Patriots sign Brockton, NU alum Vega
The Patriots have tapped into the CFL well for the second time this week.
They signed defensive end Jason Vega yesterday, according to reports. Vega, a Brockton native and Northeastern alum, has spent the last three seasons in the Canadian Football League, including the past two with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The 6-foot-4, 256-pounder has recorded 12 sacks the last two seasons, and could provide pass-rushing depth if he makes the team out of camp.
Earlier in the week, the Pats signed defensive tackle Armond Armstead from the Toronto Argonauts.
Ravens head out
After one final practice at their Owings Mills, Md., training facility, the Super Bowl-bound Baltimore Ravens packed their bags for a trip to New Orleans.
The Ravens had a light practice yesterday, their last of the season before heading to the Big Easy. The team is off today and will head south tomorrow in anticipation of their matchup on Feb. 3 with the San Francisco 49ers.
After yesterday’s session, coach John Harbaugh said, “We’ve had a great week. We had an excellent practice. The guys are very sharp and they’re excited. We’ll have to go down there and do just as well and do better.”
Harbaugh called the 49ers “a very well-coached football team.” He said it with a grin, because the 49ers are coached by his brother Jim.
Final Pro Bowl?
Adrian Peterson signed and tossed miniature footballs into the Aloha Stadium stands, then chatted up Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen. Arian Foster played Peyton Manning’s bodyguard for stadium cameras and told fans he recently walked on hot lava.
The Pro Bowl players practiced a little, too, on a sunny day in Honolulu, one day before an all-star game that will likely be used to determine its own future.
But the game’s main purpose is fun, said several players including Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph and Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles.
“I feel like there’s no responsibility, it’s just all about fun,” Charles said. “You work hard during the year — it’s not like a competitive game.”
Competition — or at least the appearance of it — is exactly what the NFL is looking for from its stars on today as it uses the game as a measurement of whether it’s worth putting on in future years. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the game will stop if play doesn’t improve, drawing mixed reactions from top players all over the league.
Bears cornerback Charles Tillman says he doesn’t want this year’s Pro Bowl players to be known as the group who led to the game’s cancellation, taking away an honor for future players.
“I don’t want this to happen on my watch,” he said.