It's because of you, the readers, that I've put so much work into the Two-Minute Drill every Wednesday for nearly two years. The "20 thoughts" concept was a spur-of-the-moment idea that I hoped would catch on over time, but it became a popular fixture on NESN.com almost immediately.

Because of that, I tried desperately to return the favor. The Two-Minute Drill consistently drew tons of clicks, and I worked hard to make sure they were worth it.

The funny thing is there's never been an actual direction with this column. Sometimes, I'd just try to empty my notebook from the previous week. Other times, I'd go in depth about a particular topic and see where it would take me. I've offered various degrees of statistical breakdowns, analysis and sourced info with the intention of providing some insight and entertainment.

So, thank you for reading every week. You've made it all worthwhile. It's time to roll out my final Two-Minute Drill for NESN.com.

1. It was difficult to come away with any definitive impressions during the Patriots' rookie camp. The media only witnessed 50 minutes over two practices, but they were low-intensity sessions anyway. More than anything, the weekend's meetings and practices were a teaching tool to get the rookies some basic knowledge so they can mesh with the veterans by the time they all unite next week for organized team activities.

2. While I can't sit here and say, "Player X looked great, and Player Y was a mess," I definitely did learn a few things, and you can check out those notes during my practice reports — day one, day two.

3. Defensive end Justin Francis was the surprising star of the camp's string of media sessions, as he shared some funny stories about the similarities between Bill Belichick and Steve Belichick, who went to Rutgers with Francis and joined the Patriots' coaching staff last week.

4. Seventh-round pick Alfonzo Dennard was not made available to the media during the camp. Obviously, he's going through some legal issues in Nebraska after allegedly punching a police officer, so the Patriots are trying to protect him from that line of questioning. It would just be nice to get to know him because a player's personality can often be useful for their overall evaluation. It's helpful to get a glimpse inside the person to see what makes them tick.

5. The Patriots are completing the second phase of their offseason workouts this week. It was a three-week phase that allowed individual drills and "perfect play" drills, in which the offense and defense could not line up against one another. The second phase spanned three weeks, and it sounded like there was some decent intensity on the field.

6. Things will get a little more exciting next week, though, when they start organized team activities, which will closely resemble real practices. The Patriots will conduct three weeks of OTAs (10 total) before their minicamp June 12-14. Then, they'll be off until training camp in late July.

7. The players should be extra amped for OTAs due to the restrictions during the first five weeks of workouts. (To be fair on that point, it's very much worth noting the players collectively bargained for a lesser workload in the offseason.)

"It's always exciting when you can get back out there, put the helmets on," Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth said. "When you can finally start easing out of the weight room and conditioning part of it, and get back into practicing and football-specific things, then that's always the fun part. Guys are excited.

"Monday will be the fun day, and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to it."

8. I've maintained throughout the offseason that Julian Edelman will likely play in all three phases in 2012, and I caught up with him Tuesday to ask him what he's got in store for next season.

"It's pretty simple," Edelman said. "I'm going to do whatever the coaches ask me to do. You'd probably have to ask coach [Bill] Belichick on that one. I'm going to do it with a smile on my face and can't wait to help contribute to the team this year."

9. It's always funny listening to rookies talk about the first time they got to see the Patriots' playbook. Here are a couple quotes.

Chandler Jones: "I don't have an actual measurement, but it's pretty heavy."

Francis: "It's kind of like a 'wow' thing. It's kind of big, but that's expected."

10. Keep an eye on Patriots defensive tackle Marcus Forston, an undrafted free agent out of Miami. Forston was the top defensive tackle recruit in the nation in high school, but he didn't live up to the hype at Miami, which was a big disappointment in the region because he was compared to Vince Wilfork and Warren Sapp. The talent exists, but the drive is the question. Maybe someone like Wilfork can get Forston on track, but even still, the Patriots have a good group of defensive tackles. It'll be tough for him to make the 53-man roster.

11. Forston was asked if he had any regrets after leaving school early.

"No regrets, I'm just looking forward," Forston said. "Right now, I'm just working hard. I'm glad to be a Patriot, and I'm going to give 110 percent."

12. Forston isn't a rare case, either. Amazingly, by my count, 21 of the 65 underclassmen who declared for the draft did not get selected this year. That's a serious problem that must be addressed, at least through raised awareness. But then again, it might just be an issue that's on a case-by-case basis. Either way, I was very surprised to see 21 underclassmen went undrafted. I would have guessed about five or 10.

13. I dug up a stat over the weekend and wanted to bring it back in case you missed it. Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd has been more than twice as productive during his career while paired with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and click here for more on those two.

Lloyd played 25 games for McDaniels through parts of those three seasons, and the numbers are staggering. In those games, Lloyd had 119 receptions (4.8 per game) for 1,953 yards (78.1) and 14 touchdowns (0.56). But in the other 87 games of Lloyd's career (including the conclusion of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, when the two got split up), he has 192 catches (2.2 per game) for 2,831 yards (32.6) and 17 touchdowns (0.20).

14. Patriots receiver Jeremy Ebert, a seventh-round pick, is finishing his degree at Northwestern, and he won't be able to report back to New England until June because of the school's quarter system. Great for Ebert, but I don't know how an NFL draft pick can keep such a steady head while going through the final month of his senior year.

"It's Northwestern," Ebert said. "You've got to kind of take it seriously. It's a good academic school. School comes first there, not athletics. I've got to put my head in the books a lot."

15. Good to hear from defensive end Markell Carter, who said his sister, Keyarrie, is "doing a lot better" in her battle with lupus. Keyarrie will be moving in with Carter soon because she'll be able to take advantage of some of the best doctors in the world in Boston. For more on Keyarrie, check out this story I wrote in December.

16. Stallworth and McDaniels are obviously in their second tours with the Patriots, and they were both part of the team's record-setting offense in 2007. I asked Stallworth if he's noticed any differences in McDaniels since they last worked together, and the receiver joked, "He put on some weight."

Stallworth then added, "Josh is still the same fiery guy he was when I was here last. I think, obviously, we've only been around for a few weeks now, but with him having the experience of being a head coach for a while, and leaving here and coming back, I'm sure his mentality is a little different. He probably understands things a little better. That can help us out."

17. Edelman and cornerback Devin McCourty attended a nice community event Tuesday. They visited with patients and donors at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and it was really cool to see how everyone reacted to their presence. The players really do make a difference when they go into the community for these events.

18. Edelman and McCourty put it in perspective.

"It just definitely humbles you and puts life in perspective," Edelman said. "These people are real heroes. They're saving people every day. I'm honored that they allow us to come and meet these people."

"Sometimes we can get caught up in everything we're trying to do, getting better as football players," McCourty said. "But you step outside of that and you get to see real life, see things that really matter, these donors and getting to see some patients. If we can just put a smile on somebody's face, be some type of difference, or help them, it's a pleasure to do it."

19. Edelman said it hit home a little more because they were in the Kraft Center.

"With the Kraft family and what they do, with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute," Edelman said. "I personally got to know a little bit of Mrs. [Myra] Kraft and the time that she donated to everything. You feel like you have nothing else to do but go out here and give some time. It's definitely for a great cause."

20. For my last note, I want to thank everyone at NESN for helping me develop as a person and professional over the last three years. It's been an amazing run, and I'll always consider myself part of the NESN family. It's truly been an honor to work for a company that I grew up admiring, and I wish NESN all the best going forward. I'll always be watching.

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.

FOXBORO, Mass. — This week at Gillette Stadium has somewhat of a symbolic feel. It started with Matt Light's retirement ceremony, and it will conclude with the rookies' first practice in the NFL.

With Light in mind, this Two-Minute Drill has a Hall of Fame feel to it. After, I've got a list of thoughts about the Patriots' offensive backfield. Let's crack it open.

1. Light's retirement ceremony was very well done. The speeches from Light, owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick were all terrific. The atmosphere of the Hall of Fame and the fans in attendance gave it an extra boost, too.

2. Light is a no-doubter for the Patriots' Hall of Fame, but the induction line is going to be crowded. I'd expect wide receiver Troy Brown to get in this year, and linebacker Tedy Bruschi, safety Rodney Harrison and Willie McGinest will be eligible in 2013. I think it's safe to assume Bruschi will win that one.

3. Cornerback Ty Law will be eligible in 2014, and linebacker Mike Vrabel will be eligible in 2015. Light will be eligible in 2016, and running back Kevin Faulk might be, too. For the sake of this exercise, let's say Law gets inducted in 2014 and Harrison gets the call in 2015. That still leaves McGinest, Vrabel and former head coach Bill Parcells as Light's competition in 2016, not to mention the possibility of Faulk.

4. It's going to be tough for anyone to beat Faulk in a fan vote, so he's the biggest wild card for Light's potential induction in 2016. Either way, those two should get the call in 2016 and 2017, which could cause McGinest and Vrabel to slide. It's going to be a while before Parcells gets in, too.

5. Don't forget about kicker Adam Vinatieri and defensive lineman Richard Seymour, either. And I have no idea how much longer quarterback Tom Brady and Belichick stay in the game, but yeah, they'll be commemorated somehow.

6. I think it's easy to dismiss Light from the Pro Football Hall of Fame right now, and I subscribe to that theory, too. But I don't believe it's a 100 percent certainty that Light never gets inducted in Canton. About 10, 15, 20 years from now, Light won't be remembered in the same class as Miami's Jake Long or Cleveland's Joe Thomas, but there's an argument that can be made in Light's favor, and I can see the potential for it to gain some momentum.

7. Here's how Light gets in: Someone looks at Brady's Hall of Fame career and says the left tackle played a role, regardless of how large. Then, they'll find the only offensive lineman in history to start five Super Bowls. (If there are others by then, Light will still be known as the first to accomplish the feat.) And they'll see the All-Pro nod from 2007 and his Pro Bowl honors, plus the Patriots' host of accolades during his tenure. Aside from that, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if Brady and Belichick made some calls to vouch for the Light.

8. Admittedly, it's still a longshot, as it still might not be enough to sway the voters in Light's favor. I still thought it was a theory worth passing along.

9. Left guard Logan Mankins was on hand for the retirement ceremony, and he was coming from a workout so he was wearing gym shorts, which made it clear he wasn't wearing a brace or sleeve over his surgically repaired knee. He was also standing around for at least an hour and a half, which I'd have to believe is a sign of progress.

10. I ran into former Patriots running back Sammy Morris at the ceremony, and he told me he still wants to play in 2012. He made sure to stress he has not hung it up just yet, and he's exploring his options.

11. Since Morris has his permanent home in the Foxboro area, would he like to rejoin the Patriots? "I haven't closed the door on anything," Morris responded.

12. I found the Patriots' decision to sign running back Joseph Addai to be an interesting one, though I want to see him in camp before I know whether or not he can make the team. As the Patriots' best-case scenario, Addai will be a steady role player in the passing game.

13. Then again, the Patriots already have Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen to play in that capacity, and Faulk wants another chance, too. I thought the Patriots needed to add a veteran running back, but I'm surprised they went this route, rather than a more traditional between-the-tackles back.

14. I also take it as a vote of confidence for Stevan Ridley, who should be the primary ball carrier. In the same regard, my other thought is it could be a good sign for Vereen, too. It's easy to peg Vereen as a bigger asset in the passing game because of his talent in space, but he shouldn't be labeled as a one-trick pony. He's probably a better ball carrier than he's given credit for, though it was hard to get much of a read during a rookie season in which he had 15 total carries.

15. Of course, if the Patriots sign a between-the-tackles back tomorrow — or, at any point before training camp, really — my last two points will be relatively moot.

16. I'm interested to see Navy running back Eric Kettani during training camp, too. Think about it: His summer in 2011 was wiped out due to a calf injury. He earned a spot on the practice squad before getting recalled to the Navy. Belichick didn't want to put Kettani on the reserve/military list at that point because it would have ended his 2011 season, and they held out hope that Kettani would win his appeal and return to New England. Obviously, Belichick likes Kettani, but I haven't seen him get any significant work in practice.

17. With all that said, I wonder if Kettani can be a serviceable between-the-tackles option. He was very effective for Navy in 2007 and 2008, racking up 1,862 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. I think, at this point, it would be premature to assume he's strictly a blocking fullback.

18. Belichick hasn't exactly employed many fullbacks in recent years, so it was an eye-opener when he signed two of them this offseason. I came across an interesting stat, though. In their careers, Spencer Larsen and Tony Fiammetta have combined for just 28 carries for 88 yards. However, they've turned 11 of those carries (39.3 percent) into first downs. Not bad.

19. The Patriots conduct their rookie camp Friday and Saturday, and it won't be overly complex stuff or anything. Keep in mind, the players' jersey numbers won't necessarily be permanent. With 90-man rosters, the rookies will have the lowest priority when picking their numbers. It's often the case that players change their numbers at the conclusion of training camp when about three dozen players get released.

20. Patriots tight end Daniel Fells got a lot of guidance from former Pats tight end Alge Crumpler while the two were together in Atlanta. While speaking of Crumpler's value as a leader, Fells said something timely, at least in terms of what rookies might be thinking as they get ready to report to their NFL facilities. It's a peek inside their minds as they prepare for one of the biggest challenges of their playing careers.

"Coming in as a rookie, you don't really know what to expect," Fells said. "I went into Atlanta not knowing if guys were going to try to sabotage you because you're competing. That's what it's all about. You're competing for a job, for the same position, and so you don't really know if you can trust anybody. But Alge welcomed everybody with open arms."

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.

So, now seems like as good of a time as any to run through the draft class and make some assumptions that probably won't mean that much in three years. Unless they're all correct. Then you heard it here first.

1. With defensive end Chandler Jones (21st pick) and linebacker Dont'a Hightower (25th), the Patriots added a pair of playmakers who have enough talent to turn this into the best first round of Bill Belichick's tenure in New England. I'm not saying it will happen, but the potential is there. They'll have to live up to some serious expectations.

2. Right now, Belichick's best first rounds look like they came in 2001 (Richard Seymour), 2004 (Vince Wilfork, Ben Watson), 2005 (Logan Mankins) and 2008 (Jerod Mayo). When it's all said and done, I'd expect to be able to include 2010 (Devin McCourty) and 2011 (Nate Solder) in that distinction.

3. Gun to my head, I'd probably say Seymour is Belichick's best first-round pick to this point, but he only has a slight edge over Wilfork and Mayo.

4. I've already provided overwhelming praise (on multiple occasions) for the selections of Jones and Hightower, but there's a lesson in every draft class that proves what we think we know is not always the truth. The Seymour pick wasn't universally adored, and Mayo was considered a reach. Mankins was an unknown, at least relative to many first-rounders. And let's not even get into the McCourty reaction again.

5. On the other side, I thought the Brandon Meriweather pick was outstanding in 2007, assuming he could get his head in the game. And remember when Laurence Maroney's highlight video broke the Internet in New England in 2006?

6. Come to think of it, Vince Wilfork probably drew the highest instant approval ratings of Belichick's first-rounders who also lived up to the hype.

7. I thought the Patriots got the best players on the board when they traded up for Jones and Hightower. The only thing I would have done differently is taken Hightower first to keep him away from the Steelers, but that could have given Jones to the Lions. Belichick read the board perfectly in that regard, and I assume he figured either tackle Riley Reiff or guard David DeCastro would be too enticing for the Steelers to take Hightower. Reiff went to the Lions at No. 23, and the Steelers took DeCastro at No. 24.

8. If Jones or Hightower don't work out in a few years, I won't second-guess Belichick because he took the right guys, in my opinion. But I think it's worth monitoring the careers of DeCastro, defensive end Whitney Mercilus (26th to the Texans), linebacker Courtney Upshaw (35th to the Ravens) and cornerback Janoris Jenkins (39th to the Rams) because those are four guys who could have been in play for the Patriots.

9. Along with that group, I'm sure others will also point to defensive end Nick Perry (28th to the Packers) and safety Harrison Smith (29th to the Vikings), but I'm guessing neither player would have been a serious consideration in the first round for New England. As a disclaimer, I doubt Jenkins would have been a serious consideration in the first round, either, but I included him in the first group because he was so heavily debated before the draft.

10. One last note on Jenkins: I would have loved to have seen what the Patriots would have done if he was on the board at No. 48. It would have offered a lot of insight into their draft philosophy since he was both so talented and so troubled that he sparked such a spirited discussion.

11. Heading into the draft, I thought the Patriots' best possible scenario would include trading up for Alabama safety Mark Barron. After seeing him get taken seventh by the Buccaneers, I now know that wasn't a feasible option. Again, from a realistic standpoint, the Patriots did about as well as possible in the first round.

