Good News Patriots Fans, it's the Off-Season!

It's been seven years since Pats fans have faced a January without playoff football and 2008 has finally come to an end.

Congratulations to Steelers, I don't think anyone could argue that they were an undeserving Super Bowl champion. They faced adversity toward the end of the game but came through on the biggest stage and for that they have to be respected. Of course I could point out that they didn't have to face Tom Brady but let's just put 2008 to bed once and for all.

I've already gotten an early jump on the draft and will be posting more about the prospects to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Once the Combine happens in two weeks we'll kick back into gear.

I've found this mock draft database to be a great way to get up to speed on the draft eligible players. Mock Drafts are only good when consumed in large quantities. If you read enough of them you start to get a pretty good sense of who the top prospects are, at least from a jumping off stand point.

 Some random thoughts about the Patriots and this off-season:

- The first question is of course what to do on Matt Cassel. If he's franchised it will tie up siginificant cap space and have a definite impact on what the Pats can do in terms of Free Agency and extensions.

- Locking up Vince Wilfork, who's entering a contract year, should be a priority. However the Franchise Tag number for defensive tackles always fairly manageable. So if the Pats don't have the cap space to extend Wilfork this offseason, they should be able to buy themselves another year by tagging him for 2010.

- Richard Seymour is also entering a contract year and as we all know he's been difficult to deal with in the past. After 2008 no one can argue Seymour isn't an elite defesive end. Locking him up for another couple years might be tough.

- Logan Mankins is another guy in need of an extension. We know the Pats have a history of locking up lineman that they like for the long term - see Matt Light/Dan Koppen, and Mankins is possibly the best on the team. He could also be a candidate for the Franchise Tag in 2010, though it would be most expensive for him than it would be for Wilfork.

- Pats Blogger overlord Mike Reiss doesn't think the Pats will make a big free agent splash. However I see Free Agent Safety OJ Atogwe as a player who would help them out immediately in the place where they need the most help, defensive backfield. He would no doubt have to be willing to take a little less money to land in New England, but it wouldn't be the first time a hot free agent did that (see Adalius Thomas in 2007). With starting FS James Sanders' contract up the Pats

- 2009 is already shaping up to be a revamped New England team, just based on the coaching defections alone.

- My early draft research has led me to believe that this will be a very good draft for the Patriots. There are a good number of cornerbacks that fit the Pats prototype, along with a large number of DE/OLB hybrid types. Projecting a college DE to an OLB in the 3-4 is one of the most difficult things scouts must figure out. Just look at Vernon Gholston last year. But with at least 6 1st round prospects the Pats might be able to find one that will work for them.