Why The Patriots Cut Shawn Springs

Last week it was announced that the Patriots had cut veteran cornerback Shawn Springs. I know he didn't do much last year (39 tackles and one interception in 13 games), but I was still surprised, since the Patriots still seem to be weak there. Today things started to become clearer, as a report was released stating that Springs had failed a physical prior to being released.

Belichick also stated that he wanted to get younger at the CB position, and making way for first-round draft pick Devin McCourty is a great way to start. Springs has not decided if he is going to retire, but says that he is eying a job as an ESPN analyst.

Quote Of The Week

CB Shawn Springs is hearing about the Patriots defense's lack of productivity from every corner.

“I played Madden, and our defense (is low-ranked),” Springs said. “So we gotta play better for our Madden ratings to go up. My kids call me all the time saying we suck (on the game). We gotta pick it up."

Whatever motivates you Springs, whatever motivates you...

Early March Thoughts

When news came out this morning of Brad Penny's issues last season with his arm angle due to elbow problems, it made me think of Mark Prior and how doing just that ruined his career.

I'm obviously hoping Penny is back at full strength this season but after seeing what has happened to Prior and others when they toy with their delivery I'm wondering how this was allowed to transpire. Isn't it the job of a pitching coach to watch the delivery of his pitchers and see even the slightest variation in their motion? Messing around with a windup is something that should be detected early on and corrected.

-I really am surprised the Yankees aren't going to be more cautious with Arod. If they've miscalculated his ability to come back from this hip injury with the same agility at third base the Bombers might have a $25 million DH on their hands.

-Trent Edwards had difficulty getting the ball to Lee Evans last year so are there any bets as to how long until T.O. complains Edwards can't throw a fade route? I hope the quarterback comes back with a funny one-liner about T.O. dropping balls. This should prove to be an interesting season in Buffalo, which is more than the Bills can say in recent years.

side note: Isn't it funny how T.O. is getting all of this attention when Marvin Harrison is a free agent and Torry Holt is available for trade? Harrison and Holt have both been better and more consistent than Owens for the past 10 years (look at the stats) but because they kept their mouths shut the spot light isn't focused on them.

-Celtics are the walking wounded but even if the Cavs end up with the top seed, Friday's win gives me hope they can take on the mantra of the Lakers of the early 2000s and go into the playoffs healthy with their championship experience. Yesterday's loss to Orlando hurt but the way the Celtics were able to win a game they were clearly expected to lose showed me a lot about the character of this team. If this team hadn't gone through the adversity of the pair of game 7's last year I would be more concerned about this year's postseason.

-I Hope Shawn Springs is closer to Ty poole than Duane Starks. He doesn't need to be the Shawn Springs of '98 or even '04 (5 picks, 6 sacks) but if he can adapt to the Pats' zone he can be a huge asset to this team. I feel much more confident in him communicating with the safeties on obvious passing plays than Deltha O'Neal.

Details Of Springs Deal With Patriots

"John Clayton has reported the deal between cornerback Shawn Springs and the Patriots is three years, at more than $10.5 million. Springs could make as much as $13 million with performance incentives (ESPN)."

DP reported this last week, but now the exact details of the contract are coming out. Sounds like a good deal for both sides. The Patriots will need to upgrade their cornerbacks, and this is a nice start, but I hope this is not the only move they make. I would like to see them sign 1 more solid CB to go along with what they already have, then focus the draft on linebackers.

Springs To Pats

Veteran free agent CB Shawn Springs is expected to sign with the New England Patriots, after visiting with both the Pats and Eagles this week.

(It was reported that Springs was to visit Foxboro on Sunday, but he was delayed by the snow storm that hit the East Coast.)

The former first-round pick was released by the Washington Redskins last week in a salary-cap move. The 6-foot, 207-pound former first-round pick has played 11 seasons.PRoJo

This would be a hell of a signing for the Pats figuring they go through 500 a year. Springs is a seasoned veteran that still has a lot of SPRING in his step. He will most likely replace the role that Deltha O'Neal. Either way this is a great move by the Patriots and when they sign Roy Williams, the defensive backfield will be complete.