12. I brought up Barron for another reason, though. Because he was drafted seventh, you can point out almost exactly what it would have cost the Patriots to trade up for him. That's because the Falcons pulled off something of an identical trade in 2011, moving from No. 27 to No. 6 for wide receiver Julio Jones. The Falcons traded the 27th pick, a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder in 2011 along with a first-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2012. There's no way Belichick would have paid that price, and it's hard to fault him or anyone really for turning down such a trade, if it ever actually existed (there's no reason to believe it did).

13. But think about it this way. The Patriots could have gotten Barron for the 27th pick, a second-rounder (let's assume it was the 48th selection), a fourth-rounder and then a first- and a fourth- in 2013. If the Patriots did that, they still would have had the ammo to trade No. 31 and a third-rounder to move up to No. 25 to take Hightower (in reality, the Patriots sent No. 31 and a fourth-rounder, so the upgrade to a third-rounder could have yielded another pick in a later round).

14. With that in mind, the Patriots would have gotten Barron and Hightower (or maybe Jones, if he were there), and they would have had the 62nd pick, which they used as the currency to trade down to draft defensive end Jake Bequette, special teamer Nate Ebner, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and slot receiver Jeremy Ebert. However, the Patriots would go into the 2013 draft armed with just a second-, third- and seventh-rounder. With all that in mind, I think the Patriots did just fine executing the trades they did.

15. Since I'm dealing in hypotheticals, let's pretend the Patriots didn't make either of those first-round trades and instead used the 27th and 31st picks. Using only the players who were still on the board, I would have taken Upshaw at No. 27 and Clemson defensive end Andrew Branch at No. 31 (I'd lean slightly toward Branch over Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David and Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy). I would have then used No. 93 on Wisconsin wide receiver Nick Toon (just slightly over Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams) and No. 126 on Boise State safety George Iloka. Still, Jones and Hightower were the better picks.

16. Then again, I didn't think there was even a debate about the Patriots' decision to trade up (and out of Greg Jennings' spot) for wide receiver Chad Jackson in 2006. As it turned out, there wasn't.

17. If Ebner doesn't turn into Bobby Boucher from The Waterboy, I will be sorely disappointed.

18. Patriots defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene is going to display the work ethic that will make him popular among the fan base, and you can read about the reason for that here. Fanene shared an interesting detail about free agency Tuesday, though, noting he "had a chance" to go on some visits to some other teams, but he declined once Belichick called him.

"When I first got the call from Bill, I was so excited, I wanted to make a move and come out here," Fanene said.

19. Belichick's best line during the draft came Friday when he was asked about the team's rookie minicamp, which runs the second weekend of May. Belichick was asked if he had a certain number in mind in regard to the number of players he'd like to have in that camp. Belichick essentially said no.

"It's a two-day minicamp," he replied. "We're not going to build Rome in those two days."

20. On Tuesday, I was asked on Twitter about a rumor that Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes could be traded or cut because of the Hightower pick. Don't consider that a rumor. It was misguided speculation from someone on a podcast. Spikes isn't going anywhere. He'll be starting for the Patriots in 2012 and beyond.

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.

Let's run through this week's Two-Minute Drill, which reviews my first nine mock drafts and then weighs a number of trade scenarios before emptying out the week's notebook.

1. Maybe it's because the Patriots can be completely unpredictable in the draft, or maybe it's because they've got two late first-round picks, but I've been all over the place with their picks in my nine mock drafts. I've slotted 10 players over the course of their 18 picks (two each week for nine weeks).

2. Those 10 players have been Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus (four times), Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still (twice), Clemson defensive end Andre Branch (twice), LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers (twice), Alabama safety Mark Barron (twice), North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins (twice), Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy and Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones.

3. At this point, it looks like there's no chance that Barron or Gilmore are still on the board by the time the Patriots are up at No. 27. It seems slim that Brockers will still be there, and I think there's a decent chance either Mercilus or Jones will be around. The other five are very realistic possibilities.

4. Unless something happens to change my opinion in the coming hours, I'm planning to take Jenkins off the Patriots' draft board in time for Thursday's 10th and final mock due to his quotes in Tuesday's Palm Beach Post story. I can still see the Patriots taking a chance on him in the second round, but I'm thinking they'll want to use their first-round assets on something else. The quotes line up with NFL.com's story about Jenkins' falling stock earlier this month.

5. Jenkins could be like any other 23-year-old who needs to learn how to mature. There's nothing wrong with that theory at all. The problem teams will have is that he's repeated some immature acts, and the quotes show that he's deflecting blame rather than taking responsibility for his actions. The debate teams must have is whether or not they believe they can lay down a structure that will get through to Jenkins and maximize the talent that should have turned him into a top-15 pick.

6. The Patriots are very well set at the top of their depth chart, and they've got some quality reserves who will again make this one of the deepest teams in the NFL in 2012. For that, it's worth wondering if they should identify an elite player early in the first round and package some picks to move up. I can see the logic from both sides.

7. Let's use Barron as an example because he'd be the most realistic home-run pick, in my opinion. Many analysts believe Barron will be off the board by the time the Cowboys pick at No. 14. For the Patriots to move up to Nos. 12 or 13, I'm guessing they'd have to surrender one of two deals — either both of their first-round picks, or the 27th pick and both second-rounders (Nos. 48 and 62). If they agree to the latter, I'd guess that they'd acquire a fourth- or fifth-rounder in return.

8. Let's roll out three scenarios: If the Patriots keep their first four picks, they might end up with something like Jones, Worthy (or Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David), Montana cornerback Trumaine Johnson and Boise State safety George Iloka.

9. If the Patriots have the 13th and 31st picks, they could land Barron and either Jones, Mercilus or Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry. And there's no reason the Patriots can't trade out of No. 31 to get Curry and an additional fifth-rounder.

10. If the Patriots have the 13th, 48th and 62nd picks, they could nab Barron, Johnson and maybe even Boise State outside linebacker Shea McClellin, whose draft stock is all over the place.

11. I guess it comes down to a matter of preference. Barron could be a phenomenal addition, but trading for him would mean sacrificing the ability to also select a very good coverage linebacker like David, a starting-caliber corner like Johnson or a pass-rushing prospect like Curry. I fully admit this is a very imperfect exercise, but I thought it was interesting to add some names to help the context.

12. I think we can all agree it's more realistic to see another five (relatively) snowless winters in Boston than to see the Patriots trade into the top 13 for Barron. But if I were running the team, I would trade the two first-rounders before trading one first-rounder and two second-rounders because I think they can address some good needs in that second round.

13. If Bill Belichick makes a surprising pick in one of the first two rounds (aside from the joking response that he'd add a first-round edge rusher for the first time in his tenure), I'd go with a tackle or inside linebacker. The Patriots' ideal scenario would be for Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer to man the tackle positions for the next decade, but Vollmer's back should be a concern, especially as he enters a contract year. So, if the Patriots select a tackle early in the draft, it may not be the greatest sign for Vollmer's back. If they don't, well, that's a very good sign.

14. One more on that note: I'll still refer to Marcus Cannon as a right tackle until I see something that makes me believe the Patriots are seriously grooming him to play guard. But it's unclear if Cannon can take over for a longer stretch next season if there's an injury. I think that's part of the reason why the Patriots signed Robert Gallery, whose best position is at guard, although he can fill in at tackle in a pinch. And for an unknown prospect, keep an eye on Matt Kopa, who spent last season on the practice squad.

15. Now, back to inside linebacker: If the Steelers pass on Alabama's Dont'a Hightower, don't be surprised at all if the Patriots jump on him at No. 27, assuming the Ravens don't trade up for him. Since Hightower and Jerod Mayo have the versatility to play in multiple spots, it could definitely work. But more importantly, the Patriots' defense took a big hit last season when Mayo and Brandon Spikes went down, and Dane Fletcher's injury didn't help, either. Expect Belichick to add depth there.

16. Another player I like is David, who has first-round instincts and talent but second-round size (6-foot-1, 233 pounds). The Patriots need a linebacker with better coverage skills — Mayo is solid, but Spikes and Fletcher need improvement — and David can fill that role in sub packages.

17. Here's a fact you probably weren't ready for, especially on the heels of all of that trade talk: Since 2001, the Patriots have traded up in the draft 15 times, and down in the draft 13 times. Of course, the last time they moved up in the first round was 2003, when they jumped from No. 14 to No. 13 for Ty Warren. They've traded down in the first round five times in that same span — all of which have happened since 2008.

18. Last week, Solder mentioned the challenges of gaining weight, which is one of his goals the offseason, but it's also been a goal since his freshman year of college. He said he was at about 310 pounds and could see himself getting to around 320 or 330 at some point down the road, although he stressed the importance of gaining good weight as opposed to bad weight.

"It's not hard to gain a lot of weight that's not going to help you play football," Solder said. "So when I say it's hard to gain weight, it's hard because it takes a lot in the weight room. You've got to be lifting hard because you want to gain muscle and you want to stay fast, you want to stay flexible and those sorts of things, too.

"I think a lot of it comes down to your diet, how you're eating. I'm just eating four or five meals a day, protein shakes in between. So that's sort of what goes into it."

19. Cornerback Will Allen has always been a good cover corner, and if he makes the team, it'll be because of his value in the slot, where he played recently with the Dolphins. Miami, of course, had a pair of very good young cornerbacks in Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, which pushed Allen into the slot more often than not. Allen, though, knows how much more important a slot corner is now compared to the time he entered the NFL in 2001.

"Yeah, extremely, if you look at where most of the balls are thrown, a lot of the balls are thrown in there, especially with where the game is turning now with a lot of slot guys getting a lot of balls," Allen said. "If you take a guy like Wes [Welker], Wes gets the ball a ton, and [so do the] tight ends. It's easier throws for the quarterback, and the fact that [teams] are spreading guys out, and you create most mismatches inside there."

20. Speaking of Welker, Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch said he still isn't giving his teammate any advice during his contract situation. Remember, Branch went through something similar before he was traded to Seattle in 2006. Rather than getting involved, Branch said they just stay in touch as friends.

"We all know it's a business," Branch said. "Wes knows that. The organization knows that. We have to let the two of them handle that, and they'll hash it out. That's our friend, regardless of the business side. We always call to check up on him."

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.

1. The Patriots have drafted 29 players who are still under contract with the team: One from 2000 (quarterback Tom Brady), one from 2001 (left tackle Matt Light, who could retire), one from 2002 (wide receiver Deion Branch), one from 2003 (center Dan Koppen), one from 2004 (defensive lineman Vince Wilfork), one from 2005 (left guard Logan Mankins), one from 2006 (kicker Stephen Gostkowski), zero from 2007, two from 2008 (linebacker Jerod Mayo, special teams captain Matthew Slater), five from 2009 (safety Patrick Chung, defensive lineman Ron Brace, tackle Sebastian Vollmer, defensive tackle Myron Pryor, wide receiver Julian Edelman), seven from 2010 (cornerback Devin McCourty, tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, linebacker Brandon Spikes, tight end Aaron Hernandez, punter Zoltan Mesko, defensive end Brandon Deaderick) and eight from 2011 (tackle Nate Solder, cornerback Ras-I Dowling, running back Shane Vereen, running back Stevan Ridley, quarterback Ryan Mallett, offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, defensive end Markell Carter, special teamer Malcolm Williams).

2. That number will increase if the Patriots re-sign running back Kevin Faulk, who said he wants to play in 2012, which I've kind of seen coming since February. Since that's what Faulk wants, I'd be absolutely stunned if Bill Belichick didn't invite him to camp for a chance to make the team.

3. It's definitely an eye-opener that there are only seven draft picks over an eight-year stretch who are still on the Patriots' roster. However, I don't know if that necessarily means a whole lot because it would take hours to see how that number stacks up with the rest of the league. It's been well-documented that the 2006 and 2007 draft classes were poor, but that statistic isn't reflective of the Patriots' draft classes from 2000-05, which were all very good.

4. The Patriots only hit on two players from the 2008 draft class, and both of them (Mayo and Slater) received second contracts, which is a positive sign. Of course, it wasn't so positive when cornerback Terrence Wheatley, linebacker Shawn Crable and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite quickly fizzled out.

5. All five draft picks who remain from the 2009 class — Chung, Brace, Vollmer, Pryor and Edelman — are in the final year of their contracts. That 12-man class looked pretty good right away, but cornerback Darius Butler and linebacker Tyrone McKenzie never panned out. It'll be easier to make a more thorough determination of that class within the year, as the Patriots decide if those players deserve second contracts.

6. That should be a no-brainer for Chung and Vollmer, though their negotiations could be interesting based on each player's injury history. The Patriots would probably like to lock them up before they hit free agency, but Chung and Vollmer will seriously increase their worth by getting through 2012 unscathed. As is typically the case, the key to getting an early contract completed will be reaching some middle ground.

7. One of the great offseason mysteries has to do with Edelman's position in 2012, particularly with such a deep crop of receivers on the roster. Because Edelman's value is in his versatility, I doubt he'll have one specific position, and that's fine. I also think he'll make the team because of that.

8. Gronkowski and Hernandez were the Patriots' two best players from the 2010 draft class over the course of the entire season, though Spikes' terrific run in the playoffs overshadowed his poor start to the year. Wide receiver Taylor Price was the only offensive player from the Patriots' 2010 class who didn't perform well for them in 2011, though that was also consistent with his rookie year.

9. The Patriots' 2010 draft picks who struggled at the start of 2011 were all on the defensive side — McCourty, Cunningham and Spikes. Deaderick also started the year on the physically unable to perform list before coming on strong later in the year, but that's unrelated to the other situations.

10. With all of that said, I don't believe it's a coincidence that the defensive players struggled when you consider the combination of an absence of offseason workouts (due to the lockout) and a change in defensive philosophy. That's why it's reasonable to expect a much stronger defensive start to the 2012 season.

11. As I pointed out last week, Spikes has been working out at Gillette with Mayo for a little while. That's the type of dedication the Patriots should love to see out of an emerging young player with serious potential, and I think it's related to the last point.

12. Mayo was complimentary of Spikes on Tuesday, saying, "He's played good football for us. He's a thumper. He does a lot of things. He takes coaching well. [He] just [needs] to continue to grow just like the rest of us."

13. Defensive tackle Kyle Love was the exception among the Patriots' second-year players who had slow starts on that side of the ball. Love, who went undrafted in 2010, was easily one of the team's most improved players last season.

14. It's a pretty nice success rate, particularly for a team that was loaded enough to get to the Super Bowl, that eight of the Patriots' nine draft picks from 2011 are still on the roster. The one missing piece was tight end Lee Smith, who would have started last season on the Patriots' practice squad if the Bills didn't claim him off waivers during final roster cuts.

15. The Patriots have 34 players under contract for 2013. Aside from the five players from the 2009 draft class, other notable players whose contracts expire after this season are wide receiver Wes Welker (franchise tag), cornerback Kyle Arrington, Branch, linebacker Dane Fletcher, offensive lineman Robert Gallery, wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, quarterback Brian Hoyer, Light, cornerback Sterling Moore, wide receiver Donte' Stallworth, right guard Brian Waters and running back Danny Woodhead.

16. As mentioned earlier, the contracts for Chung and Vollmer might be tricky, and,one would obviously think the Patriots' current focus is geared toward Welker's deal. Aside from those three, the Patriots don't have any overly complicated contract situations as they look at the 2013 offseason. Of course, that could change if one of the aforementioned players has a big-time season in 2012.

17. Mayo shared his draft-day story Tuesday, noting he was too stressed out to watch it live, so he raked leaves in the backyard with his mother. "A good thing [I was drafted early], because I would have been raking a lot of leaves if I was taken later," Mayo said.

18. Mayo was taken earlier than many believed, so I asked him where he expected to get drafted. He said he remembered being told he'd be selected somewhere between picks eight and 22. I found that interesting, because the Patriots were originally slotted with the seventh pick. Maybe Mayo's memory was a bit foggy, which would make this a moot point, but if not, I'm guessing the Patriots weren't really on his radar heading into the draft.

19. The Broncos cut Andre Goodman on Friday. Goodman, if you remember, blew a coverage in Week 15 that allowed wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to break free down the left sideline and score his only touchdown of the 2011 season.

20. Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio will meet with the media Thursday to discuss the draft. Even though Caserio won't exactly divulge the Patriots' draft plans, these meetings are always informative.

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/Sebastian Vollmer

For more on those, let’s roll out the Two-Minute Drill.

1. Linebacker Jerod Mayo has been among a number of Patriots who have been working out at Gillette Stadium since last month. The biggest incentive to that is rekindling chemistry and getting on the same page with one another if they want to discuss things about the upcoming season.

