Reports out of New England are that longtime Colts rival Tedy Bruschi is retiring after 13 years with the Patriots. Bruschi was in danger of being cut from the Patriots on Monday. But, rather than cut Bruschi, the Patriots and Bill Belichick seemed to have convinced him that retirement is best.
With Bruschi's departure, the once great Patriots defense of the early 2000s is all but gone. With the retirement of Rodney Harrison and Mike Vrabel traded to the Chiefs as part of the Matt Cassel deal, the Patriots of 2009 will look dramatically different on defense than they have looked in the past.
Other news out of Pats Land is that they have released second year QB Kevin O'Connell. You might remember O'Connell from last year's draft, where we thought the Colts might take a shot at drafting him. O'Connell was a third round pick of the Patriots in 2008.