Don Pierson

The New England Patriots are at it again. If they were a little slow on the free- agent draw last off-season, they are making up for it now, reloading their roster as if Tom Brady were closer to 40 than 30.

Next thing you know they'll find a way to get Adam Vinatieri back.

Adding linebacker Adalius Thomas more than makes up for last year's loss of veteran Willie McGinest. Signing Kyle Brady gives them more at tight end than they lost in Daniel Graham. And Tom Brady has so many new receivers he won't be able to remember Deion Branch.

They don't even need Randy Moss anymore.

In Donte' Stallworth, Kelley Washington and Wes Welker, the Patriots added speed, size and moves. They have a deep threat, an intermediate threat, a slot threat. They did all right with Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell, but this is a definite upgrade.

They lost running back Corey Dillon. With the emerging Laurence Maroney, they didn't need him anymore. They signed Sammy Morris instead. Who's Sammy Morris? He was the Dolphins' backup running back. He's nearly three years younger than Dillon, almost as big, and a less expensive complement for Maroney.

Dillon gained 812 yards in 199 carries last year. Morris gained 400 yards in 92 carries, an average of 4.3 that was better than Dillon's 4.1. Plus, Morris caught 21 passes compared to Dillon's 15 and Morris had far less playing time.

In Thomas, the Patriots have a 270-pound pass rusher who can also play the run, can play up or down, inside or out. He may be more versatile than McGinest. He's the perfect Bill Belichick linebacker.

In recent years, the Patriots have collected castoff linebackers Junior Seau, Chad Brown and Monty Beisel to complement former castoff linebackers Mike Vrabel and Rosevelt Colvin. But Thomas is in his prime at 29. He has increased his sack totals from three to four to eight to nine to 11 in the last five years.

After the Baltimore Ravens decided not to franchise him, Thomas became the prize free agent on the market. Tully Banta-Cain provided a nice pass-rush dimension and received a nice offer to leave for San Francisco, but nobody denies that Thomas was the 49ers' first choice over the smaller and less versatile Banta-Cain.

While the other signings by the Patriots may have been under the Thomas radar, they all filled needs and impressed rivals. Brady, for example, may be old at 35 but Denver coach Mike Shanahan also calls him the best blocking tight end in football.

Welker merely led the Dolphins in receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns. At 26, he's a young Troy Brown, capable of doing practically anything the Patriots ask. He was a restricted free agent, so not many other teams were willing to package two draft choices and land him.

Stallworth fell out of favor in New Orleans and immediately became the Eagles' best deep threat, averaging 19 yards a catch. The Patriots didn't have the kind of speed on the edge they needed to open up the middle for tight ends Ben Watson and David Thomas.

Washington was lost in Cincinnati's shuffle of receivers, catching only 10 and nine passes the last two seasons. But the Patriots remember he's a 6-foot-3, 220-pound target still with plenty of upside.

Gaffney and Caldwell both played at the University of Florida, as did last year's No. 1 draft pick Chad Jackson. Stallworth and Washington were teammates at the University of Tennessee, which doesn't necessarily mean they always have been best of friends. But any previous problems apparently deterred neither from joining the Patriot cause. Both downplayed any previous misunderstandings between the two and Washington even added he's looking forward to covering punts.

Slideshow   The Week in Sports Pictures A kayaker flips out, a racehorse eyes the Triple Crown and more. more photos

If reuniting Stallworth and Washington works as well as reuniting Gaffney and Caldwell did, the Patriots will be happy. A knee injury to Jackson may prevent him from being ready by the preseason, so the Patriots don't think they're overloaded at the position. Neither does Brady, who didn't much like it when Branch and David Givens both got away last season.

The Miami Dolphins not only lost Welker and Morris to the Patriots, but Stallworth and Washington as well.

The Dolphins have added linebacker Joey Porter from Pittsburgh and New York Giants' kicker Jay Feely plus some backup help. The Buffalo Bills have added three offensive linemen but lost star cornerback Nate Clements, top tacklers London Fletcher-Baker, and running back Willis McGahee. The New York Jets have picked up only Chicago Bears' running back Thomas Jones.

The Patriots have won four division titles in a row, and obviously have used their reputation to stay ahead of the pack in free agency. They also took no chances with prize cornerback Asante Samuel, franchising him while trying to reach a long-term deal.