Things in the NFL slowed down in recent weeks, but they'll get amped up in a big way in a few days with the Patriots reporting to Gillette Stadium on Monday and the draft in less than two weeks.
It's now time to unleash another edition of the mailbag. And don't worry, I already went through it and put your bills in the shredder.
Is our rivalry with the Colts going to continue or are we going to start playing the Broncos every year because Peyton Manning is there now?
–Peter Reynolds
The rivalry with the Colts is dead because Bill Polian was fired, and Manning is in Denver. Polian created some legitimate hatred between the two organizations, and Manning made the rivalry work on the field with Tom Brady.
But keep in mind, the Patriots didn't play the Colts every year for the good of the league. The schedule is based off an objective formula of rotating divisional opponents and then like-opponents in the other two AFC divisions. For example, in 2012, the AFC East has drawn the AFC South, so the Patriots play all four teams in the AFC South. And because the Patriots finished in first place in the AFC East, they play the first-place teams from the AFC North and AFC West. That's why the Broncos are on the Patriots' schedule this year.
Do you think we could trade Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett for a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round pick just to get some picks in those rounds? Also, do you think we will trade into those rounds?
–Jonah Beaumont (Worcester, Mass.)
Since the Patriots don't have any picks after the fourth round, I do believe they'll find a way to acquire some later picks. They can add a fifth-round pick by trading down about 10 spots in the second round, so look for something like that to happen.
Hoyer or Mallett will not be traded in the next two weeks. The only way Mallett gets traded this year is if someone offers the Patriots a first-round pick for him, or if something crazy happens off the field that causes them to cut ties. I don't see either scenario happening just yet.
The Patriots like having Hoyer as the backup, but he'll definitely be trade bait if a team loses its starting quarterback to injury during training camp or the preseason. If that happens, the Patriots should be able to pounce on that team's desperation and land a second-rounder for Hoyer. Otherwise, they'll likely let him walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2013 and hope for a compensatory pick in return.
The possibility also exists that the Patriots could franchise Hoyer and trade him next offseason, a la Matt Cassel in 2009, but that could backfire. Plus, if Hoyer is valuable enough to have earned such a gamble, that means he received some decent playing time in 2012. I don't think Patriots fans want to think about that.
I haven't heard much about the Trevor Scott pickup. Are the Pats going to play him at defensive end or outside linebacker? Thoughts on him?
–@Giguere4211, via Twitter
He's a pretty good player who will be on the edge in some capacity, depending on the front. Scott had 12 sacks in his first two years with the Raiders, but he tore his ACL midway through 2010 and didn't play all that often last season. Look for him to get back to full strength this season.
Scott is a good energy guy who will fight to get to the quarterback, and he'll be a nice role player who is good enough to start on a need basis.
Does Antwaun Molden leaving mean they have more faith in Julian Edelman?
–@zzlivdogzz, via Twitter
Molden was an outside cornerback, and Edelman has only played in the slot. I wouldn't relate the two. The Patriots already have cornerbacks Devin McCourty, Ras-I Dowling, Kyle Arrington, Sterling Moore, Marquice Cole and Will Allen, so there wasn't any room for Molden, who determined he had a better chance to make the Giants' roster.
Is cornerback one position we can bet the Pats will draft? Any names that might fit the system?
–@MattyPereira5, via Twitter
Only if they view the pick as an upgrade. I'd be surprised if the Patriots carried more than five cornerbacks into the season, and McCourty, Dowling and Arrington are locks to make the roster. Moore has a lot of potential, and Cole is an elite special teamer, so those two bring their own qualities to the table. The wild card is obviously the positional future of McCourty and Dowling, who could move to safety if necessary.
The one guy I keep looking at is North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who is considered to have top-10 talent. If the Patriots believe they've got any chance of screwing his head on straight, they should jump on him if he falls to the bottom of the first round.
Do you see the Pats picking a wide receiver in the draft to groom given the average age of the wide receiving corps is 30 and above?
–@originalDB, via Twitter
Considering the fact that Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, Donte Stallworth and Chad Ochocinco are all on the wrong side of 30, yup, the Patriots absolutely need to get younger at the position. The problem, though, is they'll need to find someone who can contribute immediately on offense or special teams just to get in the lineup on game days. Otherwise, they're looking at another redshirt player like Brandon Tate and Taylor Price.
Therefore, if the Patriots haven't identified someone who can step in right away with one of their earlier picks, I can see them waiting to take a player like Arkansas' Joe Adams, who has tremendous ability as a returner, or Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles, who tore his ACL last year and would be great value in the third or fourth round.
Do you think Brandon Lloyd will work out better than the Chad Ochocinco experiment?
–@rjacobson100, via Twitter
Do I think Lloyd will have more than 15 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown? You bet I do. Clearly, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knows how to make Lloyd tick. And not only that, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick ended his cold war with agent Tom Condon to sign Lloyd. That's more than enough reason to believe Lloyd will pan out.
Hi Jeff, any update on the Pats and Yeremiah Bell? Are they still targeting him?
–@adamv2326, via Twitter
I think the only thing we've learned is Bell's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said the Patriots have shown interest in Bell, and that could mean a lot of different things. I'd be surprised if they signed Bell before the draft, and Bell might even want to wait until after the draft to see where he's got the best opportunity to play a greater role, too.
Bell would be a nice backup, but Steve Gregory's contract is emblematic of a starting role in the Patriots' eyes. Bell has always been a nice player, but he's been declining in his 30s.
What is the Pats' interest level in Peter Konz? I think he would be a great fit for the offensive line, especially if Dan Koppen and Matt Light are gone.
–@Leach24, via Twitter
Konz, the draft's top-rated center out of Wisconsin, is a question mark. I've seen him mocked to the Patriots by some knowledgeable analysts, which has raised my eyebrows. The Patriots like Dan Connolly, and they paid him to be a starter. Not only that, but they like Nick McDonald and Ryan Wendell as the backup centers. Unless right guard Brian Waters unexpectedly informs the Patriots he's going to retire before the draft, I'd be pretty surprised if they took Konz.
With the exception of left guard Logan Mankins, Belichick has always taken a very low-budget approach to his interior linemen because he believes in Dante Scarnecchia's coaching ability. However, if the Patriots believe Konz is truly elite, they could draft him under the assumption that Connolly will move to right guard in 2013 when Waters retires.
I'm wondering about LaMichael James. If he falls to the third round, can you see the Pats taking him as a value pick?
–@BtotheEZ, via Twitter
I think the Patriots will add another running back somewhere along the way, but I don't know if James would be that guy. While he's an explosive-looking player, James would fill a similar role to Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead, so it doesn't make a ton of sense to use a third pick in the first three rounds on a running back in a two-year span — unless it's on a between-the-tackles runner. One other thing on James: He fumbled the ball 12 times in college. That's a lot for an elite player.
On a related note, I put Stevan Ridley's into perspective earlier this week.
How much longer can we expect Tom Brady to play at such a high level?
–@FromDa401, via Twitter
In 2010, the argument was made that Brady had the best season of his career. In 2011, he put up a statistical showcase that was comparable to his output in 2007. So with all that in mind, there's no reason whatsoever to believe Brady is slowing down. He turns 35 in August, so it's tough to fight fate at that age, but Brady is clearly still in his prime. I'd expect that to last through the time his contract expires after the 2014 season.
Have a question for Jeff Howe? Send it to him via Twitter at @jeffphowe or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
Photo via Facebook/Ryan Broyles
