New England Patriots

New England signed DB Sterling Moore from its practice squad Saturday before its Week 6 matchup against Dallas. The Patriots released DT Marcus Harrison to clear space on the 53-man roster for Moore.

The Patriots made some roster moves on Wednesday. They added LB Niko Koutouvides and DB Sterling Moore to the 53-man roster, while putting DB Josh Barrett on injured reserve with a calf injury.

Calf - IR. Out for the season

Patriots DB Antwaun Molden recorded the first interception of his career in Week 12 against the Eagles. He picked off QB Vince Young in the second quarter and finished with four tackles in the 38-20 win.

Patriots DL Mark Anderson recorded a sack Week 17 against the Bills, giving him 10 on the season. He also had seven tackles, including three solo, in the contest.

After a busy game in the AFC Championship, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski didn’t have much to do in the Super Bowl, kicking just two extra points and a second-quarter 29-yard field goal as New England lost to the Giants 21-17.

New England LB Brandon Spikes has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Philadelphia. He's still dealing with a knee injury.

Patriots DL Shaun Ellis brielfy left during Week 5 against the Jets with a knee injury, but was able to return and finish out the contest. Ellis, who was limited in practice last week with his injury, only had one tackle in the 30-21 victory.

The Boston Herald reports that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski underwent successful surgery Friday to fix his ailing ankle. The surgery was an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the ankle. Gronkowski played on a high-ankle sprain in Super Bowl XLVI, battling ligament damage to make two catches for 26 yards. The estimate is that it’s a 10-week recovery. That should allow him to be ready by mid-April, possibly for mini-camp.

Ankle - Probable for start of 2012 training camp

Patriots rookie QB Ryan Mallett was the team's No. 2 QB in Thursday's preseason opener against the Jaguars with Tom Brady sitting out, and he impressed when he took over. He played the majority of the second half and engineered some scoring drives. Mallett completed 12 of 19 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown in the blowout win.

The Patriots made RB Stevan Ridley a healthy inactive on Sunday for the AFC Championship game at home against Baltimore. The Boston Globe had reported that the Patriots were thinking of going with just BenJarvus Green-Ellis for the rest of the playoffs after Ridley had fumble issues against the Texans in the divisional playoff win.

The Patriots signed LB Markell Carter, WR Britt Davis, DE Aaron Lavarias, LB Mike Rivera, WR Tiquan Underwood and DB Ross Ventrone to future contracts.

The Patriots made some roster moves on Wednesday. They added LB Niko Koutouvides and DB Sterling Moore to the 53-man roster, while putting DB Josh Barrett on injured reserve with a calf injury.

The Patriots announced Thursday that WR Tiquan Underwood has been re-signed to the 53-man roster and that rookie LB Jeff Tarpinian has been placed on injured reserve with a head injury. In addition, S Ross Ventrone has been signed to the practice squad and DB Josh Victorian has been released from the practice squad.

Illness - IR. Out for the season

Patriots DB Devin McCourty, who recorded his first interception of the season in Week 16, added another Week 17 against the Bills. He also had five tackles, including two solo.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman did not record any catches in Week 11 against the Chiefs but he was able to make a big play on special teams. In the third quarter, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown. It was his first score of the season. Edelman totaled 81 yards on two returns in the 34-3 win.

The Patriots released LB Vinny Ciurciu, WR Robert Ortiz, DB Roderick Rogers, QB Andrew Walter and DL Stephen Williams on Friday.

Patriots DB Patrick Chung, who had missed seven straight game because of a foot injury, is active for Week 17 against the Bills. He was limited in practice leading up to the game because of the injury.

Patriots RB Danny Woodhead did most of his damage on the team’s final drive of the first half, as the team went to him eight times, including three times through the air for 23 yards and a four-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 10-9 lead heading into halftime. He would finish the game with just 18 yards on seven carries, doing most of his damage through the air with four catches for 42 yards and the score as the Patriots fell 21-17 in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots signed LB Markell Carter, WR Britt Davis, DE Aaron Lavarias, LB Mike Rivera, WR Tiquan Underwood and DB Ross Ventrone to future contracts.

Patriots LB Gary Guyton picked off Big Ben deep in Pittsburgh territory in Week 8, giving the Patriots offense great field position. New England converted on the good position. Guyton finished the game with three tackles, two solo, in the Patriots 25-17 loss to the Steelers.

Patriots WR Matthew Slater did not see many passes thrown his way in Week 1 against the Dolphins but he made his one catch count. He caught a 46 yards pass from QB Tom Brady in the 38-24 win. Slater was targeted two times.

