Trouble in paradise

Patriots left guard Logan Mankins contract issues went from bad to worse. The two time pro bowler is demanding a trade. The two sides can't meet on a figure they agree upon. New England has set a precedent on negotiating contracts. The normally stingy Patriots are offering up 7 million dollars a year. This would put him top 5 of all the guards in the NFL. So the 28 year old Mankins is demanding a trade. Apparently he thinks he should be paid as the top guard. At what point do you set your ego aside and take a great contract. When the Pats try to give you a big contract, it shows they value your game. They usually low ball their players. I guess a trade is in order. I like Mankins, he is a very good player. But a guard is going to cause a stink because he's being offered a top 5 contract at a position? Get real buddy. It will be a tough loss for the line. But a survivable one. If they trade him a valuable piece can be retained from another team. Either through draft picks or a solid position player. So it's not a total loss. Sorry Logan, i don't think there will be a lot of out cry for you. especially with 7 million being laughed at. I hope Ted Larsen is knee deep in his playbook. The rookie out of N.C. State will have to transition from center to guard a little quicker than they had hoped.

Thin position thickening for Pats

The thinnest postion on the Pats roster a few months ago seems to be getting very deep. Wide receiver was a weak spot for the Patriots outside of Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Welker went down week 17 in Houston making the position even thinner. Welker's progress from and ACL tear has been nothing short of amazing. He has been running routes and catching passes in the OTA's the past week. An injury that usually takes a year to come back from. He will most likely start the season on the PUP, but all this news is very encouraging. Julian Edelman should fill in nicely in his presence. Having Torry Holt can only help out the younger guys in their route running and game prep. Holt can be that Gaffney, Stallworth player for the offense. He doesn't need to make a huge impact. He can be that third outlet, chain moving option. Rookie Taylor Price will help out in the return game and be that 4th speed option to stretch the field. Brandon Tate got his feet wet last season before being put on the IR. So he will be in the mix for playing time next season. Veteran David Patten is back with the team. He can also help ease having Welker out for the begging of the season and gives them depth should someone go down. Rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez will give them two more targets in the passing game. Gronkowski will be more of a short yardage target and Hernandez has some more speed and could be moved into the slot at times. Brady has plenty of players to go to this season. He'll need to spread it out against the Jets. Darrell Revis has Randy Moss and every other top wide out in the league on lock down. So adding these other pieces should benefit the offense. Hopefully the passing game can help keep the runningback healthy, all but Laurence Maroney are long in the tooth.