Kevin Faulk Back in 2010 | Courtesy Patriots.com

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports:

The New England Patriots announced Wednesday afternoon that they’ve agreed to terms with running back Kevin Faulk.

The team did not release the terms of the deal, but a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter the deal was for one year and will be signed Thursday. Another source said that Faulk will receive a $1 million signing bonus and can earn an additional $2 million in salary and incentives.

Faulk, who has been with New England since 1999, has been one of the Patriots’ most reliable veteran receivers. While he’s slowed down a bit of late, he remains productive. Faulk averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season, with 335 yards on 62 carries, while tying for fourth on the club with 37 receptions.

Another great deal for New England, as they return yet another key veteran from 2009.  Faulk, who will be 34 this coming season, hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.  Although he may be the oldest running back under contract in the NFL, Faulk has avoided the wear and tear of your typical every down back, and should be back to his usual third down and passing back role in 2010.

A lot of people were worried that, considering the time it took to get this deal done, Faulk might be contemplating other options.   However, that was never the case.  According to reports, Faulk deflected interest from up to five different teams (even receiving offers from the Redskins and Eagles), but never really considered leaving the Patriots.  2010 will be Faulk’s 12th year with the Patriots.  He still wants to win, and he still has a lot to offer.

Hold off on the celebration for now, but it looks like Bodden is returning

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports:

Free-agent cornerback Leigh Bodden has reached an agreement in principle to return to the New England Patriots, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports.

Bodden, who spent today in Houston visiting the Texans, had also been keeping an open dialogue with the Patriots. While an agreement in principle has been reached with New England, Bodden’s agent, Alvin Keels, cautioned that no contract has been signed at this point.

“Reports of Leigh Bodden re-signing with the Patriots are not true and premature at best,” Keels wrote on his Twitter account. “Leigh is still evaluating his options. Leigh has always indicated his desire to return to New England, but nothing is official and probably will not be until [tomorrow] at the earliest.”

Essentially, what Keels is saying is that the two sides have a deal in place, but Bodden has yet to sign the actual contract, meaning nothing is official as of yet.  If this is true, and barring any hiccups in the contract being signed, bringing back Bodden will be huge for the Patriots.

Bodden, in my opinion, is a #1 cornerback in this league.  To prove this to you, I bring in data from ProFootballFocus.com.  According to their rankings, Bodden was the 14th best cornerback in the league last year.  He was 13th best against the pass and 13th against the run.  Only 50% of passes thrown his way were completions, good for tenth in the league.  Lastly, his average QB rating of all passes thrown his way was just 59.3, good for 13th in the league.  What does all of this tell us?  It tells us that Bodden is a top 15, starting, #1 cornerback in this league.  With his blend of physical play at the line, his excellent man coverage, and ability to step up against the run, the Patriots will be lucky to have Bodden back in the fold.

With a potential return of Bodden, the Patriots would have him, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley, and Kyle Arrington on the roster at the position.  Bodden would be starting on one side, while Springs, Wilhite, and Butler would battle it out for the other starting position (although Butler and Wilhite will have to man the slot position as well).

If the agreement holds, this move will really solidify the Patriots’ secondary.

Buffalo Bills:
2009 record: 6-10
2009 record vs. Patriots: 0-2
Last season the Patriots won two close games against the Bills, continuing their streak of 13 straight victories. While this is an impressive statistic, the Bills should in no way be underestimated this season. The Patriots aura of invincibility is gone, and the Bills will be looking to gain a foothold in this suddenly dangerous division.

Defense:

The Bills strengths and weaknesses on defense are obvious. Their secondary was vastly improved last year, but they cannot stop the run. Buffalo ranked 2nd in the league against the pass last season with only 2,948 total passing yards allowed. They were second in the NFL with 28 interceptions. That’s 18 more than they had in 2008. Rookie Jarius Byrd finished tied for first in the NFL with 9 interceptions, including an astounding 7 picks in as string of 4 games. Buffalo also tied for second in the league with only 14 passing TDs allowed.

Only The Chiefs and Buccaneers had a worse run defense than the Bills. Buffalo allowed a staggering 4.7 yard average per run, and an average of 156.3 rushing yards per game. The Bills have a new coach in Chan Gailey, and are switching to a 3-4 defense, so perhaps this will help solve the problem against the run. However, their best defensive line player, 32-year old DE Aaron Schobel, will likely have to transition to outside linebacker in this scheme, taking him out of his comfort zone. It remains to be seen if they can maintain their positive momentum through the transition.

