On The Patriots Radar

First and foremost, don't get yourselves too exicted about the start of free agency. This won't be like the 2003 off-season when the Patriots acquired Rosevelt Colvin and Rodney Harrison on consecutive days, or 2007 off-season, when the Patriots landed Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. According to NFL.com's Adam Schefter, the Patriots have only $3.2 million in cap space, ahead of only Carolina and their $1.9 million in cap room.

So don't get your hopes up too high for the Patriots to land a big name. However, the Pats could still manage to work around the league and land some role players. If there is one thing that the Patriots have been incredibly successful at since Bill Belichick arrived in Foxboro in 2000, it's been turning other people's trash into treasures. The Patriots took Mike Vrabel, a floundering defensive end with the Steelers and turned him into a Pro Bowler. They squeezed the last solid years out of veterans like Roman Phifer, Antowain Smith, Bobby Hamilton, Tyrone Poole, Ted Washington and Corey Dillon, just to name a handful. Most notably, however, was landing an unheralded quarterback out of Michigan with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Three Super Bowl championships later, Tom Brady is a Hall of Famer.

So while the Patriots might not swoop in and land T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Albert Haynesworth or Ray Lewis, they just as easily could take a no-name scrub from someone else's trash and turn them into a star. They've done it before. However, this is the first off-season that Belichick will be working without Scott Pioli, who took a high-profile general manager's gig with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Here are some of the names to expect to be attached to the Patriots:

- DeAngelo Hall (Washington): barring the unforeseen, that Hall will re-sign with the Redskins, DeAngelo will be a quality corner back on the open market. After landing with the Raiders last March, Hall signed an eight-year, $70 million contract, and after floundering in Oakland's system, the Raiders released the struggling corner back. Hall landed with the Redskins and had a subpar season. Hall, who still can play at an All-Pro level, could command good money, but not nearly at the price tag of Nnamdi Asomugha or Cortland Finnegan.
- Chris McAlister (Baltimore): The Ravens cut McAlister, saving $8 million. McAlister, 31, is a career Raven looking for a fresh start. He seems to fit the Patriots system, and at a decent price tag could be the second coming of Tyrone Poole.
- Lawyer Milloy (Atlanta): his best years are clearly behind him, but he can still play the hybrid linebacker/safety position that Rodney Harrison controlled for the better part of the last three years. If Harrison does in fact call it a career, Milloy could be an effective replacement, which would be ironic, as Harrison was the reason that the Patriots showed Milloy the door back in 2003.
- Mike Brown (Chicago): the Bears announced that they have no intentions of reaching out to their former safety and defensive captain. Brown, 31, is another player on the downside of his career and is an injury risk. Brown hasn't played a full season in four years, and it was a calf injury that ended his season last December. The question with Brown is; is the risk worth the potential reward?
- Fakhir Brown (St. Louis): Brown was released by the Rams on September 24, but was re-signed less than a month later after Ricky Manning was placed on injured reserve. Brown struggled with an ankle injury throughout most of December 2008, and like the rest in this pack, his best years are definitely behind him.
- Gerald Sensabaugh (Jacksonville): the 25 year-old safety is a hard-hitting force, who would be a perfect compliment to Brandon Meriweather in the secondary. The Jaguars have already made it clear that they do not intend to court Sensabaugh, so that opens the door for the Patriots. However, expect multiple teams to bid for the four-year veteran and eventually drive the price too high for the Patriots.
- Fred Taylor (Jacksonville): the ten-year Jaguar recently was released, and has already made it public that he intends to at least enter discussions with the Patriots. The Pats will be losing LaMont Jordan in free agency, opening up the need for an effective third-down back who can make spot starts if, and when, Laurence Maroney is injured in 2009. The Patriots haven't had a sure thing at running back since Corey Dillon's 2004 season, so Taylor would add much-needed depth and possibly a tremendous season at a great value.
- Chris Baker (New York Jets): the Jets released the 29 year-old tight end last week after a contentious 2008 season that included Baker holding out through Training Camp after he said the Jets lied to him about landing a new contract after a career year in 2007. The Patriots don't need a tight end, but they could sure use a reliable option. Benjamin Watson has yet to find his hands, and David Thomas still hasn't matured into a full-bore red zone threat. Baker would be a prime target inside the 20 for Brady. Also, imagine the emotion he'd want to play with twice a year against the Jets.

Needless to say, the Patriots won't have a sparkling off-season, and we'll have to wait until the Draft (or when Matt Cassel is traded) for the Pats to land a big name target. But for the time being, the names listed above would be more than quality for a team that is 31st in the year in overall salary.