Laurence Maroney (AP)

Former Patriots running back Laurence Maroney was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor marijuana possession, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Maroney, a first-round pick of New England in 2006, was arrested with others Jan. 17 in his hometown of St. Louis after police approached cars slowing in traffic, smelled marijuana and located weapons in one of the cars. According to the Post-Dispatch, the circuit attorney’s office said an investigation determined those in possession of handguns broke no laws. Four others who were with Maroney that evening also face a misdemeanor drug charge.

Maroney played in New England for four-plus seasons, and was traded by the Patriots to the Broncos early in the 2010 season. Denver has not opted to re-sign him, leaving him as a free agent.

Allen Bailey (AP)

A league source has confirmed a report that the Patriots had Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey in for a visit on Thursday.

Bailey is a 6-foot-3, 285-pounder who played defensive end and defensive tackle with the Hurricanes, and recorded 19 sacks in his college career, including seven as a senior. He recorded 31 tackles for a loss in with Miami, including 11 in 2010.

His numbers are off the charts for a many of his size: he’s posted a 4.71 in the 40, as well as a 36 1/2 inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-9 broad jump. Projected as a possible late first-round or early second-round selection — NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said “there’s no way [he] gets out of the second round” — the Patriots worked out Bailey early last month, then got another good look at him at Miami’s Pro Day. Bailey reportedly also has visits lined up with the Falcons, Broncos and Buccaneers.

A converted linebacker, Bailey has some positional versatility. In an interview at the NFL scouting combine last month, Bailey — who stayed at Miami for all four years, playing 50 games, just two shy of Brandon Meriweather for most in school history — talked a little but about his ability to play both defensive tackle and defensive end, as well as how the transition went as a collegian.

“It was an adjustment. I’d played strictly outside the last three years, so it was an adjustment going inside,” Bailey said, “[But] I got the swing of everything and adjusted pretty well.”

Bailey is the second confirmed player to make a pre-draft visit to Foxboro — Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter was the other. Teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects at their facility prior to the draft.

For more on Bailey, check out our profile on him here. And here’s some video of his work at Miami:

Leigh Bodden (AP)

Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden said on Thursday that his shoulder “feels good,” and his rehab — which he continues to go through every day — has been “great.” Speaking on Sirius NFL Radio, he told hosts Bob Papa and Ross Tucker that he’s “ready to play.”

“Oh, man — the rehab has been great. The arm feels good,” he said. “I was thinking to myself the other day, I was like, ‘Man, I’m ready for some action. I’m ready to play.’ I haven’t played in a year, so I’m eager to get out there and do some things. Put in work. Use this arm. Jam some people up. But soon enough. The longer I have to heal, the better it is. But it’s really feeling good. I still continue to rehab every day. But it’s feeling great.”

Bodden also touched on a number of other subjects, including what it was like to sit out all last season while the Patriots ran up a 14-2 record, as well as the chance to see rookie Devin McCourty blossom into a Pro Bowler.

“It was definitely difficult for me personally to sit out and not play football, the game that I love, the game that I’ve been playing forever. But to watch as a fan, to watch the season that [the Patriots] had, it was just amazing to watch guys like Devin McCourty grow up in a heartbeat.

“You can never say, ‘This guy is going to be great or this guy is going to be this good,’ but when he first came, he made a few plays where I was amazed and shocked and like, ‘Man, he’s going to be a player.’ Me, personally, I didn’t think he would be as good as he was during the season, but like I told a lot of those young guys, ‘When you get that playing experience on the field, you just learn on the go.’

“He’s a very smart player. He’s a smart player, and that’s the thing that some rookies don’t have, is the knowledge of the game. That’s the majority of football, especially as you get older, not going off your athletic ability any more. It’s knowing the game. And he knew that coming in. And, he had athletic talent. So that just propelled him to have the great season that he had.”

Here are some other highlights from the Q&A:
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Chad Ochocinco and Wes Welker (photo from Ochocinco's Twitter feed)

A couple of Patriots-related news and notes for you this morning:

First, the team announced that Moses Cabrera would be joining the staff as assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Patriots had an open position following the promotion of Harold Nash from assistant strength and conditioning coach, and Cabrera got the call. Cabrera made his bones at the college level — he joins New England after spending 2010 season as the assistant strength coach at the University of Colorado and also served as the assistant strength coach at Fresno State from 2004 through 2009.

Second, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco — who has made no secret about his open flirtation with the Patriots this offseason — Tweeted a few pictures of himself working out Thursday morning at Bonmaritos in the Miami area with some New England players. Ochocinco, who said one of the pictures was of himself “and my teammate Wes Welker (teammate on Madden”) also had a shot of him and running back Fred Taylor. Several Patriots — including Taylor, Welker and Darius Butler — have been part of a large contingent lately as Bonmaritos, as players do what they can to keep in shape during the lockout.