So long, Ellis. Thanks for everything you've done, most notably costing us Super Bowl XLII.

Maybe that's a little harsh, but it's honestly all I'll remember him for — getting burned by Plax and giving up the game-winning score that resulted in the Pats losing The Big One to the Giants, 17-14. And I'm not upset in the slightest that the Pats gave up last year's "top" corner for a mere pair of fifth rounders. Just look at the numbers (or lackthereof). Since Hobbs joined the team out of Iowa State in 2005, all we heard about from Belichick on down was how great Hobbs was and all the potential he had yet to realize. Lot of chatter for a guy that didn't crack 63 tackles or 3 picks in a single season in four years in Foxboro. In fact, his underwhelming season averages are as follows: 49.5 tackles, 0.625 sacks, 0.25 forced fumbles, 2.25 interceptions.

And it's not like he didn't have the opportunity. The team rewarded him with the top spot after Asante Samuel split via free agency (signing with the Eagles, ironically also Hobbs' new team), but they're only now getting around to realizing their mistake and attempting to correct it. Give them credit for doing that much, at least. The Pats are clearly content with their current situation after having signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden and drafted Darius Butler. 2008 picks Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite will be counted on to mature quickly, as well. There are still a ton of question marks (not least of which being Springs' age and whether or not the youngsters can be consistent), but there's no doubt this is better than last year's "throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see how much sticks" strategy that saw Fernando Bryant, Jason Webster, Lewis Sanders and Tank Williams fall by the wayside.

That's all I got for now, but I'll be back with a look at all the Pats' selections at some point in the next few days. For now, I just want to share my excitement over the drafting of North Carolina receiver Brandon Tate. Not only is he viewed as having the second-most upside of any receiver in the draft by many experts (second only to that Crabtree fella), but apparently he loves to hit the peace pipe, as well. The story lines should be endless, and if you think I'm not gonna crack a joke at the expense of both Tate and new teammate Kevin Faulk, you don't know shit about the Buzz.