumstances were. We'll see what it looks like in game conditions." [Curran also offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes.
Chris Kennedy of the Republican offers a story on Patriots QB Tom Brady. Kennedy writes that even though Tom Brady has 3 Super Bowl rings, he is still looking to set goals and constanty strives to improve his game. "I just think I have such high expectations for not only myself, but the offense. When I'm going into my sixth year, there is a lot pressure on me and my offense to go out there and execute like I'm going into my sixth year. It's not like I can just make the same mistakes I did three years ago. It's frustrating because you always want to be perfect. But, at the same time, you realize in football that it's rarely perfect because there are just so many moving parts," said Brady. Kennedy also offers an additional article on Patriots rookie offensive lineman Nick Kaczur.
