First off, my apologies to Rex Ryan if the above photo is getting him a little hot under the collar, but this impromptu update of Foxboro Blog is regarding the recent announcement that the Patriots will indeed be assigning the franchise tag to Logan Mankins.  It's not a huge shocker, considering that the Pats would have to be pretty dumb to expose Mankins to the open market of unrestricted free-agency and risk losing him without compensation.  Still, it's a noteworthy bit of news considering the cloud of controversy that has surrounded the Mankins contract talks for nearly a year now. 

The big questions that are still to be answered...

Will Mankins ultimately end up with a one year deal worth approximately $10 Million, or will he and the Patriots be able to hammer out a long-term extension.

Should contract talks go sour, will Mankins stage yet another hissy-fit and sit out training camp and potentially  some games?  (That's assuming there's actually a 2011 season, of course.)

If Mankins continues to have a rift with management, what can the Patriots realistically expect to get in return for him in a trade?

It should be interesting to say the least.  Let us know your thoughts on the drama in the comments...

Each week leading up to the draft, the Foxboro Blog crew will spend a week breaking down a position on the Patriots' roster.  We'll start with a quick overview and then move onto a discussion involving potential draftees at that spot as well as free-agents that the Patriots may pursue.  Up this week is the Linebacking Corps...

2010 Recap:  The Patriots entered the 2010 off-season with a need for a pass-rushing outside linebacker.  The Adalius Thomas experiment had come to a contentious end the year before and the Pats anemic pass rush had severely hurt them in '09.  As the analysts and prognosticators made their predictions, they assumed Bill Belichick would make a big move to address this gaping hole in the defense either via the draft or free-agency.  They were wrong.  The only free-agent that seemed to by seriously courted by the team, ex-Bill Aaron Schobel ended up passing on the Patriots in favor of sitting out the season.  The team did spend a 2nd round pick on Jermaine Cunningham who would play OLB,  but he was in the process of converting from the DE position in college and was pegged for a "transition" year in 2010.  Things got even more dicey in training camp when veteran Derrick Burgess held out to contemplate retirement, only to re-join the team and subsequently get cut.  That left the bulk of the outside linebacking duty to Rob Ninkovich and the 2009 team sack-leader Tully Banta-Cain. 

While Ninkovich exceeded most people's expectations, Banta-Cain had a severe drop-off from his previous season.  Jermaine Cunningham showed flashes of brilliance, but injuries slowed him down at the end of the year.  Overall, it was a pretty dismal season on the outside and the Patriots' lack of a pass rush was perhaps the top reason why the team seemed to fail to get stops time and time again on third down.

On the inside, things were much, much brigther.  It always helps when you have a Pro Bowl-caliber tackling maching like Jerod Mayo.  Rookie Brandon Spikes was excellent at stopping the run and will likely develop into a special player if he responds well to coaching.  Gary Guyton continued his solid play as well and even found himself on the highlight reel a few times by reeling in some opportune interceptions.

How do you see the Logan Mankins contract situation playing out, and what do you feel is the best way for the Patriots to handle it?

Rick:  This seems like a past issue with the contracts of a Randy Moss or an Asante Samuel. If you do not want to be part of the TEAM, then you are gone. Mankins and owner Robert Kraft burned a ton of bridges last offseason. I can't see any way that Mankins will be back in a Patriot uniform next year. New England has depth at the offensive line position with Connolly, but there is not much else as we saw at the beginning of the year. They will miss Mankins' impact, but look at the job the coaching staff has done with Sebastian Vollmer. They can make a lineman into a good player and Brady didn't get sacked too many times the first 8 games. Right now, I say its a 85% chance Mankins is packing his bags somewhere else and you can blame both sides if that happens.

Rick:  I don't think Brady's legacy has taken a huge hit at all because in the last two years, they have ran into red hot football teams in the playoffs. In the era of the Wild Card Super Bowl competitors, its tougher to win with home field than ever before. In that 2007 season, Brady did have a decent Super Bowl throwing for 300 yards and presumably the game winning touchdown. If not for Asante Samuel or David Tyree, Brady would have been a 19-0 QB. In 2009, Wes Welker was injured in the final game of that year. That had to take a huge wind out of the sails of the Patriots going into the Ravens' game. This year, the Jets had revenge on their minds and flat out outplayed the Pats. Regardless of the recent failures, Brady is 15-5 as a QB in the playoffs. That still is a top QB of all-time to me. He still is a very clutch quarterback and capable of winning at least one more championship.

