New England Patriots: A Guide to the 2011 Free Agency Period

Speculating on whom the New England Patriots may sign or pursue throughout free agency is a little easier than guessing who they'll draft, but not by much.

Coach Bill Belichick and Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio target players who fit their system, and there's a reason they do it and we don't. These guys are the professionals.

With that said, it's important to keep the team's overall philosophy in mind when it comes to predicting just what they'll do in free agency, and a little bit of common sense won't hurt either.

Positions New England Won't Address

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SAN DIEGO - OCTOBER 24: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws passes during a delay against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on October 24, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

We may not always know exactly what Belichick, Caserio and the Patriots will do, but we do have an idea of what they won't do.

New England is set at multiple positions barring injury or trade. It's fair to say that we can expect some positions to be left as are with no additions being brought in to compete.

It appears there will be depth behind Tom Brady this season with the addition of rookie Ryan Mallet. There's no reason to believe the team would bring in another signal caller; in fact, it may elect to trade Brian Hoyer and ride with two quarterbacks just as it did last season.

If an addition is made at running back, it won't be anyone but Kevin Faulk. The team has four capable and young ball carriers, and most likely won't look to add to its crop. Keep the name Eric Kettani in mind as well, he's been on the Military/Reserve list but should be available this season.

There will be no additions made to the tight end group, at this stage it would make no sense. In fact, it's unlikely that the team will commit four roster spots to the position, but time will tell how healthy Alge Crumpler is.

Cornerback seems to be solidified, and if the Patriots were content with what they had last year, they should be more than happy with the return of Leigh Bodden and the addition of Ras-I Dowling.

Inside linebacker is pretty set as well, with Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Gary Guyton holding down the fort.

The Patriots Will Not Break the Bank

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 10: Adalius Thomas #96 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Baltimore Ravens during the 2010 AFC wild-card playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 10, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Ravens won 33-14. (Photo by E

The Patriots don't typically have a lot of zeros in their free agent contracts. There's no Julius Peppers on the market this year, and the team most likely learned its lesson with the Adalius Thomas experiment.

I can't foresee New England dropping a massive amount on any one player. It simply doesn't need to. 

Fans and experts can clamor all they want for a pass rusher or deep threat wide receiver, but when it comes right down to it, the Patriots can get by with what they have. Does that sound very appealing? Nope, not at all.

It did bring back a 14-2 record last year, however, and this franchise has won some serious hardware "making due" at certain positions like receiver before.

The team will probably make additions, but not the fantasy signings that we often like to speculate on. The Patriots seek to be in a position to win every year, not just this year, and fiscal responsibility has a lot to do with that.

What to Expect

So what can we expect? Well, more of the same.

The Patriots will make a number of depth moves to stabilize certain positions like the offensive and defensive lines. There are some holes on both lines which need to be addressed.

A veteran wideout could be brought in to compete with Brandon Tate and Taylor Price for snaps on the outside. A similar scenario could play out for the safeties if an addition is made. Jarrad Page is set for free agency, and his departure may open the door for a new player in the secondary. 

A camp leg could be brought in to ease the workload on kicker Stephen Gostkowksi, who tore his quad off the bone last season.

The biggest addition will likely be at outside linebacker, but the word biggest should be taken with a grain of salt. New England really doesn't have that many holes and it has an entire draft class coming into the picture in addition to the core it retained from last season.

If the Patriots go after a big-name player, it will be at the outside linebacker position, but it won't be an earth-shattering signing.