2. The Patriots will begin hosting formal workouts Monday. While they’re completely voluntary, players who have workout bonuses in their contracts must attend a certain amount of workouts per week. The first phase of offseason workouts is two weeks, and they’re limited to strength and conditioning. The strength coaches are the only ones permitted on the field with the players, which means Bill Belichick can’t be present. Belichick, obviously, will still have a hand in the orchestration of the workouts.

3. Wide receiver Wes Welker said last week he wasn’t sure if he’d attend the offseason workouts due to his contract situation. Since the franchise tag ensures his fully guaranteed contract, Welker won’t have any financial incentive to show up for the voluntary workouts.

4. It would be a little more alarming if he didn’t report for organized team activities from late May and into June since those are heavily attended by the Patriots. And if this is still a storyline in about a month and a half, all eyes will be on Welker’s attendance at minicamp, which is mandatory. If he skips that — and, from what I’ve been told, I still don’t believe he will — it would turn the cold war into something of a real issue.

5. Patriots wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is hoping to become the fourth player ever to catch a pass from both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. If you can name the other three without looking, well, you probably aren’t the type who invests much into sunscreen. Those players are wide receiver Torrance Small (Colts 1998, Patriots 2001), tight end Jermaine Wiggins (Patriots 2001, Colts 2002) and fullback Dan Klecko (Patriots 2004, Colts 2006).

6. Gonzalez is trying to avoid the same fate as former Colts tight end Marcus Pollard, who had a nice career alongside Manning before getting cut by the Patriots in training camp in 2008.

7. I asked Gonzalez if he was worried about Tom Brady’s potential reservations of throwing the ball to a Buckeye, which could impact his opportunities. Gonzalez replied, “I didn’t think of that, actually. I guess he did go to Michigan. No, I would hope not. I got along real well with [former Michigan running back] Mike Hart when he was in Indianapolis, and we actually played against each other a lot, so I don’t anticipate that being an issue. I hope not.”

8. Gonzalez had a great line about making the transition from Manning to Brady: “I was joking with my friends. I have a very strict Hall of Famer-only policy. Just stay with that group. It’s good. It’s wonderful, obviously. Quarterbacks make receivers look very good, and hopefully I can get some opportunities with [Brady]. I’m really just looking forward to everybody getting back in. Once we can get with the coaches and get the offense going and things like that, that’s my focus.”

9. Gonzalez was overly complimentary of the Patriots on Tuesday, but he also weighed in on the Colts’ bizarre season in 2011.

“It was just odd,” he said. “It honestly was kind of like a head-scratcher for everybody. It’s kind of one of those things that I kind of don’t think about it much, especially now that I’m here. There’s so many positive things and so many great things going on around this organization that I’m just trying to jump in, and see where I can fit in and help out hopefully.”

10. Linebacker Brandon Spikes has been working out at Gillette Stadium recently. I personally believe it’s a really good sign that he’s taking advantage of his first true offseason in the NFL, especially since he took some heat from Belichick for the way he responded after his 2010 suspension. The other good thing is Spikes is there working with Mayo, who couldn’t be a better mentor.

11. Word on the street is former Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton had a good visit with the Dolphins on Tuesday.

12. Now that he’s been retired for four years, former wide receiver Troy Brown is in his first year of eligibility for the Patriots Hall of Fame, and he should be a lock. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe was inducted last year, but Brown is going to be the guy who starts the string of more recent Patriots who receive enshrinement for several straight years.

13. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi, safety Rodney Harrison and linebacker Willie McGinest will be eligible in 2013, and cornerback Ty Law will be eligible in 2014. Linebacker Mike Vrabel will be eligible in 2015, and left tackle Matt Light and running back Kevin Faulk could potentially be eligible in 2016 if they retire this offseason. Kicker Adam Vinatieri might be there soon after. I’ll stop there before I find myself somewhere around 2030.

14. With all that said, it’s going to be a while before Bill Parcells gets the nod. That was a side effect of losing to Bledsoe last year.

15. The most common question I’ve recently gotten on Twitter has had to do with the future of the Patriots’ running backs. There’s very little need to be concerned about the position at this point. Remember, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was pegged as the fifth-stringer at the start of training camp in 2010, before he rushed for over 1,000 yards that season. Point is, things change in a hurry at that position, and the Patriots still have a lot of talent at running back.

16. Running back Stevan Ridley looks like he can take over as the main guy on the ground, but there is a concern about the two fumbles that got him benched in the playoffs. I’ll say this: Ridley has always been impressive behind the scenes, and his work ethic, dedication to greatness and maturity level leads me to believe he’ll work to correct that flaw.

17. I also went through his LSU stats to see if the fumbles are a trend. He fumbled once as a sophomore in 2009 and twice as a junior in 2010. In all, those three fumbles came on 323 touches (306 carries, 17 receptions) in 39 games. That’s one fumble for every 108 touches. Ridley’s only extensive play at LSU came as a junior when he fumbled twice on 260 touches (249 carries, 11 receptions), which is one fumble for every 130 touches.

18. That’s still too small of a sample size to reach any hard determinations, so I want to compare those numbers to something, even if it’s not a direct correlation. I took the 15 NFL running backs who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2011 for this exercise, and they fumbled the ball 51 times on 4,574 touches (4,033 carries, 541 catches). That’s an average of one fumble for every 90 touches. That’s something to put in perspective.

19. This is a pretty impressive quote from Slater, who was asked Tuesday about the necessary mentality at this point in the year: “I think it’s important for us as a team to understand that we’re not a Super Bowl team at this point. This is a new team. This is not the 2011 team, and we shouldn’t come in here expecting for teams to just [say], ‘Oh, that’s the Patriots. They were in the Super Bowl last year.’ We have to re-establish an identity. There are going to be new players, and we have to create an identity for this 2012 team, and we’re going to have to earn everything all over again. So we’re back at ground zero now, we have a lot of work to do.”

20. Sit down and clutch those armrests with all your might because I’m about to break some news: It’s difficult to predict what the Patriots will do in the draft. (OK, sorry for being dramatic.) Anyway, just look at their first pick in the last four drafts — linebacker Jerod Mayo, safety Patrick Chung, cornerback Devin McCourty and tackle Nate Solder. None of those positions were immediate needs at the time, but all four have been very good players. And Mayo, McCourty and Solder were all needed as rookies a whole lot more than expected on draft night.

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.

Anyway, it's time to put the focus back on the field, and the Two-Minute Drill starts with a point I made several times last season, but the numbers needed some updating.

1. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is the most lethal red-zone target in the NFL, and the numbers prove it. He has 25 touchdowns inside the 20-yard line since entering the league in 2010, which is second only to Texans running back Arian Foster's 26. But Gronkowski has six more red-zone scores than any other pass catcher.

2. In the same span, Gronkowski also leads all non-running backs with 14 touchdowns inside the 10-yard line. As a nice luxury for the Patriots, tight end Aaron Hernandez is tied for the second most with 11. What's more, running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was second among all players with 20 touchdowns inside the 10-yard line.

3. As of Tuesday, the Patriots had 71 players on the roster, including wide receiver Wes Welker (franchise tag) and defensive tackle Kyle Love (exclusive rights tender). Teams can carry 80 players into camp, though there will be a vote in May at the owners meetings to expand that number to 90, which was the one-time limit after the 2011 lockout.

4. Point is, the Patriots aren't done signing players by any stretch of the imagination. As a point of reference, they signed four players in April 2010 before the draft. That, of course, wasn't applicable last year.

5. The Patriots have six draft picks in 2012. Only the Raiders and Saints (five each) have fewer, and 26 teams have more. Of course, some draft-weekend trades could alter those numbers.

6. Interestingly, the Jets have 10 draft picks, and if all holds true, this will be the first time since 2005 the Jets have drafted more players than the Patriots. The Pats drafted more players than the Jets from 2007-11, and the two teams had the same number of picks (10) in 2006.

7. In a crazy stat, the Patriots drafted 49 players from 2007-11, while the Jets only drafted 23. Just as crazy, the Patriots had more draft picks in 2009 and 2010 (24) than the Jets had over that whole five-year span.

8. Time to throw out some other draft tidbits. The Patriots' first pick is at No. 27, which they've used before on defensive end Julius Adams (1971), defensive tackle Lester Williams (1982) and cornerback Devin McCourty (2010).

9. The Patriots' second pick is at No. 31, where they've selected halfback Ellis Johnson (1965 AFL draft) and linebacker Chris Slade (1993).

10. The Patriots' third pick is at No. 48, where they've selected defensive end Garin Veris (1985) and left tackle Matt Light (2001).

11. The Patriots' fourth pick is at No. 62, where they've selected defensive back Bernie McRae (1962 AFL draft), guard Rod Foster (1963 AFL draft), cornerback Terrence Wheatley (2008) and linebacker Brandon Spikes (2010).

12. The Patriots' fifth pick is at No. 93, where they've selected defensive back Darren Anderson (1992).

13. And their sixth pick is at No. 126, where they've selected guard Ken Byers (1962 AFL draft), tackle Wes Bryant (1963 AFL draft) and defensive end Jarvis Green (2002).

14. As I was combing through the Patriots' 685 draft picks of their 51-year existence, I was reminded of something that I only remember when I do things like comb through five decades of draft picks. The Patriots actually selected Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the fifth round of the 1961 AFL draft, which was the first in the history of the organization. Yet, a month later, the Vikings took Tarkenton in the third round of the NFL draft, and he signed with them.

15. Center Dan Koppen's visit to the Titans, according to The Tennessean, furthers the notion that his nine-year career with the Patriots is over. The Patriots paid Dan Connolly starting money, and if they wanted to retain Koppen, it's hard to imagine they'd let him leave town.

16. The Patriots' running backs have been a major focal point since Green-Ellis left for Cincinnati last month, and while I've said all along I think Stevan Ridley will be the primary ball carrier, I don't want to diminish another point. I really think Shane Vereen will be a fun player to watch because he's so electric in space. The Patriots' passing game can be conducive to Vereen's strengths, so keep him in mind as a breakout candidate next season. I'm also intrigued to see what he's got as a runner in between the tackles, even if it's mostly out of passing sets.

17. Looking ahead to 2013 for a moment, the Patriots have one draft pick in every round except for the fifth and sixth rounds. I noted last week the Patriots might trade down about 10-15 spots in the second or third round to pick up an extra fourth- or fifth-rounder. But they might also trade down in this year's draft to stock up extra picks heading into next year. Since the trade value increases by a round each year, let's say they had a chance to move from No. 48 to No. 58, and the inquiring team would also send a fifth-round pick in this draft. The Patriots might try their luck to turn that fifth-rounder into a fourth-rounder in 2013. Just a thought.

18. It's too easy to say the hysteria surrounding the unveiling of the league's new uniforms was a credit to the power of the NFL. That just doesn't tell the whole story. Nike deserves a lot of credit, too, because if it hadn't made so many dramatic changes to its college football uniforms in recent years, fans wouldn't have been as anxious to see the new NFL uniforms.

19. I raised the point Tuesday in my post about Alshon Jeffery that the Patriots might not be very inclined to draft a wide receiver who can't immediately help on special teams. With their depth at the position, it's not worth it to draft another rookie and redshirt him at the expense of a proven veteran who could be more of an asset. Therefore, if the Patriots haven't identified a wide receiver in the early rounds who could make an immediate offensive impact, I think it makes more sense to wait until the third round to get Arkansas' Joe Adams, who has dynamite special teams ability and could get on the field right away.

20. The best free agents, from a Patriots perspective, who are still on the market are safety O.J. Atogwe, linebacker London Fletcher and defensive linemen Luis Castillo and Amobi Akoye. The Patriots don't necessarily need Fletcher, but he's a really solid football player who would provide quality depth and leadership. You could throw Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb to the top of the list, but he's a restricted free agent who would cost a first-round pick and possibly a $50 million contract.

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.

But the Two-Minute Drill rests for no one. Let's start things off with some leftovers from Brian Hoyer's charity event Tuesday, when he won a game of P-I-G against Slick Willie Shaw of the Harlem Globetrotters. That was a lot of fun to watch because Hoyer and Shaw were having a blast during the game.

Anyway, onto the Drill.

1. After the Jets introduced backup quarterback Tim Tebow at a large-scale news conference Monday, the Patriots' fan base jokingly wondered when Hoyer would get his time in the spotlight. As it turned out, Hoyer was on hand for a charity event Tuesday, and he met with two reporters and a few television cameras.

2. When asked about the notion of a backup getting such an extraordinary amount of media attention, Hoyer responded, "I don't think he's your ordinary backup. Someone who takes a team to the playoffs, obviously, he had a great year. I think it will be great for those guys to get him in there, and we'll see what happens with that."

3. Another good note, Hoyer played high school football with new Patriots wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who was a year ahead of Hoyer at St. Ignatius in Ohio. Hoyer recalled a game against Massillon when Gonzalez scored three touchdowns in five minutes — two receiving, one interception. The two then played against each other in the Big Ten when Hoyer was at Michigan State and Gonzalez suited up for Ohio State.

4. Hoyer said of Gonzalez, "He made a lot of great catches. … I know he's a great athlete, a great player, so I'm looking forward to working with him again." So again, that's just another strong endorsement for Gonzalez, who should fit well with the Patriots if he stays healthy.

5. Oddly enough, Hoyer had nothing to do with Gonzalez's decision to link up with the Patriots after he spent five seasons with the Colts. Hoyer even said Tuesday he hadn't spoken to Gonzalez yet, but he figured they'd catch up soon.

6. Over the last two seasons, Tom Brady's four biggest targets have obviously been wide receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Why am I stating the obvious, you ask? Well, the fifth guy has been Brandon Tate (2010) and Chad Ochocinco (2011), and those two have averaged 19.5 receptions, 354 yards and two touchdowns per season in that role.

7. With that being said, think about what it would mean for the Patriots' offense if wide receiver Brandon Lloyd had something like 60 receptions, 800 yards and six touchdowns. I'm just throwing those numbers out there, but I think they're fair. Based on my Twitter chat on Monday, though, it sounds like there are quite a few of you who believe Lloyd can far exceed those numbers.

8. Now, with all that said, I wouldn't just take on the surplus in production to Brady's overall stats, but those numbers would give more of a breather to Brady's other targets, who wouldn't have to be on the field as much. Or, at the very least, they wouldn't be the target of as many passes, which would reduce their wear and tear over the course of the season. It's a win-win.

9. Don't forget about Branch, either. Of course, he'll lose reps to Lloyd, but Branch has caught 99 passes for 1,408 yards and 10 touchdowns in 26 regular-season games with the Patriots over the last two seasons. That type of production isn't going to simply disappear, regardless of his age, because he's so in tune with Brady.

10. In 2007, tight end Ben Watson and wide receiver Jabar Gaffney tied for fifth on the Patriots with 36 catches, which was the most receptions by Brady's fifth option in his career. If Branch finishes fifth on the Patriots in the range of 35-40 receptions in 2012, it's possible they could field their most balanced passing attack of Brady's tenure.

11. It's been pretty wild that Bill Belichick has outright ignored the fullback position for several years until the Patriots signed a couple this week. It's possible they're just looking to create some good competition in camp, and the signings were a way to commit to the players they like.

12. Speaking of the offensive backfield, I think the Patriots are set up just fine with Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead as the running backs, plus whoever else they add through free agency and the draft (and maybe Kevin Faulk). They might want to add a goal-line bruiser — I've brought up Jackie Battle a number of times — but Ridley was more than capable of that role at LSU.

13. I've heard from Patriots fans who want them to add a No. 1 back to replace BenJarvus Green-Ellis, but he wasn't even that guy in 2011. Ridley was the team's leading rusher in each of their last three regular-season games before his fumbling issue got him benched. Again, Ridley can fill into that role, and Vereen and Woodhead can assume their responsibilities in the passing game.

14. Now that the NFL has announced its allotment of compensatory draft picks — awarded based on a system of quality free agents lost against quality free agents signed — the Patriots know exactly where they'll be picking. They've got pick Nos. 27 and 31 (first round), 48 and 62 (second round), 93 (third round) and 126 (fourth round). They don't have any picks in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds due to prior trades.

15. Because the Patriots don't have any low-round picks, I'm sure they'll be more inclined to trade down at some point — yeah, I'm sure that was met with a collective groan across New England — to accumulate some picks in those later rounds. Of course, with two picks in each of the first two rounds, they'll have plenty of opportunities.

16. Before getting too, too worked up about the idea of trading down, remember they traded out of their late pick in the second round last year, giving up the 60th pick to the Texans for the 73rd and 138th selections, which turned into Ridley and offensive lineman Marcus Cannon.