If the 3-4 defense allows the Bills to generate more pressure on the quarterback, and the secondary continues to improve, they will be very difficult to throw against. Inside linebacker Paul Posluszny has emerged as a potential playmaker with 111 tackles, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles in 2009. The problem is Buffalo does not yet have the defensive line players on the roster to successfully stop the run, and until they do, teams will continue to exploit this weakness.

Offense:

The Bills have some good players on offense, but nobody elite. Fred Jackson has emerged as a running back willing to work hard for yardage, and seems well suited to playing in Buffalo. Last season he had 1,062 rushing yards with a 4.5 yard average per carry. Jackson is both quick and powerful, and runs with an aggressive style. He frequently picks up extra yards after contact, and is difficult to stop for no gain. He is also adept at catching passes out of the backfield, and had the second most receptions on the team.

If the Bills were able to balance Jackson’s production with an adequate passing game they would have a decent offense, but neither Trent Edwards nor Ryan Fitzpatrick have been very consistent. Both have played well at times, but neither has shown they are the long-term answer at the position. Part of the problem is the offensive line, which struggled in 2009, allowing 46 sacks (tied for 4th most in the NFL). The O-line is even more of a concern this offseason with the retirement of starting right tackle Brad Butler at the age of 26.

Terrell Owens is a free agent and unlikely to re-sign. The Bills’ receiving corps is already thin, and while Lee Evans is fast, he cannot carry the load himself. A tight end and another quality receiver would go a long way toward improving their offense, but until they have a quarterback they trust to lead the franchise, the Bills will have to hope their defense is enough to keep them competitive.

2010 Schedule:
Home games: Miami, New England, N.Y. Jets, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville
Away games: Miami, New England, N.Y. Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Minnesota, Kansas City

2010 record prediction: 6-10 (last in AFC East)
The Bills have a good number of winnable home games next season, but will likely struggle against a tough road schedule.

While the Patriots have shown interest in retaining Bodden, losing him would create a need at cornerback for the Patriots, as the Patriots can’t rely on Shawn Springs to go a full 16 games at this point in his career.  Currently, the top three cornerbacks on the roster are Springs, third year cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, and last year’s rookie Darius Butler.

Free agent wide receiver Josh Reed has scheduled a visit to New England.

A league source tells PFT’s Mike Florio that Reed will visit the Patriots on Sunday.

Reed is coming off a season in which he was largely phased out of the Bills’ offense, catching just 27 passes for 291 yards.

In 2008 Reed had a career-high 597 receiving yards on 56 catches.

If the Patriots signed Reed, he would immediately be penciled in as the #3 receiver until Wes Welker gets back from injury. He’s also a strong veteran presence and a good locker room guy, traits the Patriots need.  More on this later as details emerge.

Be Happy Big Daddy | Courtesy Patriots.com

The highly anticipated contract extension for Vince Wilfork is finally here.  And boy is it big.  According to multiple reports, the Patriots have inked Wilfork for five years at $40 million, with $25 million in guarantees.  $18 million will be in signing bonuses.

This is a huge move for the Patriots.  First, it sends a great message throughout the locker room, and gets rid of that perception that the Patriots “don’t pay.”  Clearly, after giving Wilfork the richest contract for a nose tackle in league history, the Patriots do pay for the right guys.  Vince Wilfork is the right guy.  The deal is also very reasonable.  At $8 million a year, the deal is slightly less than he would probably get on the open market, but he also gets all that money guaranteed, doesn’t have to adjust to a new location, etc.  By the time this deal expires, Vince Wilfork will be 33, but will have been a Patriot for 11 years.  At that point, there’s no telling what the Patriots roster might look like.  But if Vince continues to play the way he has, he will go down as one of the all-time Patriots’ greats.

Re-signing Stephen Neal will be an underrated move | Courtesy Patriots.com

The Patriots also made one more move on the opening day of free agency by signing guard Stephen Neal to a contract extension.  Neal, when healthy, is one of the best pass protecting guards in football.  Although he is 33, he is still very effective getting out on screens, and it is well documented that the Patriots line as a whole plays better when he’s in the lineup.

No word yet on what the contract will be for Neal,  but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the line shapes up now that he will be back.  The interior seems set: Logan Mankins will be back at left guard, Koppen at center, with Neal at right guard.  But there are a lot of questions surrounding the two tackle spots.  The two most talented tackles on the roster are Matt Light and Sebastian Vollmer.  However, the Patriots recently extended Nick Kaczur, who was expected to move to right guard if Neal retired or signed elsewhere.  The most likely option is that Light will continue to start on the left side, with Vollmer replacing Kaczur on the right, with Kaczur the team’s top backup.  However, there is a chance that the Patriots do ship one of their veteran tackles out of town, namely Light or Kaczur.  This will certainly be an area to watch heading further into the offseason.

