Pats are more than set at tight end

One day after signing free agent tight end Bo Scaife, the Pats signed Rob Gronkowski to a 6 yr deal worth $54 million $18 million guaranteed. Looks like that leg of his has recovered quite well. After Gronk's record setting season he was rewarded in a luxurious fashion. It's fair to expect he'll do more than live up to his end of the bargain. Free agent acquisitions Daniel Fells and Bo Scaife add needed depth to the Pats TE situation, which is key because as we saw last season Gronk and Hernandez aren't invincible. Scaife spent last season on injured reserve for the Bengals after injuring his shoulder in the preseason. With more depth at TE we probably won't see the extra one or two offensive lineman on the field on running plays.

Ochocinco a Patriot no more

The Patriots cut ties with Chad Ochocinco after just one season; a very unproductive one I might add. The 34 year old had career lows in receptions (15), receiving yards (276), and tied his career low in TD receptions with 1. Ochocinco just couldn't get the Pats system; it was too complex for him. After 10 seasons in a Cincinnati Bengals offense that was not only much simpler to understand but he was "the guy" of their wide receiving corps. The 34 year old wideout could have trouble finding a team granted I think he has a better chance the T.O.

Lions off-field issues a result of lacking leadership

NFL.com writer Dan Hanzus wrote a piece on the Lions' off-season run ins with the law. Stating that second year players Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure have each been brought into custody twice while offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath has been arrested once. He also revealed that the Lions have accounted for 24 percent of the total player arrests and citations this off season. Which is a rather absurd number.

I believe this is a result of a lack of leadership in the locker room. The New England Patriots embody leadership. The veterans on that team are going to be on the young guys before they have the chance to make a dumb decision, e.g. driving while intoxicated. The most recent Patriot to have an off the field incident is Julian Edelman a.k.a the Utility Man, as he was arrested for indecent assault and battery in October of 2011. And what happened the following Sunday? Edelman was a healthy scratch; his punishment was not dressing for a game. It may not sound like much but one must remember that football is the livelihood of these players and all they want to do is play. And you can bet that not only were his teammates mightily disappointed in him but he was disappointed in himself; a slip up off the field resulted in him unable to help his team win...
These Detroit Lions team is in serious need of some leaders. With two offensive players (RB Leshoure and OL Culbreath) having been arrested and another (WR Titus Young) was barred from OTAs for fighting a teammate, someone on that offense needs to step up and take the leadership role. After signing his ridiculously generous contract WR Calvin Johnson could be that guy or it could be Matthew Stafford. Regardless of who it is it needs to be done. As for the defense, it's Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley; their two studs on the DL. Now, Suh's troubles have come on the field with several fines and one suspension. Fairley on the other hand has had one too many encounters with the police. The sky is the limit for these guys but they need to get their act together; Fairley more than Suh. Which is why I believe that DE Kyle Vanden Bosch who is in his 12th season (3rd with Lions) should take the role as the leader on the defensive line if not the entire defense. If they don't find leadership then this team is going to continue to have these growing pains.