Look who's in town!

Buzz is in the air about the two players that the Pats were planning on bringing in to practice today.  Safety Darren Sharper and wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh both had been scheduled to have a work out with Patriots coaches today but with downpours all day in the Boston area, word has not gotten out yet whether or not those workouts happened.

Ocho and Houshmandzadeh back in Cinci

It is an interesting move by the Patriots, especially considering how aggressive they’ve been already this season.  Houshmandzadeh is a great underneath receiver like Welker or Edelman and had a lot of time with Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati.  Unfortunately, after leaving the Bengals, Houshmandzadeh basically fell off the planet, putting up poor numbers with both the Seahawks and the Ravens.  If they were to bring him in, I feel it would be as a comfort factor for Ochocinco more than anything but considering the massive amounts of receivers on their roster and the high level of play produced by second year receiver Taylor Price last game, I don’t feel that the Patriots have to room on their roster to house Houshmandzadeh.

Sharper will bring a veteran presence

Darren Sharper is another story entirely.  While he’s getting older and may have lost some of the attributes that made him such a serious threat on defense, Sharper is, if nothing else, an extremely valuable locker room presence.  If Sharper does well in his workout, expect him to play an Algae Crumpler type roll from last year in which he has his share of plays but is there more to mentor the younger safeties (Chung, Merriweather, Sanders).  This would be a great addition to the roster since this is by far their thinnest position on defense.  Most recently, Sharper played safety for the New Orleans Saints, winning a Super Bowl with them two years ago in an incredible performance against quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts.

On a side note, roomer has been floating around the NFL that newly acquired Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth will be released by the Patriots before the start of the regular season.  If I could slap the person that came up with this rumor I would.  The Patriots value their draft picks like gold and to think that the Patriots would simply cut two all-star players that they traded for with a total of three draft picks is insane.  If this happens, especially to Ochocinco, I’d be incredibly surprised.  Haynesworth’s contract is so low risk that there is a possibility but Belichick has had nothing but praise for the defensive lineman so far.  So stop worrying.