17. Naturally, trading down doesn't always work, and it's easy to immediately second-guess the move when there's someone on the board who would be a popular pick. But more than anything, I was just trying to point out the currency that can be gained by dropping down by 10-15 selections.

18. Since the Patriots have two picks in each of the first two rounds, it's always fun to think of the possibility they trade into the top 10 for a specific player, but that's just not realistic due to the heavier price to do so in the era of the rookie scale. But if the Patriots are going to trade up — they won't, I know — I can see them making a push to get somewhere around No. 20. Maybe that costs them the 27th pick and a third-rounder, and they also get a fourth- or fifth-rounder in return.

19. If the Patriots do trade up, I can see it happening for players like Alabama safety Mark Barron, Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly or Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd. I don't know if they'd do it for any defensive tackles or edge rushers because there doesn't appear to be as much of a drop-off toward the 27th selection. Barron has especially distinguished himself among the draft class, and he plays a position of need. You could probably same the same about Kuechly and Floyd, and maybe even Kirkpatrick, whose exclusive scouting report was probably conveyed between Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Belichick.

20. It's no surprise the Patriots didn't receive any compensatory draft picks because they didn't lose anyone of significance in free agency after the 2011 season. (Players who were cut don't count. Picks are awarded to teams for losing key players after their contracts expired. The formula is based on the player's salary, playing time and postseason honors.) It was interesting, though, that the Patriots' signing of defensive end Shaun Ellis helped the Jets earn a compensatory pick (the exact pick isn't labeled, so you can't put a player-for-player value on the signing). Chalk up that one for the Jets.

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/Dre Kirkpatrick

The Patriots have added depth at several positions, putting themselves in a place where they won't have to necessarily reach for a particular position, though if they do, it will probably be on defense.

But that's still a month away. For now, let's run through this week's Two-Minute Drill.

1. With the addition of three wide receivers in three days, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is clearly setting up a massive competition to make the roster out of camp. That will only benefit the team because there are some good players who are going to push themselves purely for jobs, whereas in the past, their only worries may have been their snap totals.

2. At this point, wide receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd will be the only true locks to make the team out of camp. Matthew Slater can fall in that category, too, but he's a special teamer for all intents and purposes. From there, Chad Ochocinco, Donte Stallworth, Anthony Gonzalez, Tiquan Underwood, Julian Edelman and Deion Branch (I'm still assuming he re-signs) will battle for the last three or four spots.

3. I also think the Patriots will draft a receiver in the first three rounds. Obviously, if it's a first- or second-round pick, the player would essentially be a lock to make the team. Third-rounders usually get the benefit of the doubt, but they don't have the same clout.

4. The recent signings — but the Gonzalez one, in particular — puts one of the most surprising storylines of 2011 back into focus, and I think it's one of the best questions surrounding the Patriots this offseason. What is Edelman's positional fate? No, he doesn't have to line up at just one position, but if the Patriots are loading their depth at receiver, will Edelman even have a place on that side of the ball? And if not, is his punt returning ability enough to find him a more permanent role on defense? There are so many layers to this question, and it will be difficult to pinpoint an answer for a few months.

5. There's plenty of speculation that Gonzalez could be depth for Welker in the event of a holdout, and I think that's fair. But at the end of the day, from everything I know about him, I'd be stunned if Welker held out.

6. I spoke with Stallworth on Monday, and he's genuinely ecstatic to rejoin the Patriots. I thought it was a good signing, and those who have read my stuff over the last couple of years probably already knew that. He's a good complementary player who has proven that he can step in and learn the offense, which has obviously been a challenge for other successful veterans in recent seasons.

7. I also understand plenty of Patriots fans don't like the move, but it didn't cost the Patriots much to bring him back. And if he doesn't make the team, hey, that means there was someone better. That's all you can ask for, right?

8. Anyway, I had two leftover quotes from the Stallworth interview that I thought were worth sharing. First, he noted the hype that's been building up in Washington over the eventual arrival of Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, whom the Redskins will draft with the second pick. Washington acquired the pick from St. Louis for three first-round picks and a second-rounder.

"I know the fans were very excited about that," Stallworth said. The fans were wanting that even before they knew what the Redskins had to give up. They have a lot riding on that kid, and I hope he does well. I'm sure he will. He's going to bring a lot of excitement to the city and the organization, so good for them. I'm excited to watch that kid play, and I hope he does well. I'm a big fan of his."

9. Second, Stallworth said it was pretty fun to have a big game against his former team last season. The wideout had four receptions for a season-high 96 yards during the Redskins' loss to the Patriots, and he also beat cornerback Devin McCourty for a season-long 51-yard catch.

"It felt pretty good," Stallworth said. "It's always good. Obviously, there were no harsh feelings with me leaving [New England], but any time you have your old team, you always want to play with a competitive drive. You always want to play well against your old team. Obviously, I always feel I can play better, but it was good to make a couple plays and give our team a chance to win that ballgame."

10. Since the Patriots are approaching double digits in the first week of free agency, it's worth noting how advantageous it will be for every team to run through a full offseason of camps. It will help on so many levels, and I'm only pointing out this obvious fact because I've heard from players who are really excited about it.

11. The question I keep hearing is, "Why have the Patriots signed so many offensive players when they should be focusing on defense?" Well, give it time.

12. The top defensive players off the board have landed sizeable contracts: defensive end Mario Williams (six years, $100 million), defensive end Kamerion Wimbley (five years, $35 million), defensive end John Abraham (three years, $17 million, give or take), defensive tackle Red Bryant (five years, $35 million), defensive tackle Kendall Langford (four years, $24 million), outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (six years, $44.5 million), outside linebacker Jarret Johnson (four years, $19 million), cornerback Brandon Carr (five years, $50.1 million), cornerback Cortland Finnegan (five years, $50 million), cornerback Carlos Rogers (four years, $29.3 million) and safety Reggie Nelson (four years, $18 million). (All dollar amounts came from various reports.)

13. Just looking at that group, Abraham and Nelson may have been the only two players who could have drawn interest from New England, based on the values of the contracts. However, Abraham stayed with the Falcons for less money than anticipated, so he probably took a discounted deal. And Nelson got some pretty good money for a player who has just scratched the surface and could still go either way on his career arc.

14. There are a handful of talented players still available, including 4-3 outside linebacker Erin Henderson, inside linebacker London Fletcher, cornerback Tracy Porter and safety O.J. Atogwe. Porter is coming off a down year, so he'd be a logical candidate on a low-risk deal. And Atogwe fits an obvious need, so he could be on the Patriots' radar, too.

15. One more thing to consider: Jerod Mayo (five years, $48.5 million) and Vince Wilfork (five years, $40 million) set the pace for the Patriots' defensive contracts. Because the Patriots are dedicated to a hierarchy among salaries, they wouldn't give an outside player more money unless he was absolutely, truly worth it. That's just how it is.

16. So far, the only players the Patriots have appeared to lose out on, according to the team's interest, have been wide receiver Reggie Wayne, safety LaRon Landry and Bryant. Wayne's motives are sketchy. It's really difficult to criticize a player for being loyal to the only team he's ever known, but this case is different because the Colts just unloaded a number of homegrown players, namely Peyton Manning. Unless we find out how much money Wayne turned down elsewhere, it will be difficult to draw a full conclusion on his decision to stay in Indy.

17. Landry is an interesting case, too, and it will be easy to play armchair general manager in a few months when the world is able to assess his health. The Jets signed Landry for $4 million right after he visited the Patriots, and each team needed health at safety. But remember, it was less than a year ago when the Patriots spent $4 million to pry defensive end Shaun Ellis from the Jets.

18. It's a tough time for players who are trying to sign with a team that has been in the running for Manning or Tim Tebow. As one source put it, "Manning Mania has led to Tebowmania, and that has slowed the process."

19. Speaking of Tebow, I'd be stunned if the Patriots showed any interest in adding him for anything more than a fifth- or sixth-round pick, and that's totally dependent on his market anyway. But my question is this: Since Belichick has the utmost respect for Tebow, would Belichick really be interested in stunting Tebow's development as a quarterback by giving him an H-back role as someone who would line up all over the map? My guess would be no, regardless of how Belichick views Tebow as a quarterback.

20. And maybe Tebow wants to sing the company line and say he'll play any position if it helps the team win. If so, that's great to an extent. But also, if Tebow believes in his own ability as a quarterback, why would he even be interested in playing a different position? Until Tebow is told that no team is willing to pay him to play quarterback, it would be a red flag if he gave up on himself, especially after he helped the Broncos win a playoff game.

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.

The funny thing is the quieter teams are typically the ones that succeed on the field. That’s again been the case with the Patriots.

1. The Patriots got off to a quiet start to free agency Tuesday night, but that doesn’t mean they were dormant. Just because there was little news reported doesn’t mean they took a pass on the first day. The Patriots control the news stream better than any team in the league, so it’s tough for information to go public.

2. On one hand, that tactic can be a tough public-relations move when the fan base sees a half-dozen other teams going hard after the most elite free agents.

3. On the other hand, one advantage to concealing this information is the Patriots don’t have to offer any of those “We’re sorry” contract extensions to keep players happy like the Jets did last week with quarterback Mark Sanchez.

4. I got a number of questions Tuesday about Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace, but teams can’t negotiate with restricted free agents until Saturday. Someone can trade for Wallace at any point, but if anyone is looking to sign Wallace (and fork over a necessary first-round pick), it’s going to be a few days before Wallace really emerges in the news.

5. With the Redskins going overboard on wide receivers, I’m wondering if Jabar Gaffney will become available, either by trade or an outright release. Since Gaffney is owed a $2.65 million base salary in 2012, which is the final year of his contract, he might simply get cut, particularly if the Redskins need to unload him quickly to appease their salary cap issues.

6. Either way, Gaffney would be a terrific addition for the Patriots. He was a perfect role player in New England from 2006-08, and he’s coming off a career-best 68-catch season in 2011, so Gaffney still has it. If the Patriots need to shift to a Plan B in free agency at the wide receiver position — or if they’re just looking to load up and see what happens in camp — Gaffney deserves a call.

7. In the last week, I’ve heard there’s an expectation around the league that the Patriots will address wide receiver and defensive tackle in the draft.

8. There will be a bunch of defensive tackles, who could also serve as 3-4 defensive ends, available late in the first round and early in the second. Some of the following players could go in the top third of the first round, pending how the pre-draft process plays out, but here’s a list of defensive tackles who could be there when the Patriots are on the clock: LSU’s Michael Brockers, Memphis’ Dontari Poe, Penn State’s Devon Still, Mississippi State’ Fletcher Cox and Michigan State’s Jerel Werthy. Since it’s a blurry group, there’s still no telling who will be off the board first and how far the rest will fall.

9. I thought of something from the playoffs while assessing the Patriots’ chances of signing wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The Patriots’ squabble with agent Tom Condon is well-documented, but Lloyd obviously wants to reunite with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Anyway, Bill Belichick said McDaniels was able to influence some coaching decisions after his postseason arrival, and Belichick noted how McDaniels has grown since his last stint in New England.

10. What’s that all mean for Lloyd? If McDaniels is convinced Lloyd can help the Patriots, he can probably sell the idea to Belichick. And if Belichick needs that extra kick to end his cold war with Condon, McDaniels might be the one who can deliver it.

11. It’s a tough way for linebacker Gary Guyton to end his career in New England, and I wonder where he winds up. Just a guess, but the Falcons seems like a fit. He’s from Georgia, and the fast track could play to his speed. They also need help at linebacker. Seems to make sense.

12. The Patriots can’t be happy to see the news that defensive end Mario Williams is a serious candidate to sign with the Bills, who already have two outstanding defensive tackles in Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus. That’s going to be a difficult front to contain, especially if the Bills decide to beef up with the 10th overall draft pick, too.

13. On another departed member of the Texans, I can’t believe they ousted right tackle Eric Winston, who was a force in that locker room. After Houston made such a breakthrough in 2011 — finally winning the division, getting to the playoffs and claiming a postseason victory — it seems ill-advised to unload such a leader and strong player. Then again, as long as quarterback Peyton Manning stays out of Tennessee, the Texans will have a stranglehold on a very poor AFC South.

14. The Dolphins will be the favorite to land Winston, who played college ball at Miami, and he’ll really beef up their line. They’ve got the best tackle in the game in Jake Long, as well as a very promising young center in Mike Pouncey and a nasty guard in Richie Incognito. If Winston signs with the Dolphins, they’d have done a great job of reshaping their line over the last two years.

15. I am absolutely stunned the Colts re-signed wide receiver Reggie Wayne, mostly because I truly believed he was a package deal with Manning. I wonder if Wayne knew which way Manning was leaning and decided he didn’t want any part of that destination.

16. But really, after owner Jim Irsay gutted the product on the field, soon-to-be Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has to be thrilled that he’ll have a teammate that he’s heard of before. Also, with a pro like Wayne, Luck’s progression will be in good hands.

17. With the insane money doled out Tuesday to wide receivers — aside from Wayne, whose reported six-year, $17.5 million deal was wildly underwhelming — the focus in New England turns to Wes Welker. By the way Tuesday unfolded, the Patriots will have to spend more to sign Welker to an extension, though I don’t believe Welker is the type to rake them over the coals in negotiations.

18. Quarterback Brian Hoyer will explore his options as a restricted free agent and try to find a team that will give him an opportunity to start (more details here). Whether it’s in 2012 or 2013, Hoyer will get his chance to lead a team, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s got.

19. It will be tough for Hoyer to find a home as a restricted free agent, and I think his market might be limited to the Browns and Seahawks, though things could change pending Manning’s destination. Hoyer grew up as a Browns fan, so he would probably love that type of homecoming, but it would be tough for the Browns to justify it with Colt McCoy still in tow. In a related note, Hoyer told me in January he’s never gotten on Belichick for cutting Bernie Kosar.

20. I was scrolling through the Madden 13 cover bracket, and a few things stuck out. Remember how embarrassing it must have been last year when the Seahawks were represented by their fans, and not a single marketable player? Well, the Raiders’ two candidates are kicker Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler. Yup, two specialists. Also, wide receiver Brandon Marshall was one of the Dolphins’ two candidates, so that’s embarrassing after Tuesday’s trade. But hey, the Rams have wide receiver Brandon Lloyd as a candidate, which is rough since he’s a free agent. One of the Colts’ candidates is defensive end Dwight Freeney, and they’re reportedly open to trading him. Finally, the whole Manning situation could impact other teams’ cover candidates like Tim Tebow (Broncos) and Jake Locker (Titans). If the voters come together and play their cards right, the game could have an embarrassing cover photo, similar to the Brett Favre fiasco a few years ago.

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/Mario-Williams

Free agency begins Tuesday, and as that eventually quiets down, the draft preparation will continue to heat up. Then, midway through April, the Patriots will be back at Gillette Stadium for voluntary workouts. It goes by fast, folks.

1. The Saints' bounty scandal dates back to 2009, which means they played the Patriots twice during a three-year span when the Saints were charged with paying players to hit with the intent to injure. Those games happened in the 2009 regular season and 2010 preseason, which came after the Patriots hosted the Saints at training camp.

2. I went through my live blogs for each of those games. In 2009, right guard Stephen Neal succumbed to an ankle injury against the Saints. However, I couldn't track down any video of the play, and none of my coverage indicated whether or not the injury was the result of a fishy hit. Then again, if something looks out of sorts, I'd like to think I would have written about it, so I'm guessing the injury happened during a clean play.

3. I also went through the injury reports before the Patriots' Week 12 game against the Saints and the Week 13 game against the Dolphins just to see if the Patriots suffered any new ailments as a result of the game in New Orleans. Obviously, as is the case with any game, there were some new injuries.

4. Just keep in mind that injury reports aren't always beacons of truth, and that particular week's injury could have grown worse over the course of multiple weeks and simply flared up following the Saints game. I'm also not insinuating that any of the following players were injured due to dirty hits. I just think, as the NFL continues to peel back the layers of this scandal, it's worth pointing out who could have been injured as the Patriots played the Saints.

5. At any rate, here were the Patriots' new injuries after they played the Saints relative to the official injury report: quarterback Tom Brady (finger), safety Bret Lockett (groin), linebacker Tully Banta-Cain (shoulder) and Neal (ankle). Brady's finger injury was questionable because it was added to Friday's injury report, but there was speculation that it occurred against the Saints.

6. Oddly enough, Brady also injured his finger in the 2010 preseason opener against the Saints. After looking through my live blog of that game, I noticed quarterback Brian Hoyer took a ton of big hits, but I'd attribute that to poor play from the offensive line.