Patriots DB Sterling Moore, who had been a non-factor on defense virtually all season, came through with two interceptions Week 17 against the Bills, returning one 21 yards for a touchdown. He had only one tackle in the contest, however.

New England DB Sergio Brown netted seven tackles and an interception during the Patriots' 35-21 victory over San Diego in Week 2 on Sunday. Brown picked off Chargers QB Philip Rivers in the third quarter for his first career interception. "That was my first interception since high school," Brown told ESPN.com. "Really -- high school. I was so in the moment that I really don't remember what I did after the interception."

WR Deion Branch said after the Patriots' Super Bowl XLVI loss that he intends to re-sign with the team this offseason. "This is where I want to be, this is where I want to retire," he told ESPN. "This is why I came back, for the opportunity to play in this game. I'm pretty sure I will be here in this position next year."

Patriots DB Kyle Arrington, who has been limited by a foot injury over the last few weeks, is active for Week 17 against the Bills. Arrington has yet to miss a game because of the injury.

The Patriots placed DL Myron Pryor on injured reserve Wednesday because of a shoulder injury.

Shoulder - IR. Out for the season

Wes Welker is expected to get the franchise tag from the Patriots before the start of free agency, according to the Boston Globe. The report adds that things could turn ugly between Welker and the team including a holdout potentially going as long as possible. Welker played big in his contract year, catching 122 passes for a career-best 1,569 yards and career-high nine touchdowns in 2011.

The Sports Xchange reports that Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco has decided to eighty-six his name change after less than four years. Ochocinco announced via his Twitter account that he will change his name July 4, responding to a fan who claimed to have five of the star's jerseys on his wall. "Take them down," Ochocino tweeted. "I'll be Johnson on July 4th." Ochocinco caught 15 passes for 276 yards during the 2011 season, his first with New England after 10 seasons with the Bengals. He caught one pass during the postseason, a 21-yard reception during Super Bowl XLVI.

Patriots QB Brian Hoyer, filling in for Tom Brady in a Week 17 rout of the Dolphins, completed 7 of 13 passes for 122 yards, including a 42-yard scoring strike to Brandon Tate.

The Patriots announced on Saturday that DL Ron Brace has been activated to the 53-man roster from the physically unable to perform list. Brace was placed on the PUP list back on Sept. 3 with an elbow injury.

The Boston Globe reports Sunday that the Patriots made some roster moves. The team announced that they signed TE Garrett Mills to an undisclosed contract, making room by waiving injured safety Bret Lockett.

New England DB Nate Jones registered a season-high nine tackles, including six solo stops, during the Patriots' 31-24 victory over Indianapolis in Week 13. Jones finished one tackle shy of the team lead as he posted his highest output since Nov. 8, 2009 while with Miami (11).

New England RB Kevin Faulk is contemplating retirement after being a healthy inactive for the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, reports the Boston Globe. "That morning, when I got the word that I wasn’t going to dress . . . wow," Faulk said. “I went in the room, cried a little bit, because 75 percent of me knew that this could be my last game playing, not playing, just dressing. If I dress, there could be that chance that I could play. So that really crushed me a whole lot. Went into my room, read my Bible, read so many different Scriptures, so many different chapters in the Bible, until it was time to go to the stadium. [I took] my exit physical after the game and the trainers give me a big hug and that’s when I knew, like ‘Wow, that might be it'."

Patriots RB Shane Vereen saw action for the second time this season in Week 12 against the Eagles. He gained 18 yards on seven carries in the 38-20 win.

The Patriots have released DB Mark Dillard from their practice squad.

The Patriots placed DE Mike Wright (concussion) on injured reserve. Wright suffered his second concussion since the midpoint of last season in this season's opener against the Dolphins.

Concussion - IR. Out for the season

The Patriots released DB Malcolm Williams, who has bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster since being picked in the seventh round this year. The Patriots now have an open roster spot heading into Sunday's showdown against the Broncos.

The New England Patriots announced that rookie free agent LB Christian Cox has been placed on injured reserve with a neck injury.

Neck - IR. Out for the season

The Patriots placed DL Andre Carter on season-ending injured reserve on Monday. Carter underwent surgery on his quadriceps earlier in the day. He was injured in Sunday's win over the Broncos.

Quad - IR. Out for the season

New England added DL Alex Silvestro to the active roster on Friday in preparation for Week 16 against Miami. Silvestro has spent the entire season on the Patriots' practice squad.

