Peter King

Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King, known for his Monday Morning Quarterback column, appeared on the Mut & Merloni show Monday morning to talk about the Saints’ bounty scandal, and he also touched on a free agent signing that could affect the Patriots.

With news breaking that running back Arian Foster agreed to a new contract with the Texans, King noted that the chances of defensive end Mario Williams becoming a Patriot just increased.

“I was surprised by Houston signing Arian Foster for five years and $43 million because they could’ve tagged him as a restricted free agent this year and an unrestricted free agent next year. They could’ve tagged him both times and kept him for a lot less money for what they in essence have guaranteed him. They’ve guaranteed him 20 million bucks in this contract.

“I think that is a tremendously positive sign for sort of team cohesion and treating your players the right way. This is a guy who basically has averaged 95 yards rushing a game in his 29 starts and really has performed tremendously. He’s clearly one of the top two, three, four backs in the league and the Texans took care of him.

“Now, what that means to me is they clearly — unless Mario Williams takes a fraction of what everyone thinks he’s going to get — that means that Mario Williams is going to be out on the market for somebody. And I wrote this morning, in my opinion I think the Patriots ought to be at the absolute very least kicking the financial tires on Mario Williams, because he can play so many different places on a defense. I just think he’d fit in very well with the Patriots.”

Williams likely could earn more money signing elsewhere, but King said Williams would be wise to consider less money to play in New England.

“If you’re Mario Williams and the Patriots offer you, say, $13 million a year in a long-term deal with good guarantees, you’ve got to think of that. If you’re a defensive player, who the heck wouldn’t want to play for Bill Belichick? … I’ve not talked to Mario Williams, so I don’t know what he’s thinking. Maybe he’s thinking, ‘This is the last contract I’ll ever sign and I’m going to make every last dime.’ If he is, he’s not going to the Patriots. But my feeling is, if you’re a really good defensive player and you want to be deep in the playoffs every year, where’s your best chance right now? My feeling is your best chance right now is go to play for Bill Belichick.”

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2012 NFL draft. Here is one is a series of profiles of players who could be on the board when it’s time for the Patriots to make a selection.

Quinton Coples sacks James Madison quarterback Justin Thorpe. (AP)

QUINTON COPLES

Position: Defensive End

School: North Carolina

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 285 pounds

Achievements: 2010 first-team All-ACC, 2011 Lombardi Award candidate, 2011 Hendricks Award candidate

What he brings: A strong defensive end who brings a lot of length to the line, Coples played as a defensive tackle for a most of last season, a move that showed how versatile he can be. Coples has the athletic tools to be an elite pass rusher but lacks the agility and overall speed that separates the elite defensive ends. Coples has great hands and strength that make him very hard to block without leverage. He’s been mentioned as a less-agile Julius Peppers.

Where the Patriots could get him: Round 1 (likely via a trade to move up)

Notes: Coples was cleared by the NCAA in the agent scandal that rocked the UNC program in 2010. While playing tackle last season Coples earned All-ACC honors after recording 59 tackles, 15.5 for loss, and 10 sacks. The biggest knock against him besides his lack of burst speed is the question of whether he can play defensive end on the right side. Coples added 30 pounds to his frame while at North Carolina.

Recent articles:

ESPN: UNC players stand out at Senior Bowl

CBS: Coples versatility drawing rave reviews

Video: Here is a collection of clips of Coples against Clemson and Florida State.

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2012 NFL draft. Here is one is a series of profiles of players who could be on the board when it’s time for the Patriots to make a selection.

Alshon Jeffery picks up some yards after the catch in a game against The Citadel. (AP)

Alshon Jeffery

Position: Wide receiver

School: South Carolina

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 229 pounds

Achievements: 2010 Biletnikoff Award runner-up, 2010 All-SEC, FWAA Freshman All-American

What he brings: Jeffery has the speed, size, hands and hand-eye coordination that make him extremely tough to handle for cornerbacks. His size advantage makes him a matchup nightmare, something Patriots receivers currently lack. While he doesn’t have the top-end speed of a true deep threat the Patriots desperately need, he has the ability to get yards after the catch because he is elusive for his size. Route-running and blocking are his biggest weaknesses.

Where the Patriots could get him: Round 1

Notes: In 2010, Jeffery broke South Carolina single season records with 1, 517 receiving yards and  88 receptions and he is the current leader in nearly every receiving category. His numbers dipped this season as a junior, but he ended strong, as on Jan. 2 he was the Capital One Bowl MVP in a win over Nebraska. Despite playing just weeks after having surgery on his hand for an injury suffered in the regular-season finale, Jeffery had four catches for 148 yards, including a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown reception — before he was thrown out of the game in the third quarter for fighting. His lack of improvement in route-running and top end speed are major concerns and his 40 time will be extremely important.

Recent articles:

Top 10 prospects centered around the passing game

Kiper projects Jeffery to 49ers

Video: Here’s Jeffery’s Hail Mary TD catch in the Capital One Bowl.

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2012 NFL draft. Here is one is a series of profiles of players who could be on the board when it’s time for the Patriots to make a selection.