7. Now, were the big hits the result of extra motivation, or was it just good, hard football? Would there even be a bounty system in place for the preseason? It's unclear if anyone will ever get answers to those questions.

8. Since injury reports don't exist in the preseason — and because it was the preseason opener — I couldn't do a similar comparison as I did in the fifth note. So, in the very unscientific way of trying to figure out who got hurt in that preseason game against the Saints, I went through the official game book to see which Patriots played against the Saints but missed the next padded practice three days later.

9. Well, it was a small crew: linebacker Dane Fletcher, offensive lineman George Bussey and defensive lineman Damione Lewis.

10. Maybe, at the end of it all, these names won't mean anything, but it's something to keep in mind as the Saints' scandal continues to unfold in the coming days, weeks and maybe even more.

11. One final note on this thing: It appears that the bounty system was a defensive thing, and I obviously listed some injuries to some of the Patriots' defensive players. However, there could have been some mixing and matching with special teams units. And if not, it's still a team-wide mentality. You can't have a large-scale bounty system in place for three years and think the offensive players were clueless. That's just not realistic.

12. I still really believe the Patriots and wide receiver Wes Welker will reach a longer contract because it's in the best interest of both sides. Welker wants too greatly to remain in New England, so he'll be eager to get it done. By knowing how loyal and team-oriented Welker is, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him take less than market value to get it done. That's within reason, of course.

13. And the Patriots should try to massage that salary cap number by maneuvering some of the $9.4 million in guaranteed money. If they can spread it out over the life of a three- or four-year deal, they'll obviously give themselves the chance to be more aggressive in free agency. And if the Patriots really backload the cap number, they could create the avenue to restructure the deal again later when it's time to look into contracts for younger stars as they come off their rookie deals.

14. Here's a list of some key Patriots draft picks who could be tough to sign after their rookie contracts expire: safety Patrick Chung (signed through 2012), tackle Sebastian Vollmer (2012), tight end Rob Gronkowski (2013), tight end Aaron Hernandez (2013), linebacker Brandon Spikes (2013) and cornerback Devin McCourty (2014).

15. Clearly, things will get tricky after the 2013 season when the Patriots have to find a way to retain Gronkowski, Hernandez and Spikes while also looking to 2014 when McCourty, Brady and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork head into the final year of their deals. Also, the Patriots' 2011 draft picks will expire after the 2014 season, though they have a team option on tackle Nate Solder for 2015. That will be a brutal stretch for the front office.

16. Thing is, will the Patriots be able to reach early extensions with Gronkowski, Hernandez and Spikes the same way they did last season with linebacker Jerod Mayo? It's obviously early to think about that at this exact juncture, but the Patriots' front office will likely begin exploring those options once things settle down with free agency and the draft.

17. It's only a matter of time before the fans' movement begins to lock up Gronkowski, but he'll be able to set the market if he can somehow avoid the franchise tag. Since the Patriots can hold that over him, the two sides might have a chance to come to terms. Until that happens, though, Hernandez and Spikes won't have as much of an incentive to sign early, especially if they're looking for big contracts on the open market. Of course, if they're perfectly happy in New England and the front office is willing to ante up, that could be all it takes.

18. Since quarterback Peyton Manning's tenure in Indianapolis will reportedly conclude Wednesday, it will mark the end of the Patriots-Colts rivalry, which was just so tremendous for a full decade. The rivalry took a hit when Bill Polian was fired in January, and now that the Patriots' two greatest nemeses from Indy are out, so is the rivalry. But if Manning lands with the Dolphins or even the Jets, well, look out for a nice new version of the Brady-Manning rivalry.

19. Defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams is heading for free agency, and there's been some national speculation that he could draw some interest from the Patriots. Sure, it makes plenty of sense, particularly since they reportedly showed some interest in signing defensive end Julius Peppers two years ago. Thing is, I've thought for weeks now that Williams could command upwards of $100 million, and the Patriots won't hit that. The one thing I keep hearing from people is why would Williams want to take $100 million to play for a lousy team when he could take less and potentially win a Super Bowl with the Patriots?

20. And I continuously respond, because Williams is 27 years old, and I don't know any 27-year-olds who would turn down a $100 million contract. Yeah, $60 million is a lot of cake, but turning down an extra $40 million is damn near foolish, especially when he could be back on the market when he's about 33 or 34 and can link up with a Super Bowl contender at that point.

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.

With all that in mind, it's nice to appreciate this run of offseason storylines — from the combine to the entryway of free agency — knowing full well that all is right on the football calendar.

1. The line of the week came from — who else? — Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was in Worcester on Friday to spike a puck before the AHL's Sharks-Bruins game. The puck broke into four pieces, causing Gronkowski to beam after, "Only footballs can handle my spikes."

2. Although there was some speculation it could have been a fake puck, Gronkowski was genuine when he said it was real. I can't remember ever hearing about a puck shattering before, so it's a little suspect. But it's not like the puck would get taken to a forensics lab, either, so it's best to just take him on his word.

3. Gronkowski rode onto the ice on the back of a pickup truck from the Zamboni entrance, and he was excited — to the point of disbelief — to hear the crowd give him a huge ovation before they could even see him. He knows his stardom has reached a national level, but he still genuinely appreciates the reception he gets from his hometown fans.

4. And in case you missed it over the weekend, here's an update on Gronkowski's health, as well as some of his comments about his Super Bowl dance party.

5. Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker chimed in Monday that the combine is a "waste of time", and he jokes about the pre-draft process and the draft all the time. Considering he was undrafted and quarterback Tom Brady went in the sixth round, the two have had some good back-and-forths about the draft being a schmozzle.

6. However, the tweet reminded me of some things former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach told me about Welker a couple months ago. When Welker was playing in all-star games for college recruits, the games were either two-hand touch or flag football. Someone like Welker won't measure out in those games or the combine. Some players are just superior when they're wearing pads and there's actual contact.

7. I don't mean for this to sound like a "the combine is useless" rant because I think it serves a meaningful purpose. It can just be too easy to fall in love with workouts statistics when the true barometer of a player should be measured by his film.

8. Based on listening to Kevin Faulk speak about his future, it's starting to sound like he wants to play another season, but he's just waiting to get Bill Belichick's official opinion on the matter. The response would likely come in one of two forms: Belichick could tell Faulk he wants him on his team in 2012, like he did last year, or the head coach could tell Faulk that he'd have to work over the next six months to make the team.

9. The variable in this equation is Faulk's knee, which should be back to full strength by September because it would be two years since the injury. I think that's what has made this such a difficult decision because Faulk and Belichick truly don't know at this point how high Faulk's ceiling can be in terms of his health.

10. Defensive tackle Kyle Love has signed with agents Richard Kopelman and Sean Stellato, which is notable because Love is an exclusive rights free agent (a fancy way of saying the Patriots can keep him if they want him). Anyway, Kopelman and Stellato orchestrated two-year contracts for linebacker Gary Guyton and cornerback Kyle Arrington when they were exclusive rights free agents, so that's probably where Love is heading.

11. If the Patriots simply picked up Love's tender for a one-year deal, he'd be a restricted free agent next year. And if he continues to blossom like he did in 2011, the Patriots would probably have to give him a first-round tender and maybe even a long-term deal to keep him around. With a two-year contract this offseason, they could avoid those complications in 2013.

12. The Boston Globe reported the Patriots are prepared to move on from center Dan Koppen (unrestricted free agent) and left tackle Matt Light (under contract through 2012, though he could retire). The Patriots absolutely have the resources to part ways with each player, but it would be very strange to see either in a different uniform. New England has had a consistent core of linemen since 2005, but with the departures of Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur, as well as the uncertain fate of Light and Koppen, Logan Mankins could be the last man standing.

13. Wide receiver Deion Branch, who's an unrestricted free agent, has said a number of times since 2010 that he wants to retire in New England. It'd be an eye-opener if he wasn't back in 2012, but if the Patriots attack the free-agent market and the draft, Branch would be put in a position where he's got to compete for a job.

14. I got an interesting question in last week's mailbag about the possibility of New England trading for Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. After exploring it, I think it's a longshot to actually happen, but the Vikings will have to justify the massive amount of money they owe him over the next two seasons. If the Vikings don't rework his deal — and after a 22-sack season, Allen has very little incentive to oblige — they might have to move him somewhere.

15. I've brought this up in other forums before, but Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney is due for a $14 million base salary in 2012. Obviously, the Colts will have some extra cash when they inevitably release quarterback Peyton Manning, so it's not out of the question for them to keep Freeney. But can they really pay him that much money with a straight face? If not, look for the Patriots to attempt to snipe him.

16. Since Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has become football's hottest topic, I wanted to pass along my analysis of Griffin's game, the trade compensation the Rams will receive for the second overall pick and a rundown of the teams that will be most interested for Griffin's services.

17. While scrolling through the Patriots' roster in the NFLPA's files, I noticed they signed quarterback Mike Hartline to a one-year deal with a base salary of $390,000. It's weird because the Patriots never announced the transaction. Hartline is the younger brother of Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline, and the quarterback was undrafted out of Kentucky in 2011. After signing with the Colts, Hartline was released late in camp and didn't sign with another NFL team.

18. Consider the signing as the addition of a live arm for offseason camps. If the Patriots draft a quarterback for the fourth time in five years or add a rookie after the draft, Hartline could be expendable. There's no chance the Patriots will have four quarterbacks on the active roster in 2012.

19. The Patriots also recently added running back Eric Kettani to the roster for a one-year contract with a base salary of $390,000. Kettani told me in January he was hoping to hear about his appeal to return to the NFL from the Navy within a couple months, but there was no official timetable.

20. Since Wednesday is Feb. 29, it's worth noting the Patriots have been to the Super Bowl during the last three leap years (2004, 2008, 2012). The Redskins have actually accomplished that feat, too (1984, 1988, 1992). So there's that.

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.

Let’s dive into the Two-Minute Drill, which has no offseason.

1. I’ll begin my run of 10 mock drafts Thursday on NESN.com, and we’ll post one per week until the start of the draft April 26. It’s crazy to think the Super Bowl was just two weeks ago, and the draft is only nine weeks away. The Patriots can begin their team-orchestrated workouts in mid-April, so this offseason will fly by for New Englanders.

2. For me, the mock drafts are a great way to analyze each draft class, which is very difficult to do during the NFL season. They also give me the chance to look into each team’s needs as they build toward the next season. Hopefully, that comes across for the readers, too.

3. Mock drafts aren’t much more than a glorified guessing game, obviously, but anything done before the combine — which also begins this week in Indianapolis — is a true shot in the dark. While some of the track-and-field tests are fairly useless, they do provide a glimpse into each player’s workout regimen and dedication to training. Surely, scouting departments want to see elite athleticism, but more than anything, they don’t want anyone to show up fat and out of shape.

4. The interview process is the most important part for each player, but it’s not the be-all, end-all. Teams are given a very restrictive block of time to meet with each prospect, and the truly vital, extensive interviews will take place in the next two months at team facilities and on campuses. Similar to not showing up fat and running a slow 40-yard dash, draft prospects just need to make sure they don’t fail a drug test, skip an interview or fall asleep at this thing.

5. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck reportedly won’t throw at the combine due to the request of teams that want him to wait until his pro day, but he’ll apparently do everything else. There’s nothing wrong with that. After a sterling collegiate career, Luck has very little to gain by throwing in Indy.

6. However, it’s important for Luck to be in attendance, and it’s a good marketing move for him to show up, particularly since it’s in the city where it’s presumed he’ll spend the start of his NFL career. By reporting to the combine, Luck doesn’t give off the vibe that he’s in a different class than everyone else — even though he is — and he can get a jump start on sponsorship deals. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with getting paid as early as possible.

7. I loved watching South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, and after the college season, I thought he could contend with Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon for the top receiver off the board. But if you Google, “Alshon Jeffery,” the first thing that shows up in the auto-complete field is, “fat.” So, that’s not great. This week will be very important for his draft stock. He’s still got a top-15 ceiling, but he could really bottom out with a poor run of predraft workouts.

8. I think Alabama safety Mark Barron would be an ideal fit for the Patriots, but they’d need to move up to take him. He could go as early as No. 6 to Washington, and even if that’s too high, there are 14 teams picking between Nos. 7-26 that could use an upgrade at safety. Since Barron currently looks like the only safety with first-round potential, the Patriots can probably give up on him.

9. Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer will continue to receive a lot of attention this offseason because he’s good enough to have earned a chance to start elsewhere. He’s a restricted free agent, and I’m not ruling out a sign-and-trade just yet, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’ll return to New England for one more season.

10. One other thing: His value could increase in August if a quarterback goes down in another team’s camp. Right now, before the draft, I think the Patriots would be lucky to get a second-round pick if they traded Hoyer. But if the demand goes up due to injury — and that’s inevitable, really — the Patriots could capitalize.

11. That’s not the only scenario, either. If both Hoyer and Ryan Mallett play well in the preseason and a team like the Cardinals decides to give up on Kevin Kolb, Hoyer would be on the very short list of candidates as a replacement.

12. The reason why Hoyer’s stock might not be as high now is because this is the season when scouting departments fall in love with quarterbacks. Why trade a second- or third-round pick for a backup when you could use that pick to develop your own rookie and market him as the main guy to your fan base?

13. Then again, teams will face a dilemma. Last year, it looked like quarterbacks Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick were second-round candidates with late-first-round potential. Locker (No. 8) and Ponder (No. 12) were taken surprisingly early by aggressive teams, but Dalton and Kaepernick stuck in the second round. Will that trend continue this year?

14. If so, there could be a wide range of draft potential for quarterbacks like Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill (gaining heavy first-round momentum), Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden, Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins, Arizona’s Nick Foles, Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson and Boise State’s Kellen Moore. As of right now, all of those players could do enough to work their way into the second or third round. Maybe they’ll wind up as career-long backups, but like I said earlier, this is when scouting departments fall in love with certain players for one reason or another.

15. With two picks in each of the first three rounds, the Patriots will have a chance to trade up if they want, but that’s tougher than it was in the past due to the new rookie salary structure (implemented in 2011), which makes it easier on teams at the top of the first round to swing for a home run on a pick. It will still hurt their rebuilding process if they miss in the top-10 or top-15, but it won’t crush them financially like it has in the past 10-15 years.

16. The Patriots have pick Nos. 27 and 31, so look at this as a barometer. Last year, the Falcons moved from No. 27 to No. 6 by sending five picks to the Browns — their first-rounder, second-rounder (No. 59), fourth-rounder (No. 124), and their first- and fourth-round picks in 2012. The Browns got a significant haul there, and I’m not saying the Patriots would have to equal that load to get as high as No. 6.

17. But if they’re looking to get into the top-10, it will likely require two first-round picks (either both of this year’s or a split between this year and next) and a second-rounder, if not another lower-round pick on top of it all. Obviously, I don’t think many people would expect Belichick to make such an aggressive trade in the first place, but if he’s looking to trade up in the first round, he might not get a lot higher than the late-teens.

18. One more comparison: The Browns traded the 27th pick and a third-rounder (No. 70) to the Chiefs’ 21st pick. Even that’s a pretty steep price for just six selections.

19. Basically, what I think all of this means is Jimmy Johnson‘s draft pick trade value chart could be completely outdated with the new rookie salary scale. The chart wasn’t a rule in the NFL, but head coaches, including Belichick, have noted its use as a resource in the past.

20. I don’t think it was much of a revelation that Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace would hit free agency, which was reported Tuesday. Wallace is still a restricted free agent, and if the Steelers don’t offer him a tender (to get a draft pick if another team signs him), it’d be a deplorable business decision. All this means is they won’t franchise him, which they couldn’t have done anyway due to their massive issue with the salary cap. But anyway, if the Patriots want him, they’d still likely have to fork over a first-round pick to get him. If they were planning to use a first-rounder on a receiver anyway, it might not be such a stiff investment to go after something of a more proven commodity.

Bonus nugget of the day: Wallace’s first name is Burnell, and he is officially listed as Burnell Wallace in the NFLPA’s database.

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.

When will they return? Will they have some new teammates with marquee names? Who might not be back with them? Those are just some of the questions I'll attempt to answer in this week's Two-Minute Drill.

1. I've pointed out a few times how the Patriots are in excellent position to contend for Super Bowl XLVII next year since quarterback Tom Brady looks like he's clearly still in his prime and the rest of the core of the team is young and improving. Assuming the Patriots retain wide receiver Wes Welker and don't face-plant in free agency, they'll have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL yet again.

2. But their greatest challenge won't be about talent and execution. It will be much more about preparation to avoid the Super Bowl hangover, which is a real thing. It's easy for players on any team to look back and think, "Why do I want to prepare this hard again all season when I know we're good enough to turn it on at the end?" Inevitably, that never works.