Overall, this was a solid first day of free agency for the Patriots.  They re-signed three key players in Vince Wilfork, Tully Banta-Cain, and Stephen Neal.  While the Patriots didn’t bring in any outside help from the likes of Julius Peppers and Anquan Boldin, they secured three starters.  In the coming 48 hours, I’d expect them to move closer to a deal for Leigh Bodden.  After that, look for them to address the defensive line, wide receiver, and tight end through some low cost veteran additions.

Caption This! | Courtesy Boston Globe

Christopher Price of WEEI.com reports:

WEEI.com has confirmed a report via a league source that the Patriots have expressed an interest in bringing back Le Kevin Smith. Smith, a defensive lineman who was taken by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2006 draft, played three years in New England before being dealt to Denver before the start of the 2009 season for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft. Primarily a backup over the course of his four-year career, the 27-year-old free agent has started a pair of games in the NFL. His best season came in 2008 when he played in 15 games and finished with 14 tackles.

Le Kevin was actually a favorite of mine when he was here.  Not a top end guy, but a good rotation player who is best suited playing 5-technique, but can also move over the center.  If the Patriots brought him back, he would compete in camp, and would provide some nice depth along the defensive line.

TBC Against the Jets | Courtesy Patriots.com

The Patriots have made their first major move in free agency, and it involves keeping one of their own.  Today, the Patriots announced that they signed outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain to a three year contract extension.  The deal will be worth an average of $4.5 million a year, with incentives that could bring it up to $6 million per year.  The deal also includes a $6 million signing bonus.

My first reaction is that I’m just glad to have him back.  After seeing impact defensive players leave the Patriots year after year, its nice to see the Patriots hold on to Tully Banta-Cain, especially after losing out on the Julius Peppers sweepstakes.  While Banta-Cain isn’t the most effective player when it comes to setting the edge, he is very disruptive as a pass rusher.  He has an explosive first step, and has a good variety of pass rushing moves.

My second reaction is that this contract is pretty rich.  If Banta-Cain is clearly being paid like a starter, rather, a premier starter.  However, it is clear that the Patriots value his services, and think that he should be able to continue to produce at a high level next season and beyond.  Good for Tully.  He earned it.  And to think, this time last year, people thought he would be nothing more than camp competition.

By the way, check out the 8:15 mark of this video for one of Tully’s best plays from last season.

The Patriots have an offer on the table for Panthers DE Julius Peppers, a source told the Boston Herald.

How much is not clear. And the Patriots will need to get behind the Bears, who made first push. But coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots are in the mix.

All the signs pointed towards Peppers landing with the Bears, and now, I really just don’t know.  If Julius Peppers truly wants to win a championship, and potentially become an all-time great, the choice should be a no-brainer for him.  I don’t know if the Patriots are matching the Bears’ offer, but these next few hours will certainly be interesting.

Update: This is also being reported by Jason La Canfora of NFL.com

With Banta-Cain, all indications are that a deal is in place (or at least very close), although Banta-Cain, who had a career high 10 sacks last season, may be enticed by a big money offer from a team like the Dolphins.

The Patriots have also been working the lines with Leigh Bodden.  It seems like he’s getting a lot of interest around the league.  Ultimately, I think the Patriots want Bodden back in New England, and Bodden wants to return so I think something should get done.  However, if a team gives him a big time offer, in the 5 years $40 million range, the Patriots may choose not to match.

As for Kevin Faulk, it seems like a virtual certainty that something should get done soon, as both sides continue to work towards a deal.  At the tail end of his career, Kevin Faulk has been very effective, and may be looking for a bit of financial security.

A few other free agent notes from around the league:

• The Jets completed a trade for Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie.  To be honest, I’m not sure Cromartie is any better than Lito Sheppard.  At least Lito Sheppard can tackle.  Look, this is probably a good deal for the Jets, but the guy isn’t a physical player, and he was greatly overrated during his “great” year in 2007.
• Julius Peppers is flying into Chicago to visit with the Bears today.  Looks like he will probably sign there.  However, there is said to be interest from two other clubs as well.  Could be the Patriots, but I have a feeling they will try to wait until the dust settles on this one.
• The Patriots are looking for a receiver, and have a couple on their radar: Derrick Mason and Kevin Walter.
• Kassim Osgood, a potential Pats FA target, looks to be headed to Jacksonville.
• Bears also signed Brandon Manumaleuna, one of the top free agent tight ends.  Also in negotiations with Antrel Rolle.  They’re not messing around.  Big start for them.

That’s it for right now.  I’m sure there will be some Patriots related news by the end of the day, so keep checking back here.