Jared Crick (94) is handful on the defensive line. (AP)

JARED CRICK

Position: Defensive tackle

School: Nebraska

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 285 pounds

Achievements: 2010 first-team All Big 12, 2010 second-team All-American

What he brings: A hard-working end, Crick can quickly get to the quarterback because of his effort. A great run-stopper for a defensive end with the ability to shed a block on either side, he can get to the running back both in the backfield and while chasing him down. Crick is not the most explosive player, but he has a reputation as a workhorse.

Where the Patriots could get him: Rounds 1-2

Notes: Crick was on the watch list for all the major defensive awards, but he missed most of the 2011 season with a torn pectoral muscle after recording 22 tackles and a sack in five games. His would be good fit for the Patriots system, where his size and speed would allow him to slide into the line almost immediately. He ranks eighth on the Nebraska career sack list with 20. Crick played alongside Ndamukong Suh in 2009 after being an understudy to Suh in 2008.

Recent articles:

Injury doesn’t impact draft status, size does

NFL combine next step

Video: Here’s Crick in a game vs. Texas A&M in 2010.

Still looking for tickets to Sunday’s Super Bowl? Well if you’re a member at the wholesale store Costco, look no further than the store’s website. The site already features movie tickets, ski lift tickets and tickets to major sporting events, and now it has not only single Super Bowl tickets available but package deals that includes hotel rooms and a pregame party with Archie Manning.

For $2,999.99, you can get a seat in the upper level of the end zone. That’s $500 more expensive than a ticket in the same area from popular ticket reseller StubHub.com, but Costco does throw in the pregame party with Eli Manning‘s dad, along with other amenities.

“Our goal is to become one of the [ticket] options that pop into our members’ minds when it comes to these types of events,” said Kristin Lovik, an assistant buyer for Costco.com.

Other package deals include two tickets for $9,999.99, which also gets you a hotel room in Indianapolis for four nights, the pregame party, as well as admission to the Taste of the NFL, which is a charity dinner that includes a raffle and player signings. There also a $15,499.99 deal with better seats.

Tom Brady thanks Patriots fans during Sunday's pep rally at Gillette Stadium. (AP)

By the way the New York Post is playing it up, Tom Brady must have selected his caterers, picked out his appetizers and entree, and hired a band for the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory party.

On Sunday, Brady gave a speech to fans at a Gillette Stadium pep rally and said, “We’re going down there, and we’re going down there for one reason. We’re going to give it our best and hopefully we’ll have a lot more people at our party next weekend.”

That hit home with the homers at the Post, who responded with a story headlined: “Giants will make Brady pay for planning Patriots victory party.”

Wrote Post staffer Steve Serby: Tom Coughlin just might be inclined to mention Tom’s Terrific invite to, say, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty and Dave Tollefson, for starters.

Meanwhile, Giants punter Steve Weatherford made a similar slip of the tongue Sunday. Referring to a conversation he had with his 4-year-old son the morning after the NFC championship game, Weatherford said, “He’s a big sports fan and obviously he’s a big fan of mine. It’s special. I can’t wait to hold him after we win it all on the field.”

Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes — alongside Weatherford during a meet-and-greet at a New Jersey Dunkin’ Donuts — told reporters not take Weatherford’s words out of context and that they did not constitute a guarantee of victory. But Weatherford didn’t seem to care, adding: “Well, I’m not going there to lose.”

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Boomer Esiason

CBS Sports NFL analyst Boomer Esiason made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Monday morning to talk about how much of a role Rob Gronkowski’s injury will play in the Super Bowl, what this game means to both Eli Manning and Tom Brady’s legacy, and why it’s not likely that Peyton Manning will be a Colt next season.

“Last Friday if you would have asked me, I would’ve picked the Giants to win,” Esiason said. “I really would have because of the way they played and the fact that they were really playing extremely well in the last five games. They had the much tougher road to get to the Super Bowl.”

Added Esiason: “What gives me pause is the extra two weeks, and you know coach [Bill] Belichick: He’s smart, he gets it, he understands what’s going on. I don’t necessarily know that there’s a coach in the history of this league that has a better pulse of his team. … This is one of the best game managers I have ever seen as a coach. He’s going to have to be on his game. He’s really going to have to be on his game.

“And I still can’t believe, and this is not a knock against the Patriots, I can’t believe that they’re favored. I can’t believe it, because the NFC was a much better conference this year. the Giants went on the road, they beat some really good teams, Eli has been really, really solid through the postseason and the last couple of games of the regular season, and they’re just flying high and they’re healthy and they have everybody back. It’s shocking to me that the Giants are not the favorites in this game.”

Esiason, who suffered two high ankle sprains similar to the one that Gronkowski incurred in the game against the Ravens, said that the injury could be a game-changing factor, because even if Gronkowski plays, he isn’t likely to be 100 percent.

“If they would have played yesterday, there would have been no way he would have been on the field,” Esiason said.

Added Esiason: “When you have 90 catches during the year, 50 catches during the playoffs and you become an uncoverable tool and weapon that Tom Brady has, that is a significant, significant loss.”

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