3. I think the Patriots are equipped to handle that type of adverse effect because the leadership is so strong and consistent at the top with Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. But it's a really difficult task, particularly since they'll be targeted more now that they're the reigning AFC champions. Think teams like the Texans, Ravens, Broncos and 49ers, in addition to their divisional opponents, won't try to prove something during their 2012 games against New England?

4. Obviously, wide receiver Randy Moss is back in the news. I've started to realize over the last two years that debating with people about Moss is the same as debating about politics. By now, your mind is made up, and you're unwilling to hear the other side of it.

5. In a way, I'm in the same boat. I've written about the topic enough in the last year and a half, and I don't think it makes sense for the Patriots to reunite with him. The previous link has my full opinion on the matter.

6. There are two arguments for a Moss reunion in New England. First, it's that he could return for low money or an incentive-laden contract, and if it doesn't work, cut him. The problem is Moss might only be the fourth target, and that could be generous since the 35-year-old has been out of football for a year. If he signs an incentive-laden deal and only averages three receptions per game, he'll probably get a little feisty that his contract escalators aren't going to kick in.

7. The second argument is that maybe he just wants to win a ring and would be happy with his role as the fourth option. If that's indeed the case, and he has changed into a full-tilt, team-first player, then of course you bring him into camp. But after what he pulled in 2009 and 2010, it's hard to say that he deserves the benefit of the doubt in that regard.

8. Adding to that last point, Moss could be all about his role heading into camp, but what happens if the team is putting up huge passing numbers, runs out to a 7-3 record in November and Moss isn't getting his stats? It's a risk to assume he'll stay on board. That's one thing Chad Ochocinco deserves huge credit for. Even though he didn't get his piece of the pie, he never sabotaged it for anyone else. It wasn't an easy year for him, but he was a team-first player through and through. As I wrote in Monday's column, cutting an unhappy Moss in November or December is a lot easier said than done.

9. One more thing to consider: The crop of available wide receivers was much thinner last year than it is now. The Patriots reportedly spoke to Moss after the lockout, but decided against signing him. At this point, wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Brandon Lloyd, Marques Colston and Vincent Jackson highlight an intriguing crop of free agents, and the draft class looks pretty nice, too.

10. Lloyd is a very interesting target because he excelled for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with two other teams. The problem is Lloyd recently hired agent Tom Condon, whom the Patriots have avoided like the plague. It all stems from tight end Ben Watson's rookie contract negotiations in 2004. The Patriots haven't drafted any of Condon's clients since then, and I don't believe they've signed any, either. I know for a fact none of Condon's clients are on the current roster.

11. The bottom line is Condon works for Lloyd, and if Lloyd wants to play for McDaniels in New England, he can make it happen. It just won't be easy.

12. Think about this, though. If Lloyd can be the one to get Condon and the Patriots to end this cold war, it would only serve the Patriots well. Condon is one of the NFL's most powerful agents, and he routinely represents some of the very best players in the draft. If the Patriots can land Lloyd, the acquisition could prove to be far more valuable than just addressing a position of need.

13. The schedule for team-led offseason workout programs has been restricted under the new CBA, which was a victory for the players. Now, the Patriots can start their 2012 program April 16, which is about one month later than it began in 2010.

14. Under the new rules, the first two weeks of offseason workouts are limited to strength and conditioning, and only the strength and conditioning staff is allowed on the field with the players during that time period. The next three-week phase can include all coaches, but the offense cannot line up against the defense during that time. The final block is four weeks of OTAs and a minicamp, which are conducted like a normal run of practices. There are only 10 OTAs this year compared to the 12 that have been permitted in the past. With all of this, the Patriots will still finish minicamp by mid-to-late June before breaking for six or seven weeks to get ready for training camp, and that's been the typical schedule in recent years.

15. The Patriots will also likely host a three-day rookie camp the first weekend of May. And the Patriots can begin their training camp no earlier than 15 days prior to their preseason opener. Once the preseason schedule is announced, training camp and other dates will soon fall into place.

16. In a completely random note, I thought it was interesting that the Super Bowl had so many odd scores — 2-0, 17-12, 17-15 — but finished in a 21-17 outcome, which is the 15th most common final score in NFL history (out of 996 different final scores). Ninety-six games have ended 21-17. The most common final score has been 20-17, which has happened 239 times.

17. Check out this 21-minute NESN Daily interview with Patriots running back Kevin Faulk, who weighed in on his NFL future, among other things. There were a lot of great elements to the interview, but two stuck out in particular. First, he said he reinjured his knee during his first game back in Pittsburgh, and he also noted that he went back to his hotel room and cried when he found out he wouldn't play in Super Bowl XLVI. There's some real emotion in the video, so check it out.

18. BenJarvus Green-Ellis' agent, Joel Segal, told Pro Football Talk they've had contract discussions with the Patriots, which makes sense. The Patriots can negotiate exclusively with the unrestricted free agent until March 13, and they'd obviously like to have the reliable back return to the mix. I just don't know how much the Patriots would be willing to spend on Green-Ellis after using second- and third-round picks on backs in last year's draft. Therefore, I'd be mildly surprised if he signed anything before testing the open market. And if another team bowls him over, I think the Patriots would shake his hand, congratulate him because they know he deserves it and move on with the younger duo of Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.

19. On Tuesday, I ran the Patriots' 10 best plays of 2011, but some great ones missed the cut. In no particular order, they included Rob Gronkowski's record-setting 14th touchdown on a lateral; his celebratory spike that traveled 35 yards; his record-setting catch from Brian Hoyer on the last meaningful snap of the regular season; Deion Branch's touchdown and Fireman Ed celebration against the Jets; Green-Ellis' 10-carry, 59-yard drive to close out the Jets; Marcus Cannon's NFL debut against the Chiefs; Kyle Arrington's league-leading sixth interception, which included two nasty blocks from Kyle Love and Rob Ninkovich; Brady's sixth touchdown pass against the Broncos that went to a high-stepping Aaron Hernandez; Brandon Spikes' one-handed interception against the Ravens; Brady's leaping, game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-goal against the Ravens; and Mark Anderson's momentum-turning strip-sack on Tim Tebow in Week 15.

20. The plays that didn't make the 10-worst list included Andre Carter's torn quadriceps; Brady's fourth-quarter heave to Matthew Slater that was intercepted by Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith; Hernandez's end-zone drop that was picked off by Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie before halftime; and Pierre Garcon's pair of fourth-quarter touchdown receptions to help the winless Colts nearly erase a 31-3 deficit at Gillette Stadium.

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.

This Two-Minute Drill will tackle each aspect, looking back at Super Bowl XLVI and also taking a brief glance at some early objectives for Bill Belichick and company.

1. I've never seen so much raw anticipation, emotion and energy in one building as there was during the Super Bowl, particularly during the minute or so before the opening kickoff. It was wild as the players jumped around on the field and the fans fed off it. Truly, it was one of the most uniquely amazing experiences of my life.

2. On the whole, the whole Super Bowl week was a great time. It was my first one, so I tried to soak up the atmosphere from Monday to Monday. Aside from covering the teams, both of which were bubbling with excitement all week, it was cool to check out Radio Row and then take in the atmosphere around the city.

3. At any point, you could look up and realize you're crossing the street with a Hall of Famer or you're eating dinner a table away from a random Hollywood celebrity. More than anything, I'm just pointing this out because it shows the magnitude of the event, which draws so many people to one relatively condensed area for a full week.

4. Without a doubt, the craziest thing I saw all week, aside from this hilariously over-served middle-aged guy on his self-created dance floor, was when Curt Schilling met Ice Cube. I mean, who knew?

5. I'll be writing about it in the next day or so, but I've come up with a way the Patriots and Boston can host a Super Bowl in the future. After seeing the way these things are run, I'm confident the Patriots could devise a plan to do it right in this area unless, of course, there's a weather-related disaster in two years in New York that turns everyone off from the idea of hosting the Super Bowl in the northeast again.

6. And finally, before switching focus to actual football, I'd be remiss if I didn't join the chorus on how spectacular of a job Indianapolis did last week. Everything was run so smoothly, and the city truly embraced the entire event. Lucas Oil Stadium did a great job with everything, too. It might not be in the very near future, but Indy will definitely be hosting another Super Bowl down the road. They deserve it.

7. The Patriots were literally inches shy of pulling off the greatest play in the history of sports. Really, would there be anything better than a Hail Mary to win the Super Bowl?

8. Bill Belichick probably couldn't stand the notion of having to tell running back Kevin Faulk he wouldn't dress for the Super Bowl, but this wasn't completely unique. Wide receiver Troy Brown was inactive for Super Bowl XLII, and Anthony Pleasant — who was considered the godfather of the Patriots' defensive line early in the decade — was inactive for Super Bowl XXXVIII. Each respective game was the final of the players' careers. Faulk still hasn't decided whether or not he'll retire.

9. It makes it tougher to see Faulk inactive when his replacement, Stevan Ridley, didn't even get on the field, but I'm guessing Ridley was there as a change of pace in case BenJarvus Green-Ellis struggled. Obviously, that never happened, but if the Patriots needed more burst from their running back, Ridley could have provided that.

10. Sticking with that position, I was starting to wonder about Danny Woodhead's future with the team due to a step back in production from a stellar 2010 season. And then Woodhead was terrific in the Super Bowl with 60 yards from scrimmage (his most since the regular-season opener in Miami) and a touchdown. His four receptions and 42 yards were each season highs, too. I think that pretty much cemented the fact that he's still got good value to the team.

11. Belichick didn't exactly win any public-relations battles by cutting wide receiver Tiquan Underwood the night before the Super Bowl, but it still sounds like it was purely a football decision and nothing disciplinary. Again, it didn't help the matter when his roster replacement, defensive end Alex Silvestro, didn't play, but Belichick had some type of concern about the depth along the defensive line.

12. Linebacker Brandon Spikes played like a budding superstar in the playoffs. He's got a really bright future. It's gotten to the point where it's surprising if he hits the wrong gap or gets beat by a block on a running play to his side.

13. Quarterback Tom Brady made two poor decisions in the Super Bowl by holding the ball too long and then grounding it in the end zone, and then by tossing up a jump ball to Rob Gronkowski, which was thrown about 15 yards shorter than it needed to be. But if there's one throw I'm sure Brady would like to have back, it was on that crossing pattern to Deion Branch on the opening play of the Patriots' final possession. If Brady led Branch a little more — instead of throwing it over the linebacker, who tipped the ball and clogged Branch's vision — Branch might have been a broken tackle away from getting the ball into field-goal range.

14. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw took a little heat for scoring the game-winning touchdown rather than downing the ball before the goal line, but you can't consciously refuse to take the lead in the final minute of the Super Bowl. How dumb would he have looked if Lawrence Tynes shanked his field goal or gotten it blocked?

15. But really, for those who found fault in Bradshaw's decision to score, the criticism truly belongs on Tom Coughlin's shoulders. If Coughlin wanted to run out the clock, he could have ordered Eli Manning to take a couple knees. Instead, he called a play, which serves as an order to score. Coughlin wasn't calling that run with the strategy of shrinking Tynes' potential attempt from 24 yards to 19 yards, that's for sure.

16. The Patriots' 12-men-on-the-field penalty was on the coaching staff more than cornerback Antwaun Molden, who ran onto the field late and couldn't figure out where to line up (because the other 11 players were in position, of course). But even the linebackers had trouble figuring out where Molden belonged, and there was so much confusion before the snap that someone should have called a timeout. The Patriots' coaching staff commonly calls timeouts in those situations, too.

17. If the Patriots won, Brady's drive before halftime, in which he completed all 10 pass attempts for 98 yards and gave them a 10-9 lead, would have gone down as one of the greatest drives of his career and one of the great drives in Super Bowl history.

18. Belichick needs to make two key decisions before compiling a list of offseason targets, both in free agency and the draft. First, Belichick has to decide if he's going to employ a 4-3 or 3-4 base defense, which will help him decide whether or not to retain Andre Carter. Also, he's got to figure out if Devin McCourty's future is at cornerback or safety. The Patriots really need a playmaker in the secondary, and McCourty showed an elite ability to make plays as a rookie. It's now up to the coaching staff to determine where McCourty can excel in that department going forward.

19. I'm not sure if it's something the fan base really cares about — in any sport with any team — but Vince Wilfork has developed a less-than-ideal trend of not speaking to the media after losses, which was the case again Sunday. It's just one of those things captains are supposed to do.

20. There isn't a realistic scenario I can envision that involves wide receiver Wes Welker leaving the Patriots. Whether he's franchise tagged, immediately signs a long-term contract extension or gets tagged before signing, Welker will remain in New England. He doesn't want to sign elsewhere, and there's just no way Brady will let Welker leave the team. There's too much interest from each party to let this situation go south.

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.

Let's run through the final Two-Minute Drill of the season, but fear not, it will remain a regular staple through the offseason, too.

1. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick opened the week with a funny news conference Sunday, and he's been both humorous and informative at each of his media sessions since arriving in Indianapolis. He's been better than usual this week, but I've always said, if he is asked a good question, he'll almost always give a good response. Belichick takes flak from the national perspective because he can be dry and doesn't reveal anything about injuries or the game plan, but it's impossible for anyone to criticize him this week. He's been on point in front of the greatest media presence of the year.

2. I'll be writing about former Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich this weekend, but I wanted to pass along this note now because I thought it was really amazing. Herzlich, a cancer survivor who is now with the Giants, was standing in the end zone Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, right where he ran his 40-yard dash at the combine last year. That's when scouts saw a guy they didn't think was worth drafting. But you know what? Doctors once told him he'd never walk again, either, so I think it's about time for people to stop doubting him.

3. Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater and his father, Hall of Famer Jackie Slater, will be the 14th father-son combination to play in the Super Bowl. Coincidentally, they each did it in their fourth year in the league, and it's something they aren't taking lightly.

"It's a tremendous blessing and honor," Matthew Slater said. "I know how much playing in this game meant to my father, and I know how much not winning this game meant to my father. This whole NFL experience has been an honor because as a young man, I looked up to my father so much and I wanted to be like him. So to be able to follow in his footsteps, it meant the world to me. Now, to be able to be at the ultimate stage to follow in his footsteps, you can't really put it into words. It's a special bond and experience that him and I will share for the rest of our lives."

4. I saw a replay of Super Bowl XXXVI the other night, and I almost forgot how physical the Patriots were on defense in that game. Everyone points to the game plan to stop running back Marshall Faulk, but it was everywhere. They were just lighting Rams up all night. Speaking of which, I ran into Kurt Warner and got his thoughts on the subject. You'll want to read these.

5. Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul, a strong candidate for the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award, was confident in his front-four's ability to harass quarterback Tom Brady.

"I feel like we're the only team that really puts pressure on them," Pierre-Paul said. "We've just got to go out there and give it to them again, even at a higher notch."

6. Tight end Rob Gronkowski jokingly walked out of Thursday's media session — the final one of the week for the players — with an exaggerated limp. Even though he's gotten annoyed by the questions about his ankle, he's still able to have some fun with it.

7. The city of Indianapolis has really embraced the Super Bowl, which makes the week that much more awesome. The people have been so nice and welcoming, and the city has decorated a lot of the buildings in anticipation of the event. Plus, the proximity of everything makes it very navigable. They'll have another Super Bowl here, no doubt.

8. Maybe the line of the week: When I asked Deion Branch about Chris Canty's parade proclamation, Branch responded, "Anybody can throw a parade. I can throw a parade if I want to."

9. Last week, safety James Ihedigbo was taking suggestions for his televised starting lineup introduction for the Super Bowl, but he said Wednesday that NBC never asked him to re-film his intro. Unless that changes, the shout-out to "ZooMass" will be seen and heard worldwide.

10. By the way, the team hotels for the Patriots and Giants are about a mile from one another, but Ihedigbo said he has zero plans of trying to catch up with close friend and former UMass teammate Victor Cruz this week. Actually, by Ihedigbo's response to the inquiry, you'd think he had never even heard of Cruz.

11. I think Brady will be the difference in this game. The teams are evenly matched, but only one of them has Brady, so I'm taking the Patriots, 27-24.

12. Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has been forced to face the media this week for the first time since training camp, aside from a few one-on-one interviews he granted during the regular season. Ochocinco has faced a number of pointed questions about his poor performance on the field and his unwillingness to speak to reporters all season, and he's appeared to be mildly irritated by them. But he deserves to hear the questions. He could have answered them at any point this season and deflected them with team-first, company lines. It just comes with the territory when a well-known, highly paid player refuses to talk.

