Follow Up: Final 53, The Way I See It

Evidently, I missed a couple selections. Wide Receiver David Terrell, running back Kory Chapman, fullback Kyle Eckel and offensive tackle Victor Levya were cut. Wide receiver Troy Brown, cornerback Chad Scott, safety Gus Scott and offensive guard Ryan Krug were retained.

Troy Brown / David Terrell: This was one of those positions up for contention. Most people thought Brown was safe, and it turns out he was. I took a shot. I thought Terrell's youth, size and potential would be key attributes in his favor, while Brown's unlikelihood of going elsewhere and his age would work to his detriment. Ultimately, it would appear Bill Belichick and staff decided Brown's experience, versatility and his familiarity with the team (and vice-versa) and the system outweighed the need for another tall, strong downfield receiver. That, and Terrell didn't perform as he should have and as he needed to.

I'm still surprised by the cut of Chapman and Eckel, though if it came to one or the other, I would have kept Eckel. Maybe last season depletion of the defensive secondary convinced Belichick and crew that they didn't want to go through that again. It's also a good possibility that the loss of Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson made a concentration on defense -- a unit which has suffered some this offseason -- a priority over depth on offense -- a unit which has gotten stronger. In Bill I trust, but I'm still a little shaky about having only three running backs.

Levya for Krug is a wash. I really didn't see enough of either of them to make any kind of decision. The coaches have been watching them all preseason and on film. I'm sure they picked the right guy.

Several pundits have registered surprise at the release of tight end Jed Weaver, linebacker Eric Alexander, defensive end Rodney Bailey and center Gene Mruczkowski.

Starting with Weaver, most guess that if the Pats were going to limit themselves to three tight ends, it would come down to Christian Fauria and Weaver. Fauria's problem is simply that he's not Ben Watson or Daniel Graham. He's been consistent and sure-handed, not to mention one of Tom Brady's favorite red-zone targets, for the last few years, and preseason didn't prove that he's lost anything. Fauria also has a personality I'd be willing to bet is advantageous to have in your locker room. It's hard to get rid of a guy like that.

Alexander is generally a left inside linebacker, which put him in direct competition with Chad Brown, Dan Klecko and Larry Izzo. Alexander was listed second in that position on the depth chart, and that's probably a major reason most people expected him to survive the cut. But Klecko and Izzo are far more versatile players, "situational" players (Klecko as a fill-in fullback, which may explain Eckel's plight; Izzo as a Steve Tasker-type special teamer), and, man, 10 linebackers is enough.

Same goes for Bailey. Great player, but unless you were planning on shifting him to the right side of the defense, and I don't know what kind of player he is from there, how else can you justify keeping him when you have Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Marquise Hill already in that position?

Mruczkowski? You're really starting to develop some deep cohesiveness on the offensive line, and with the addition of Logan Mankins, Mruczkowski is the guy who gets squeezed. In retrospect, while I had kept Levya on my 53-man roster and cut Mruczkowski and Krug, I probably would have kept Mruczkowski over either. Nice to have a backup center. For the few of us who enjoy watching linemen, it may be interesting to revisit this during the season should there be any injuries to the line.

Overall, I think I did pretty good, eh? Hope my season picks go as well.