Mock drafts are probably the single most enjoyable, yet frustrating things to work on in the offseason. Although the Combine hasn't taken place yet, here's our best projection at the first round before Combine and Pro Days take place. Feel free to criticize/praise/respond with your thoughts on any of the picks since there is always tons of room for change.

1. Carolina Panthers - Nick Fairely, DT, Auburn

A top-three player on every draft board, the Panthers have had poor defensive tackle play for the past few years now. He has some character concerns and was a one-year wonder, but no one can deny his play on the big stage.

2. Denver Broncos – Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

Shutdown corner Champ Bailey probably played his last down as a Bronco and they will definitely need to draft a replacement for one of the best corners of all time. Peterson has elite athleticism and possesses terrific size at 6-foot-2, 211 pounds. He also is one of the top return guys in the country.

3. Buffalo Bills – Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

The Bills have a ton of options and could go with a defensive lineman like Dareus, Quinn or Bowers, but after last year’s selection of C.J. Spiller, you never know what to expect. Newton has a lot of intriguing athletic skills with his elite arm strength, running ability and size. I could see the Bills pulling a shocker and drafting their quarterback of the future although there are definitely many reasons to doubt Newton’s transition to the NFL.

4. Cincinnati Bengals – A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

T.O. is a free agent and Ochocinco may be out as well. Who better to step in for two of the best receivers of this era then Green? His combination of size, speed and hands have drawn comparisons to Randy Moss. While he doesn’t have that elite (than again who does?) speed of Moss, he definitely is a No. 1 wide receiver at the next level and was very productive at Georgia.

5. Arizona Cardinals - Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M

The Cardinals’ pass rush took a big hit last year much in part due to the lack of quality options at outside linebacker. Miller exploded on the scene as a junior when he posted 17 sacks. He had a great Senior Bowl and is expected to blow up the Combine which should vault him into the top 10.

Despite injuries and Logan Mankins’ seven-game holdout, the Patriots’ offensive line put together a strong season.

In fact, the front five played so well that the group earned the 2010 Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award on Friday.

The offensive line surrendered only 25 sacks, fourth best in the NFL, and helped pave the way for the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six seasons.

Mankins, whose contract situation has been front and center since last off-season, is so well respected throughout the league that he was named to his third Pro Bowl team despite playing only nine games. Left tackle Matt Light was also named to the Pro Bowl and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was named second-team All Pro.

However, for a group that has prided itself on consistency and for the most part durability, there are big question marks ahead.

Light and Mankins will be free agents, right guard Stephen Neal may be retiring and center Dan Koppen is entering the final year of his contract. Besides Vollmer, the team hasn’t done a great job at drafting long-term replacements as of late and the offensive line will certainly be a top need heading into the draft.

Here are five potential prospects the Patriots may look at in the first few rounds.

Justin Blalock (ATL)

Regardless of whether New England finds a way to re-sign Logan Mankins, the interior offensive line will be one of the team’s primary concerns. Blalock played for a team that has two higher-priority free agents to re-sign on the offensive line (Clabo and Dahl), which could make him the most likely candidate to be playing for a different team next year. He is a solid starter and would likely come at a manageable price since he’s probably the fourth or fifth-best interior lineman on the market. If the Patriots decide to let Mankins walk, Blalock is a decent candidate to replace him.

Chris Chester (BAL)

It may seem unlikely to see a player from the Ravens joining the Pats when you consider all of the bad blood between the two teams in recent years, but the move would make sense for New England if the price is right. Chester has tremendous athleticism at the guard position, and he is in a similar position to Blalock since he plays for a team with much higher free agent priorities. He likely will be the third-best free agent lineman on his own team behind Yanda and Gaither. If the Ravens choose to keep both of those players in addition to signing an extension with DT Ngata, they might not want to throw more money in the trenches.