13. Ochocinco was asked directly Wednesday why he didn't speak to the media this season. He simply responded, "I don't know."

14. He did have one noteworthy analogy, though. He compared getting traded from the Bengals to the Patriots to, "It's like going from Scarlett Johansson to Charlize Theron. I mean, they both look good."

15. Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht (pronounced "Light") was one of the final two candidates for the Bears' general manager position last week, but didn't get the job. It's a good break for the Pats, even if it's a rough draw for Licht, whose day-to-day activities involve evaluating NFL players who are free agents or could become free agents. He also evaluates their progression from year to year. For instance, the Patriots were really into wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was drafted by the Ravens last year. Due to that, I'd guess Licht would evaluate Smith to see how he has progressed on a year-to-year basis and see how he stacks up to the Patriots' initial impressions of him.

16. Another one could be Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara, who told me Wednesday he visited Gillette Stadium for a pre-draft workout last year. When the Patriots were on the clock at No. 17 and Amukamara was available, I thought he was a legitimate option, but tackle Nate Solder has been a very good choice. Anyway, Amukamara didn't think the Patriots would take him with that pick because they selected cornerback Devin McCourty a year earlier, and Amukamara thought it would send a poor message to him.

"They definitely flew me out for a visit," Amukamara said about the Patriots. "I think I had a great visit, met with [cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer]. But they drafted a corner last year, so I didn't really think they'd [draft] two corners in a row. Because if they did, I think they'd be sending McCourty a message. The Patriots have a great organization. Bob Kraft is an amazing man. I'm just glad I'm here today so we get to play them."

17. One of Licht's bosses, director of player personnel Nick Caserio, had some good things to say about him Tuesday.

"He's got a great feel and a great knowledge and understanding of the league, understanding of players. He works well with our staff," Caserio said. "Jason is well-respected in the league. He's got a lot of experience. I think a lot of people that have worked with him have a lot of positive things to say. We're glad we have him. There's no question about it."

18. The players for both teams loved seeing Ciara at media day. The Giants flocked to her like crazy. Then, when I asked a number of Patriots on Wednesday about the best celebrity sighting of the week, I think all but one said Ciara. Maybe it was just a slow start to the week.

19. I ran into Devin McCourty's twin brother, Jason, on Wednesday, and I can definitely confirm that they look alike. But weirdly enough, I would definitely be able to tell the two apart.

20. I don't know what it is, but I think I've run into former Titans running back Eddie George about 100 times this week. He's everywhere. Just thought I'd share. I mean, there are plenty of more interesting celebrities and former players (no offense to him) in Indianapolis this week, but I can't turn a corner without seeing the guy. I think it's funny, but I'm also sleep deprived.

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.

Of course, it extended the Patriots' season by two weeks, and they're preparing to head to Indianapolis to take on the Giants. Let's get to it in this week's Two-Minute Drill.

1. Peyton Manning's rough year is about to get worse with the Super Bowl in his home stadium. Either his greatest rival, Tom Brady, is about to win his fourth Super Bowl, or his little brother, Eli, is about to pass him in Super Bowl titles with two. And again, one of these outcomes will happen right under his nose.

2. I certainly don't expect Brady to have two straight poor performances, and I'll go out on a limb and guess I'm not alone with that thought, which obviously bodes well for the Patriots' chances in the Super Bowl. The stats back it up, too. Brady has never thrown multiple interceptions twice in the same postseason, and he's also never done it in back-to-back playoff games. History has been kind to Brady, and it's on his side here.

3. Taking it a step further, Brady has only thrown multiple picks in consecutive games on three occasions in the regular season. He did it in three straight games in 2002 (all losses), two straight in 2003 (both wins) and two straight in 2009 (both losses).

4. I'd give a lot of credit for Brady's struggles to Baltimore's defense, but his three egregious mistakes were on him. Brady flat-out missed a wide-open Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown in the right seam in the first quarter, and that's a throw that Brady has made, what, 50 times this season at various spots on the field? Then, Brady's two interceptions were mental mistakes, and those don't come around very often for him.

5. Brady's first pick came on the third drive of the opening quarter. He could have hit Wes Welker for about five yards on a hitch route in the right slot, but Brady chose to head toward Julian Edelman, who was split to the right of Welker and ran something of a fade pattern. Edelman and cornerback Lardarius Webb had a lot of contact, and it definitely came as late as 10-12 yards down the field, so I wonder if Brady threw the pass expecting a flag for holding or pass interference. But otherwise, it was underthrown, and safety Bernard Pollard was hovering over the top of the play.

6. At worst, Brady made a poor decision to throw into double coverage. At best, Brady expected a flag, but it's risky to throw a pass in the situation of the AFC Championship when you're hoping for the outcome to be a flag. And credit Webb for making a great play on the leaping interception, too.

7. Brady's second interception was an extremely unnecessary gamble on a deep ball to Matthew Slater, who hadn't caught a pass since Week 1. Slater, who is unquestionably the fastest player on the roster, had no chance to race by Pollard, who shaded him over the top. Pollard then batted the pass down to cornerback Jimmy Smith, who did get beat by Slater on the play.

8. Anyway, Brady could have gained about five to eight yards by dumping it to Welker on an out route, or he could have hit Gronkowski for a bare minimum of a 20-yard gain down the right sideline. Brady had plenty of time to throw because the Ravens ineffectively rushed three linemen, and Gronkowski got behind the defense on a crossing pattern. Gronkowski was open at the 30-yard line, but if Brady put some air under the ball, he might have been able to hit Gronkowski for a 30-yard gain. It would have been a difficult throw, but at least there was an opening in that direction.

9. The overall point is Brady just made a couple of bad decisions, and he had other options on each of his interceptions. He makes very, very few poor choices, and that's the type of stuff that is easily correctable, especially for a guy who is as mentally strong as him. It's not like he was short-arming passes or hesitant to trust his receivers, which would be a larger issue. With all that said, that's why I think Brady should bounce back just fine in the Super Bowl.

10. I think it's really cool that the Patriots' "MHK" patch takes precedent over the Super Bowl logo, which is traditionally on the left side of players' jerseys. The symbol of dedication has meant a lot to the organization, and it's nice to see the league recognize that.

11. There are only seven Patriots on the active roster who were with the team in 2007, when they last met the Giants in the Super Bowl: Brady, running back Kevin Faulk, left tackle Matt Light, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, left guard Logan Mankins, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and wide receiver Wes Welker.

12. The rematch from Week 9 will also have a very different feel. The Patriots' seven inactive players in that game were defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, wide receiver Taylor Price, linebacker Dane Fletcher, running back Kevin Faulk, defensive end Shaun Ellis, offensive lineman Donald Thomas and quarterback Ryan Mallett. It seems like an eternity ago when Price was still on the team.

13. Take it a few steps further, and that was linebacker Jerod Mayo's second game back from his knee injury. It was also his first full game, as he was on a pitch count the week before in Pittsburgh. And even in Week 9, Mayo was nowhere close to full strength. That was also the game when both linebacker Brandon Spikes (third quarter) and safety Patrick Chung (fourth quarter) got hurt.

14. The Giants weren't close to full strength, either. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and center David Baas were all inactive for that game. If you hear people say the Giants have the advantage in the Super Bowl because they won the first meeting without Bradshaw, Nicks and Baas, well, there's nothing wrong with that opinion, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The Giants' inactive list was certainly filled with more prominent names that week, but the injury situations were basically a wash in the fourth quarter, when there were four lead changes in the game.

15. Remember, Spikes was replaced by Tracy White, who was solely a special teamer prior to that game. In the first quarter, Spikes laid a ferocious hit on Giants tight end Jake Ballard, who made two key catches over the middle of the field during the final drive when White was in there. Would Spikes' presence have been the difference in that last drive, or would he at least cause Ballard to look over his shoulder a little more? I hate bringing up "ifs" when it relates to injuries, but Spikes was playing a really solid game prior to getting hurt.

16. Don't forget about one of the other tremendous storylines from that game. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was as erratic as he could be, mixing in a couple dominant reps with a handful of horrid ones. On his last snap with the Patriots, he was blown out of his gap and allowed Brandon Jacobs to run free for a 10-yard touchdown. Haynesworth was benched and then released two days later.

17. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, cornerback Sterling Moore is going to go down as one of the major contributors after swatting the ball out of wide receiver Lee Evans' hands in the final seconds Sunday. And if Moore does something big in Indy, he could reach cult hero status. And to think, just three months ago, he couldn't find his way down Route 1 or comprehend the the high number of Dunkin Donuts he found in the area. He has come a long way, for sure.

By the way, Moore attended last year's Super Bowl as a fan when one of his teammates at SMU gave him an extra ticket sort of at the last minute.

18. Good quote from wide receiver Matthew Slater on Tuesday. Slater was discussing Brady's importance to the team and finished it by saying, "I'm glad the guy is on my team," Slater said before stopping and emphasizing, "or I'm on his team. It's his team."

19. The Patriots held Ravens running back Ray Rice to 67 yards on 21 carries and, more impressively, 11 yards on just one reception. His 78 yards from scrimmage were his second lowest total all season (63 yards in Week 7 against Jacksonville), and Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love had a telling quote after the game.

"We went into the game with the mind-set of stopping [No.] 27," Love said. "If he couldn't run the ball, they couldn't beat us. That was the whole mind-set of this game."

20. At the very least, the Bengals should send the Patriots a postcard from Hawaii. The Patriots' eight Pro Bowlers had to be replaced because they're going to the Super Bowl, and three Bengals got the nod in their absence. Quarterback Andy Dalton replaced Brady, tight end Jermaine Gresham replaced Gronkowski and defensive tackle Geno Atkins replaced Wilfork. Aside from the free vacation, the Pro Bowlers will get $50,000 if they win the game and $25,000 if they lose.

Bonus: After re-reading my live blog of the Patriots' loss to the Giants in Week 9, I realized there was a lot of interesting stuff that happened in that game that I hadn't already mentioned above, so I wanted to bring it up since, if you're a Patriots fan, you're probably sick of hearing about the Super Bowl being a rematch of another game.

Price was added to the injury report the day before due to a hamstring injury, which essentially proved to be the final straw for him in New England.

A week earlier, wide receiver Julian Edelman was a healthy scratch against the Steelers and then got arrested on Halloween. Edelman fumbled a punt in the game, causing speculation that he might be done with the team. Since, he's emerged as one of the Patriots' most steady tacklers on defense. Who knew?

I spotted a guy in the crowd with a Brady Michigan jersey, but it had the No. 12 on it, which is really a shame.

Defensive end Brandon Deaderick started to hit his stride and take over for Shaun Ellis.

Safety Josh Barrett injured his calf late in the game and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.

The Patriots' defense played a lot more man coverage, and they did it well.

Light and Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora got into it. They really dislike each other. It'll happen again in the Super Bowl.

Gostkowski missed a 27-yard field goal at the end of a scoreless half. It was the 49th attempt from 20-29 yards in his career, and just the fourth miss.

Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was lauded for playing his best game as a Patriot even though he didn't catch a pass on five balls thrown his way.

Brady was bad. He had three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) and missed on some open throws.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez scored a touchdown on his 22nd birthday.

Cornerback Kyle Arrington did a great job to intercept Eli Manning in the end zone.

Later in the game, Arrington and safety Sergio Brown were each called for egregious pass interference penalties that helped the Giants score two touchdowns in the final three minutes.

The Patriots fell to 5-3 and into a first-place tie with the Jets and Bills. Remember when the Bills were 5-3?

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.

With so much happening around Gillette Stadium, let's just get right to it with this week's Two-Minute Drill.

1. It's true, to an extent, when the Patriots say they're a different team this year from last year's group. But it's the rock-solid truth when comparing this team to the 2009 version. Consider this: There are only 19 players who are on the active roster right now and were also on the active roster during the 2009 postseason. Just 35.8 percent of the roster remains intact from that 2009 loss to the Ravens.

2. Those 19 players are cornerback Kyle Arrington, defensive lineman Ron Brace, quarterback Tom Brady, safety Patrick Chung, offensive lineman Dan Connolly, wide receiver Julian Edelman, running back Kevin Faulk, kicker Stephen Gostkowski, running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, linebacker Gary Guyton, quarterback Brian Hoyer, left tackle Matt Light, left guard Logan Mankins, linebacker Jerod Mayo, linebacker Rob Ninkovich, wide receiver Matthew Slater, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, offensive lineman Ryan Wendell and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.

3. Plus, you could run through the list and detail the ways a majority of those players' roles have changed over the last two years. Even look at Brady, who was a shell of himself that season after coming back from the knee injury.

4. So, while a lot is made of how wide receiver Wes Welker and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez will help the Patriots' offense this time around, remember the differences between the 2009 and 2011 teams aren't even close to restricted to just three players.

5. Obviously, the Patriots' defense will put a huge point of emphasis on stopping Ravens running back Ray Rice, who had 1,364 rushing yards and 2,068 yards from scrimmage during the regular season. He was easily the Ravens' leader with 76 receptions — 19 more than wide receiver Anquan Boldin — and he's just about the only pass catcher who makes quarterback Joe Flacco look comfortable.

6. In the regular season, Rice caught 76 of 104 passes (73.1 percent) thrown his way, which is a superior percentage to the other three Ravens who caught at least 50 passes in 2011. Tight end Ed Dickson caught 54 of 89 passes (60.7 percent). Boldin caught 57 of 105 passes (54.3 percent). And wide receiver Torry Smith caught 50 of 95 passes (52.6 percent).

7. This speaks to Flacco's inefficiency as a passer, which is his own doing and the work of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who doesn't exactly put Flacco and the receivers in the best position to succeed.

8. Let's compare those numbers to the Patriots' receivers. Welker caught 122 of 172 passes (70.9 percent). Gronkowski caught 90 of 124 passes (72.6 percent). Hernandez caught 79 of 113 passes (69.9 percent). And wide receiver Deion Branch caught 51 of 90 passes (56.7 percent).

9. Now, let's get back to the importance of stopping Rice on the ground. Can the Patriots do it? Over the last five games, including Saturday's victory against the Broncos, the Patriots have allowed an average of 158.3 rushing yards. To add some context to that number, the Buccaneers had the worst run defense in this NFL this season, allowing 156.1 yards per game.

10. That average includes that abysmal Week 15 performance against the Broncos. Even if you want to chalk that up as an aberration, which is fair to an extent, and ignore that game, the Patriots have allowed an average of 135.3 rushing yards per game since Week 14. (That average includes Week 14 against Washington, Week 16 against Miami, Week 17 against Buffalo and Saturday against Denver.) That average would rank as the seventh-worst rush defense in the NFL this season.

11. It's tough to tell right now whether or not the Patriots' strong defensive performance against the Broncos will carry over this week. Denver's offense is so different that the successful game plan could have been a one-time thing. But if the defensive linemen keep one-gapping and the outside linebackers are asked to continue bringing pressure from both sides, well, they'll certainly be happy to take on those assignments.

12. Gap control is always crucial to stopping the run, evidenced by Wilfork getting blown off his block during Rice's game-opening, 83-yard touchdown run in the 2009 playoffs. Wilfork and defensive tackle Kyle Love will need to be stout again, but you can bet the Ravens will attack guys like Brandon Deaderick, Shaun Ellis and Mark Anderson. It will be important for linebackers Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo to give the linemen some help to prevent long gains.

13. Rice is good friends with fellow Rutgers alum Devin McCourty. Last week, I asked McCourty about his favorite memories while watching the playoffs before he got to the NFL, and he mentioned watching his former Rutgers teammates succeed in the postseason. And yes, he was watching Rice do work on the Patriots in 2009. It's always strange how these things work out.

14. Interesting quote Monday from Welker: "Definitely after the '07 year, I thought we'd be going to the Super Bowl every year, and that's just not the way it works. It's hard to get to a position like this. You definitely have to take full advantage of it and not take it for granted and I'm definitely not going to do that."

15. The factor of playoff experience is so overblown with this Patriots team. Sure, it's great to have guys like Brady, Faulk and Light who all have three Super Bowl rings. But until Saturday, they only had eight players on the active roster who won a playoff game in New England (Brady, Faulk, Light, Branch, Wilfork, Mankins, Gostkowski and Welker).

16. Amazingly, Patriots right guard Brian Waters, who has been in the NFL since 1999, had never won a playoff game in his career until Saturday.

"It's a great feeling, but it's one of those things where we know this is just the beginning," Waters said Saturday night. "I can be happier, and hopefully next week I will be happier. But I am excited about the possibilities of helping this football team."

