By Erik Scalavino Patriots.com :

It wasn’t exactly Sarah Palin-surprising, but what Bill Belichick did over Labor Day Weekend is certainly “wow”-worthy. By 4 p.m. on Saturday, every NFL team had to trim its roster down to the league-mandated 53-man limit. When the Patriots announced their list of cuts, some players who were expected to make the team found themselves out of a job, while others who were thought to be finished in New England earned themselves a reprieve. Perhaps the most closely monitored battle this pre-season was waged between the backup quarterbacks. The small town of Foxborough, Mass. just wouldn’t be big enough for two Matts.

Either Matt Cassel or Matt Gutierrez had to go, and the prevailing sentiment  among media and fans alike was that Gutierrez would survive the gunslingers’ duel to be Tom Brady’s number-two. Cassel, it was argued in many corners, had not developed enough in his three previous seasons and four pre-season games this summer to retain his job. But it was Gutierrez  who was handed the proverbial pink slip. The second-year signal-caller originally won the third-QB job last year as an undrafted rookie free agent and was fighting to supplant Cassel this season. In three games this August, Gutierrez threw a pair of touchdowns, mirrored by an equal number of interceptions. Meantime, the talented, yet much-maligned Cassel has had to fight off Gutierrez as well as the critics, who, at times, have been more merciless than the opposing defenses Cassel’s faced. Despite being plagued by a perceived inability to live up to his potential, Cassel will get another opportunity with the Patriots. Rookie Kevin O’Connell, the third-round pick from San Diego State, has secured the third quarterback spot.

Another position surrounded by intrigue this summer was defensive back, brought on by the off-season departures of Asante Samuel, Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson. The Patriots appeared to fill at least two of those holes when they signed veteran free agent cornerback Fernando Bryant, a former first-round pick, and established veteran Jason Webster earlier this year.But after disappointing performances in the pre-season (including an embarrassing, unsuccessful attempt to bring down Giants tight end Darcy Johnson on his touchdown reception last Thursday, during which Johnson simply pushed Bryant back into the end zone) the ten-year veteran was issued his walking papers.

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A Few Surprises In Patriots Roster Cuts
Saturday, 30 August 2008
By Erik Scalavino Patriots.com : It wasn’t exactly Sarah Palin-surprising, but what Bill Belichick did over Labor Day Weekend is...

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