Ryan O’Callaghan (KC)

O’Callaghan played a few seasons for the Pats in a reserve role at tackle after being picked by the team in the 5^th round of the 2006 draft. After being axed in the final round of cuts before the 2009 season, he caught on with Kansas City as a starter and seemed to play pretty fairly well. He missed a bunch of time due to injury in 2010 and left the door open to be replaced by Barry Richardson, so it is very possible he could hit the open market and come at a reasonable price tag. His familiarity with the coaches and the system would make him an interesting possibility for the Pats, though he would have to show continued improvement to warrant a starting spot. A more likely scenario would involve the team holding him for depth and taking a gamble that he could replace Light a year or two down the road.

Ryan Harris (DEN)

If the Patriots don’t re-sign Matt Light, they will need an experienced tackle to fill that void. Harris is an above-average run-blocker and is just 26 years old, and he’s had some valuable experience playing in a similar system to New England’s under Josh McDaniels. He will almost certainly be on his way out of Denver this year. He could see a lot of attention from a number of teams this offseason, so it’s possible that he could be out of New England’s price range. But if Light wants too much money, I wouldn’t be shocked to see New England use some of the money they were going to dedicate to Light to get Harris.

Eric Heitmann (SF)

It appears that the 49ers are working toward a long-term deal with C David Bass, who replaced Heitmann after the starting center was injured last year. While Heitmann is not a free agent yet, I can’t imagine the 49ers would pay him nearly $2 million this year to serve as a backup, and they don’t have a starting spot available for him at either guard position. He has several years of experience as a starter and could step in right away and contribute on New England’s offensive line, and his versatility could prove very useful in case of an injury.

Each week leading up to the draft, the Foxboro Blog crew will spend a week breaking down a position on the Patriots' roster.  We'll start with a quick overview and then move onto a discussion involving potential draftees at that spot as well as free-agents that the Patriots may pursue.  Up this week is the Offensive Line...

2010 Recap:  The Patriots' Offensive line was dealt some tough blows early into the year. Nick Kaczur, one of the team's top tackles, was sidelined for the entire season with a back injury.  His loss, coupled with the holdout of Logan Mankins, put the O-line in a precarious position and had many wondering if Brady would be under heavy pressure in 2010.  However, the group managed to hold it together and had a solid campaign.  

Early on, the team seemed to barely miss a beat as the Patriots were racking up points and cruised out to a 6-1 start.  However, when Mankins returned, his impact was clearly seen.  Suddenly the running game, which had been fairly anemic up to that point, caught on fire.  Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis were racking up yards and turned the Pats' offense into a seemingly unstoppable force.  I believe BJGE's 1,000 yard season was due in large part to Mankins' brute force on the line opening up holes for him.  

Unfortunately, the solid line play came to a crashing halt in the Patriots' first playoff game.  Brady, who had barely gotten his jersey dirty and had been able to play mistake-free football for weeks due to all the time he had to throw, suddenly found himself under heavy pressure.   The offensive line's inability to muscle up to the Jets' D-line was a major contributing factor to the team's early playoff exit.

What position(s) should be the highest priority for the Patriots in the 2011 NFL Draft?
 

Jason: I think the biggest draft need for New England will be on the offensive line. Center Dan Koppen is 31, tackle Matt Light is 32 and Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins could be on his way out of town as a high-priced free agent. The other potential starters (Neal, Kaczur, Connolly) are getting a bit long in the tooth as well. Sebastian Vollmer has proven to be a very capable young starter at RT, but the roster lacks other young players with a great deal of potential on the offensive line. If they don't draft at least one offensive lineman in the first round, I will be very surprised.

What is the biggest offseason need for the Patriots?

Stephen:  Pass rushers are at a premium and with four picks in the top two rounds of the 2011 Draft, the Patriots need to add an impact pass rusher. While Tully Banta-Cain has some ability to put pressure on the quarterback, he is a third-down specialist at best. Rookie Jermaine Cunningham showed flashes, but he needs to learn to finish the play and continue to learn to play standing up. Cunningham seems to be more of a solid do-it-all type, but he would benefit greatly from having a true sack artist playing the other outside spot.The defensive line could also use an infusion of talent as besides Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork and Ron Brace, none of the current defensive linemen were drafted higher than the sixth round by the Patriots. The reason the Patriots had so much success earlier in the decade can be attributed to strong play from the front seven. To get back to that level of play, the linebackers and defensive line need a significant upgrade in talent.