Gresh & Zo: Pats Franchise Tag Statement Of Welker Sounds Familiar
When the Patriots released their statement announcing that they were placing the franchise tag on wide receiver Wes Welker, Gresh & Zo's crack research team thought things sounded familiar.
So they went back and dug up the statements released when they franchised Logan Mankins, Vince Wilfork and Matt Cassel. Cassel's is the only one here that sounds completely different from the others.
Wes Welker:
"Wes Welker is a remarkable football player for our team and has been a vital component to our offense and special teams since we traded for him in 2007. Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal. Wes remains a contractual priority and we are hopeful that he will remain a Patriot for years to come."
Logan Mankins:
"Logan Mankins is a tremendous player. He has been a fixture on our offensive line since we drafted him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft and he remains an important part of our future plans. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach a long-term agreement, despite many attempts and proposals by both sides. That remains our objective in utilizing the franchise designation and we are hopeful that Logan will be a Patriot for many years to come."
Vince Wilfork:
"A long-term agreement with Vince Wilfork has been the team's top contractual priority for some time. Unfortunately, despite numerous conversations and proposals, the goal has not yet been realized. Vince is a tremendous player for our team and remains a significant part of our future plans. It is because of Vince's importance to this organization that we have assigned the franchise designation as we continue to work toward a long-term agreement. We are hopeful that Vince will remain a Patriot for many years to come."
Matt Cassel:
"Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009."
