Pats releases hint at bad drafting

By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com

Every April, analysts are snapping off salutes to Bill Belichick and the Patriots' draft day mastery.

Nobody parachutes out of a spot to add more picks later better than New England, we keep hearing.

Hey . . . ummm . . . if those picks too often amount to nothing, is it still laudable?  

This weekend, the Patriots have made several moves which are tantamount to saying, "We screwed up." Bully for them for being honest. Shame on them for doing it in the first place.

Roll call:

Derrick Burgess, for whom the Patriots gave up third- and fifth-round selections in 2009, released.

Tyrone McKenzie, a third-rounder in 2009, released.

Rich Ohrnberger, a fourth-rounder in 2009 the Patriots swapped and dealt to get ahold of, released and signed back to the practice squad.

George Bussey, a 2009 sixth-rounder, released.

Shawn Crable, a third-rounder in 2008, signed back to the practice squad after being released in July.

Kevin O'Connell, a third-rounder in 2008, released last year.

Ted Larsen, Thomas Welch and Zac Robinson, sixth- and seventh-rounders in 2010, released.

When one adds in the facts that 2006 first-rounder Laurence Maroney is a mopup player at this point, that 2008 second-rounder Terrence Wheatley still hasn't done squat, that we haven't even gotten into the Chad Jackson, David Thomas, Garrett Mills, Ryan O'Callaghan and Bo Ruud Circle of Mismanagement, it ain't too proud a recent track record.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have signed tight end Steve Maneri, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound tight end released by the Texans and made official their deals for special-teams ace Tracy White from the Eagles and Brandon McGowan's replacement, Jarrad Page from the Chiefs.

Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomecurran