Zoltan Mesko lost his job to an undrafted free agent, but he’ll be back in the NFL soon.
NEPD Editor: James Christensen
The “Turk” was in full effect on Saturday, asking for playbooks of countless Patriots players.
Which cut was the most surprising for you? Which player are you happy they kept?
Zoltan Mesko has been a good investment for the Patriots, but he has some solid competition this year.
NEPD Editor: James Christensen
Rich Eisen might have popularized the phrase “Punters are People”, but it won’t be easy to the word “back-up” to that phrase. Backup specialists – kickers, punters and long snappers – don’t exist.
Often time, extra specialists are brought into camp for faux competition and to keep regulars and punters from being overworked. The case with undrafted free agent punter Ryan Allen is anything but that.
Zoltan Mesko has been a good investment for the Patriots.
NEPD Staff Writer: Dan Hope
The notion of drafting a punter at all is often laughed at, but given the importance of punting to establishing field position in an NFL game, a quality punter is well worth a mid-round pick.
The Patriots employed that strategy in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft when they selected Zoltan Mesko with the No. 150 overall pick. Their investment has paid off, as the Patriots have found a punter who fits what they do very well.
NEPD Staff Writer: Doug Kyed
With a nice definitive victory over a great team at home, now we all just hope that all the injuries we saw today were minor. Brady and his offensive line had another great game slicing apart the Chargers defense.
A few quick hits on some of the interesting or odd things in the individual rankings for Madden ’11. You can see the full list here.
Swagger
The new rating this year has to do with celebrating after or before a TD. Tom Brady clocks in with the Patriots highest rating at 96. Randy Moss also sports a 95. The oversight here is Zoltan Mesko – given a 75 rating… He deserves at least a 106.
The Patriots have announced the signing of 5th-Round draft pick Zoltan Mesko, former punter for the Michigan Wolverines and current “Space Emperor of Space“.
The Patriots off-season has been incredibly exciting, with a great 2010 NFL Draft, setting themselves up well for the 2011 NFL Draft, and some great free agent signings.
Resigning of Vince Wilfork/Leigh Bodden
Wilfork and Bodden represent two things that went well on 2009′s defense that never lived up to expectations. Both were resigned to contracts that benefited the players and the team, leaving both sides feeling good. With Wilfork back in the fold, the Patriots were free to focus their draft efforts away from the defensive line.
Drafting of Brandon Spikes
Brandon Spikes will bring a “culture change” to the Patriots. He is a hard-nosed tackler that enjoys being physical, something that few people would have called the Patriots in 2009. Spikes will allow Jerod Mayo to flow to the ball more, with Spikes lining up at the Mike. Don’t be surprised if Spikes moves to OLB on 3rd-down, as he is a proven pass-rusher.
Three New Tight Ends
With the addition of Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and veteran Alge Crumpler, the Patriots have completely remodeled their TE position. Crumpler and “Gronk” bring the physicality in the blocking game that the Patriots have missed since Daniel Graham left, while Hernandez and Gronkowski were deadly in the NCAA passing game.
Releasing Adalius Thomas
The evil is gone.
Drafting Zoltan Mesko
How does a punter make this list? If the Patriots do have to punt, which hopefully doesn’t happen to often, Mesko is an incredibly adept directional punter with a powerful leg to boot. The biggest impact, however, will hopefully be the lack of an impact on pro-bowl kicker Stephen Gostkowski, as former Patriots punter Chris Hanson has held for Gostkowski the last few years. Mesko was a great holder at Michigan and has performed well so far in mini-camps.
Honorable Mention: Torry Holt
Signing veteran WR’s makes Patriot fans nervous, especially after the “Galloway Incident”. Holt has shown no signs of being that bad, and has the potential to be a reliable #4 option for Tom Brady.
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