Pats' "final" roster has some surprises in the corner

The New England Patriots, along with every other NFL team, released enough players to get down to the 53-man roster requirement. As is usually the case, there were some surprise cuts and some surprise players who made the roster. One surprise cut/keeper was the cut of QB Matt Gutierrez in favor of QB Matt Cassel. Cassel really had a poor preseason, and while Gutierrez wasn't much better, he did lead the team to the end zone. Cassel could only muster 2 field goals the entire preseason. The surprises didn't stop there. With Kevin Faulk suspended for the first game of the season due to having marijuana in his possession earlier in the year, the Patriots were able to hold onto one extra player, as Faulk does not count against the 53-man roster. Now, of course, the roster can change in a heart beat as the personnel department looks at who they could possibly pick up to bolster the roster. Players could also be brought back due to injuries/suspensions. Here are some cuts that came as a surprise to me: * QB Matt Gutierrez * CB Fernando Bryant - Bryant put in a lot of time in preseason games, and he didn't really impress. Despite starting each preseason game, his coverage was notably soft and his tackling was pure. Recall that in the first preseason game, he was yanked early for poor coverage and then in the finale against the Giants, he was driven into the end zone by the Giants' back-up TE Darcy Johnson on the Giants' opening scoring drive. * C Mike Flynn - This cut actually came yesterday, but surprised me nonetheless. I thought he played well in the preseason finale and had the experience and position flexibility to be a valuable back-up. I put Flynn near the top of emergency call-backs. * LB Vince Redd - I thought Redd, an undrafted rookie, showed enough solid play on defense and special teams to make the roster. If he clears waivers (a big 'if' in my opinion), I would expect him to land on the Patriots' practice squad. For a full list of cuts and players placed on IR, click here. The following are the keepers that surprised me: * QB Matt Cassel * WR/S Ray Ventrone - I was really pulling for him to make the team. He reminds me of a poor man's Wes Welker, and his retention might actually reflect the severity of Welker's injury suffered in the 3rd preseason game. Let's hope not. * WR/KR C.J. Jones - Here's another player I was pulling for to make the cut. He has shown terrific ability to return kicks, but I'm surprised he made the roster because he has had his bouts with fumblitis. * C/G Dan Connolly - Connolly had some QB exchange problems, including a memorable shotgun snap that sailed over Cassel and was returned for a TD by Tampa Bay. He has also been injured, so I figured he was a PUP/IR candidate. I figured Flynn was going to take Connolly's place for at least this year. * S/KR Matthew Slater - Slater showed flashes of ability returning kicks, but I figured it would be either CJ Jones or Matthew Slater to stick, not both. One of these guys could be candidates to be cut when Kevin Faulk returns after his suspension. Here's the 2008/2009 New England Patriots' 53-man roster, as it stands now, position by position: Quarterback: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Kevin O'Connell Runningback:Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Heath Evans Wide Receiver: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, CJ Jones, Kelley Washington Tight End:Benjamin Watson, David Thomas, Stephen Spach Offensive Line:Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Matt Light, Wesley Britt, Dan Connolly, Russ Hochstein, Nick Kaczur, Billy Yates Defensive Line: Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, Le Kevin Smith Linebackers:Tedy Bruschi, Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Gary Guyton, Larry Izzo, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods, Shawn Crable Cornerbacks: Ellis Hobbs, Lewis Sanders, Terrence Wheatley, Jonathon Wilhite Safeties: Rodney Harrison, James Sanders, Brandon Meriweather, John Lynch, Matthew Slater Special Teams:Kicker Stephen Gostkowski, Punter Chris Hanson, Long Snapper Lonie Paxton One thing that stands out to me is the fact that the Pats kept only 4 corners, two of which are rookies. Now there is flexibility with safeties, most notably Meriweather, who can play nickel corner. It could also be a reflection of the team's first opponent, Kansas City. The Pats have more to worry about in terms of the running game than getting beat by K.C.'s air attack. The signing of Ty Law is also a possibility. It will be interesting to see how things shake up once the Pats scour the cuts from other teams and also who will get released when Kevin Faulk returns. The following are more well-known players cut by other teams that I feel could be picked up by the Patriots: * QB Chris Simms - the Pats would instantly have a legitimate back-up QB who has led a team to the playoffs * Offensive tackle Willie Anderson - the former Pro Bowler could play right tackle or serve as a veteran back-up who could help solidify what has been a suspect offensive line * CB Deltha O'Neal * CB Tyrone Poole - knows the system and could return if the Pats were in a real pinch