17. I wrote a story Sunday about the way the Patriots have been inspired by the memory of Myra Kraft, the late wife of owner Robert Kraft. Initially, I didn't have the name of the painter, Brian Fox, but I got a ton of emails and tweets from people mentioning Fox's name. I've got to say, he's got a heck of a following.

18. The Ravens have an attack-style defense that thrives off dictating the pace of the game, but the same is said for the Patriots' offense. For Brady and the offense to succeed, they'll need to control the tempo, come out fast in the no-huddle and go, go, go. That's the best way to counter Baltimore's ferocious defense.

19. With the Saints' playoff loss, the Patriots know they'll have the 27th overall pick in April's draft. So, the Patriots, in a way, moved up a spot. They traded the 28th pick in last year's draft, which the Saints used on running back Mark Ingram, for the 56th pick (running back Shane Vereen) and this year's first-rounder. The Patriots' own pick will be between Nos. 29-32.

20. Brady has 15 playoff victories as a starting quarterback, setting a record for the most wins by a quarterback with one team. With a victory Sunday against the Ravens, Brady would tie two postseason records. He'd match Joe Montana with a 16th playoff win, and soon after, he would tie John Elway with five starts in a Super Bowl.

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.

Here are this week's 20 thoughts.

1. There will be a lot of attention this week on the adjustments made by the Patriots' defense over the course of their Week 15 victory against the Broncos. On the surface, the personnel grouping up front changed when Mark Anderson replaced an injured Andre Carter at the start of the second quarter, which I detailed after that game. But that was hardly the key.

2. For starters, the Patriots went into the game with a two-gap approach up front — letting the defensive lineman squarely engage an offensive lineman in order to either work off to either gap, or create enough space for the linebacker to penetrate the gap to get to the ball carrier. That didn't work. At all.

3. The Broncos did a great job to counter New England's approach. On nearly every big running play, they double-teamed the defensive lineman in the direction of the run, which opened the hole at the line. And the linebackers, on the whole, did a poor job in pursuit. It didn't help that the defensive lineman were blown out of their gaps on a lot of big plays, too, and none of them were innocent of that charge, either. It was a widespread problem.

4. The Broncos also did a very good job of double teaming either Vince Wilfork or Kyle Love, which allowed them to attack lesser run stuffers like Brandon Deaderick, Rob Ninkovich, Ron Brace and Shaun Ellis, who all had a tough time in the first half. For whatever reason, the double team was very effective at sealing the gap for the Broncos.

5. Lastly, the Broncos were excellent when they pulled an offensive lineman (when, for instance, a left guard pulls to the right side of the line to clear a gap for the runner). They were so good in that respect that the lineman was often able to break through the defensive line to put a hit on the linebacker to clear space all the way into the second level.

6. From there, it's on the safeties to clean up the mess, which can be a tough task. In general, when a running back has a full head of steam into the third level of the defense, the safeties really have to do a solid job of taking the proper angle and wrapping up the ball carrier. Tackling was a pretty big issue throughout the first half for New England.

7. Now, onto the adjustments. There were some changes in the second quarter, but the real overhaul happened in the third quarter, when the Patriots switched to more of a one-gap look, which means they (more often than not) lined up between the shoulders of two offensive linemen and were responsible for slicing through that gap.

8. It mostly affected the defensive tackles (Wilfork, Love and Warren), who spread out into the A-gaps (between the center and the guard). In the first half, either Wilfork or Love would line up over the top of the center, but in the second half, they split the gaps to give them a better chance against Denver's double teams. It also helped them in their pursuit of the offensive backfield.

9. Keep in mind, though, this tactic was used at the same time as the Patriots' offense was rounding into shape, which took away from the Broncos' offensive balance. Therefore, I wonder how effective it will be if the Patriots employ the one-gap strategy at the start of Saturday's game. Can it be just as effective against Denver's balanced offense?

10. Two of the Patriots' best tacklers will play Saturday, too. Linebacker Brandon Spikes and safety Patrick Chung missed the first meeting of the season. And remember, the angles and the pursuit weren't very good from the linebackers and safeties in the first half of the Week 15 game. I'd expect it to be better this week with the upgrade in personnel.

11. The Patriots have mentioned that they weren't ready for how the Broncos would attack them in Week 15. They also didn't realize how fast Tebow is in person, as his speed doesn't show as well on film. And finally, I'm not sure they knew how hard running back Lance Ball hit the holes. One player compared that aspect of his game to Browns running back Peyton Hillis. With this first-hand knowledge, the Patriots expect to start better defensively Saturday.

12. It's worth noting that Julian Edelman gave the Patriots the best look at Tebow on the scout team in Week 15, and he was one of their practice players of the week as a result. If the Patriots win Saturday, that will be something to monitor next week.

13. You know what slipped my mind? The Broncos drafted wide receiver Demaryius Thomas with the 22nd pick in the 2010 draft, and that pick came from the Patriots, who landed the 24th pick and the fourth-rounder that was used on tight end Aaron Hernandez. The 24th pick was then shipped to the Cowboys, who selected wide receiver Dez Bryant. I'm not second-guessing the Patriots on this one because they came away with Hernandez and cornerback Devin McCourty with the combination of trades. I'm just bringing it up because I always remember Bryant and never remember Thomas, probably because Thomas wasn't very good until a month ago.

14. All the hoopla Sunday about the first ever overtime under the new rules was fun for a few minutes. But Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo can thank his former Tennessee roommate for sending it to overtime, as Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers sacked Ben Roethlisberger to wipe out the Steelers' chance at a game-winning score.

15. Does Broncos head coach John Fox ever think about Super Bowl XXXVIII, when his Panthers lost to the Patriots?

"Oh lord, I'll never forget it," Fox said. "I don't say that I dwell on it, but it's the only one that I've been in as a head coach. Those things are no fun losing."

16. To state the obvious, Deaderick was happy about his alma mater's national championship Monday night.

"It's good," Deaderick said Tuesday. "I'm happy for them and everything, but I've got to focus on what we've got to do this week. It's a great win for Alabama."

17. It's been a strange stretch for Brace, whose biggest play this season came when he forced Ball to fumble in Denver. But he was a healthy scratch for the final two games of the regular season, even though he was one of the practice players of the week for his work during their preparation for the Dolphins.

"I'm just doing what I have to do, whatever they ask me to do to help the team out, I'm doing," Brace said. "Can't sit around complaining about stuff I've got no control over. Just working on what I can do and try to put my best foot forward. Every day at practice, just try to get myself better at something. It may not be big or it could be little, but I'm just trying to get better at something."

18. I think the short week really benefits the Patriots in this case. The Broncos had the later game Sunday, and it was a physical one against Pittsburgh. And trust me, the short turnarounds, which the Broncos had due to the upcoming Saturday game, really do affect the players. Obviously, the Patriots had the luxury of the bye week and a chance to get a slight jump on Denver, though that might be something of a wash since they just played last month. But anyway, with the grind of the travel and the short week, the Broncos will have a slight disadvantage.

19. Remember when quarterback Tom Brady ran three consecutive sneaks in the fourth quarter down near the goal line against the Broncos? If the Patriots are in that situation this week, I'm curious if the addition of fullback Lousaka Polite helps the Patriots change that approach this week. The Broncos were winning the battles at the line of scrimmage, which I believed was the reason for Brady's sneaks. Polite, who helped BenJarvus Green-Ellis score his 10th touchdown of the season in Week 17, could pay tangible dividends in Saturday's rematch.

20. Every playoff game gives Brady a chance to set himself apart on a historical perspective. Brady, who is 14-5 in the postseason, has a chance to get his 15th victory this week, which would be the most by any quarterback with one team in NFL history. First-ballot Hall of Famers Joe Montana (14-5 with the 49ers), Terry Bradshaw (14-5 with the Steelers) and John Elway (14-8 with the Broncos) are tied with Brady.

Also, Montana (2-2 with the Chiefs) has the record for the most overall playoff wins by a quarterback with 16. Brady, Bradshaw and Elway are all tied for second.

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.

Let's roll through 20 nuggets in this week's Two-Minute Drill. 

1. I wanted to start off by pointing out the Wes Welker feature that was posted Tuesday, which I spent about a month working on. First of all, thank you for all of the feedback. Second, I wanted to run through a few things that were left on the cutting room floor and couldn't get into the story.

2. The absolute best quote that I didn't use came from former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach. No introduction will do it justice, so here it is.

"Ask him how he dances. He dances kind of like Elaine on Seinfeld," Leach said. "Despite the fact that he dances like Elaine on Seinfeld, he's still 'The Natural.' At some point, everybody is going to be dancing like that, I'd suspect. He may just be ahead of the others instead of behind."

3. Interestingly, both Leach and Rod Warner (Welker's head coach at Heritage Hall High School) said Welker's football success had a ton to do with his soccer skills. More than anything, they said Welker's field vision benefited from his soccer background, and they believed he was able to see how he'd get from one point on the field to the next by envisioning how the defense would break down.

4. One other great story: Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare was injured in 2004, and Welker beat out quarterback Sage Rosenfels for the emergency kicker role. So, Welker kicked off in a game against the Patriots and then ran down the field to make the tackle, too.

"I asked him about the tackle on the kickoff," recalled Leach, who said his book, "Swing Your Sword," also has some memories about Welker. "He said, 'Well, most of the time around here, I'm on the kickoff team, but I'm one of the guys that ran down [in coverage]. So after I kicked the ball, I just did what I always do, which was run down there. Then I realized, well, I'm the safety on this thing because I'm the kicker, but by then, I was too far to get back, so I better make the tackle.' So he went there and tackled the guy."

5. Leach also had some very interesting comments about Welker's level of focus. It's a long quote, but it's definitely worth reading.

"They always talk about clutch players and things like that," Leach said. "I don't think there are necessarily clutch players, but I think there's a certain number of players that are able to maintain their focus longer than other people. And I think as other people get fatigued, their play will slowly drop off. As other people get beat up and sore, their level of play will drop off. And as they get in a situation where the game is on the line or a key catch, then they'll mentally make more out of it than what it is. 'Oh, this is a really important catch.' Well, no, it's really not. Somebody is going to put the ball in the air. It might come to you. If it does, you're going to catch it just like you have thousands of times in practice, all of the other catches you have throughout this game. Because all it is is a play. The setting is different, but all it is is a play.

"I think his ability to focus with those factors more, because his play never changes. He's able to focus through all those things. I don't think it's so much that he gets better. I think they get worse and he stays the same. For example, I think Joe Montana was like that. You can go right down the line. That's my theory on that. When they hit those situations, it's not so much their play improves as others' play collapses a little bit and go down a little bit. I'm not saying they're not still trying hard. I think they are, but they lose a little perspective with fatigue and soreness. He never does that. He has the ability to focus through that.

"I think it's a talent. I believe some people are just better at it than others, and I say that because Wes Welker is clearly better at it than others, and he's better at it than others by such a significant margin that in my mind there's got to be some talent involved in that than just motivation."

6. Let's put something else in perspective. The Chargers cut Welker when they claimed safety Clinton Hart off waivers from the Eagles. The Dolphins traded Welker for second- and seventh-round draft picks that turned into center Samson Satele and defensive end Abraham Wright, respectively. Satele played two good seasons in Miami before getting traded along with a fourth-round pick to the Raiders for a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder in 2009, which turned into wide receiver Brian Hartline and tackle Andrew Gardner. Hindsight is a dangerous thing, but wow.

7. Moving on, I thought it was a good gesture for Bill Belichick to give Rob Gronkowski the chance to catch that record-setting pass Sunday during the final true offensive play of the season. Gronkowski was ecstatic over it, and that's the type of stuff that helps players really get on board with a coach. It's not that I ever thought that was an issue before, but I just think the play call can only strengthen the relationship between Belichick and the Patriots' young star.

8. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer was also excited about the opportunity to throw his first pass of the season, and he loved the chance to help Gronkowski set a record, too.

"I was just happy for him," Hoyer said. "He was laughing. You know how Gronk is. Coming back into the huddle, he was excited and laughing. It was a good opportunity."

9. Speaking of Hoyer, who I believe will get an opportunity to start somewhere within a year or two, I think his offseason stock dropped Sunday when Packers quarterback Matt Flynn had a huge day against the Lions. Flynn, an unrestricted free agent, is at the top of the totem pole among backups who are next in line to get a starting opportunity with a new team. Heading into the regular season, I thought Hoyer (a restricted free agent this offseason) was neck and neck with Flynn, but the Packers' explosion Sunday all but certainly set Flynn apart.

10. Hoyer's stock was helped by Matt Barkley's decision to stay at USC, though. Obviously, Andrew Luck is the prize of the draft and the offseason, and however unlikely, Peyton Manning could get thrown into the mix if the Colts want to deal him. But teams will likely have a decision to make between Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Flynn, Hoyer and other draft prospects.

11. The Patriots like Hoyer, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to welcome him back in 2012 as Brady's primary backup, even with Ryan Mallett on the roster. Maybe the Patriots can give Hoyer a second-round tender and hope to get the draft pick if he signs elsewhere. Or, maybe they could trade him for a third-rounder. Either way, it could be a fun storyline to follow in the coming months.

12. It's not breaking news that Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are pretty great at what they do, and it might even be indisputable that they're the best tandem of tight ends in the NFL. Consider this: They combined for 169 catches, 2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns this season.

13. You know what that's about equal to? The four seasons of tight end production before they got to town. From 2006-09, tight ends Ben Watson, Daniel Graham, David Thomas, Kyle Brady and Chris Baker combined for 200 receptions, 2,344 yards and 23 touchdowns.

14. While answering a series of questions Tuesday about Gronkowski and Hernandez, Belichick dropped the line, "Prior to last year, we hadn't had a lot of production out of the tight end position, period, in the passing game — some, but not to the degree that it's come in the last two years." Obviously, that was pretty well-known, but it's the first time I can remember Belichick acknowledging it.

15. Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore showcased some really good ball skills while intercepting a pair of passes Sunday against the Bills. Moore, a cornerback by trade, has had an interesting season, making his first career start for the Patriots at safety after just a week of practice at the position. He's also been released by both the Raiders and Patriots, and he's played across the secondary in New England.

16. I asked Moore after Sunday's game if he knew he was capable of making those types of plays, and he answered without hesitation.

"I knew I was capable of that," Moore said. "When they brought me in here, the first thing they said when they moved me to safety was, 'We kind of like the way you play the ball, so we're going to put you back there.' [Sunday] was the first real opportunity to go out there and get my hands on the ball and play the ball. It was deep down in there because I haven't had to do it in a while, but I'm glad it came back out."

17. It was definitely good for safety Patrick Chung and linebacker Brandon Spikes to get back onto the field Sunday after missing seven games with injuries, and Chung admitted as such, especially with the playoffs on the horizon.

"Sitting around waiting, it kind of hurts a little bit, but now I'm back with my guys," Chung said. "It was very important. You can't go just straight into the playoffs. You have to have a warmup game to get your legs right, get your footwork going, and get your mind back on football and then see how it goes from there."

18. There isn't much to dissect this week about the Patriots' initial playoff opponent because, well, they don't have one yet. The Patriots, whose postseason opener is in the No. 1 spot with the 8 p.m. Saturday game, could find out their opponent right off the bat. The third-seeded Texans play the sixth-seeded Bengals in the NFL's first playoff game. If the Bengals win, they'll head to Foxboro. If the Texans win, the Patriots get the Steelers-Broncos winner.

19. If the Texans and Steelers derail the Patriots' second chapter of Tebowmania, fear not, Tebowmaniacs. Since the Broncos won the AFC West, they'll be heading to Gillette Stadium during the 2012 regular season. Of course, between now and then, Tebow has to prove he should retain his job as Denver's starting quarterback.

20. Nineteen players who have been on the active roster since the start of Week 1 were in attendance for all 54 regular-season practices, not including closed walkthroughs: defensive end Shaun Ellis, defensive lineman Kyle Love, linebacker Gary Guyton, linebacker Rob Ninkovich, linebacker Tracy White, safety Sergio Brown, safety James Ihedigbo, cornerback Antwaun Molden, offensive lineman Dan Connolly, tackle Nate Solder, right guard Brian Waters, quarterback Brian Hoyer, quarterback Ryan Mallett, wide receiver Deion Branch, wide receiver Matthew Slater, tight end Rob Gronkowski, long snapper Danny Aiken, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punter Zoltan Mesko.

Despite having perfect practice attendance, Ellis, Guyton, White, Brown, Connolly, Mallett, Branch have not suited up for every game, so there are 12 Patriots who have been on the active roster all season and participated in all 54 practices and all 16 games.

Leave your question for Jeff Howe's mailbag by sending them to him via Twitter at @jeffphowe or send them here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week. Be sure to check back to see if your question was answered.