New England DB James Ihedigbo spent more time in the Week 14 win at Washington on the ground than he did on his feet. Ihedigbo was in clear pain, but continued playing through it and never officially left the contest. Ihedigbo registered five tackles in the game for the Patriots.

New England DL Vince Wilfork recovered a Rex Grossman fumble in the end zone in the first quarter of Sunday's Week 14 win at Washington. Wilfork fell on the ball on the ground and recovered for a touchdown for the Patriots to make the score 7-0. Wilfork finished the game with four tackles and one went for a loss.

With fellow TE Rob Gronkowski limited with an ankle injury, the Patriots needed Aaron Hernandez to step up in the Super Bowl. Hernandez did his piece for the most part, as he led the team with eight catches and 67 yards and a third-quarter touchdown that put the team up by two scores. However he did have a costly drop on the final drive of the game, as the Patriots tried to come back from four-point deficit. They would wind up losing 21-17, as a Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds intended for Hernandez was batted down in the end zone.

Patriots LB Dane Fletcher was injured in the second quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Buccaneers. He sustained a thumb injury and was not expected to return. Fletcher had one tackle before the early exit.

The Patriots signed LB Markell Carter, WR Britt Davis, DE Aaron Lavarias, LB Mike Rivera, WR Tiquan Underwood and DB Ross Ventrone to future contracts.

Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis led his team in rushing in the Super Bowl; of course, given that his team features Tom Brady and one of the most prolific passing games in the league, it led to a predictably run-of-the-mill final line, as he received just 10 carries for 44 yards while adding two receptions for 15 yards in the game. The Patriots would wind up losing the game 21-17 after a late-game comeback by the Giants.

The Patriots released eight players on Friday in anticipation of Saturday's roster deadline. The Patriots released veteran LB Ricky Brown, OL Jonathan Compas and DL Darryl Richard; first-year players TE Carson Butler and WR Buddy Farnham and rookie free agents OL Mike Berry, RB Richard Medlin and OL Corey Woods

The Dolphins reached the decision on the final 53 players they will carry heading into the season, so they let several players go. Among the released were QBs Kevin O’ Connell and Pat Devlin, CB Vincent Agnew, TE Brett Brackett, WR Patrick Carter, TE Dedrick Epps, LB Jonathan Freeny, RB Nic Grigsby, WR Phillip Livas, WR John Matthews, CB Nate Ness, LB David Nixon, WR Julius Pruitt, S Mark Restelli, LB Robert Rose, TE Mickey Shuler, LB Quinton Spears, S Gerald Alexander, CB Will Allen, FB Lousaka Polite and NT Ronald Fields.

New England DL Brandon Deaderick recorded a sack on Sunday of Week 14 in a win at Washington. Deaderick recorded five tackles in the game and four of them were solo.

New England announced Saturday the club re-signed DB Brandon McGowan and LB Tracy White. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. McGowan, 27, signed with the Patriots in 2009 after four seasons with Chicago (2005-2008). He missed all of 2010 with a chest injury.

For the second time in as many Super Bowl appearances, Patriots QB Tom Brady was overshadowed by Giants QB Eli Manning's late-game heroics. Manning led his team on a go-ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, however he left just enough time for Brady to try to lead his team downfield. With 57 seconds remaining and his team needing a touchdown to win, Brady had Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch drop early first-down passes that could have given them the momentum they needed to come from behind. In the end, Brady was forced to attempt a 51-yard Hail Mary pass as time ran out, which was almost brought in by Rob Gronkowski. Unfortunately, the ball was batted down and Brady would lose his second Super Bowl in five trips. He finished the game with 276 yards passing and two touchdowns, though he did throw a fourth-quarter interception in Giants territory that could cost the Patriots a shot at valuable insurance points.

New England placed DB Ras-I Dowling on season-ending injured reserve Saturday with a troublesome hip injury. Dowling left the Patriots' game in Week 2 against San Diego and has not played since with the issue. New England also activated DL Brandon Deaderick and RB Kevin Faulk from the PUP list.

Hip - IR. Out for the season

The Patriots signed LB Markell Carter, WR Britt Davis, DE Aaron Lavarias, LB Mike Rivera, WR Tiquan Underwood and DB Ross Ventrone to future contracts.

Patriots DL Kyle Love recorded his first sack of the season in Week 8 against the Steelers. New England would lose the game, 25-17. That was Love's only contribution in the game.

As anticipated, the Patriots re-signed DL Gerard Warren on Wednesday. He had been cut by the team in the preseason.

New England LB Jerod Mayo had a monster tackling performance in the winning effort over the Dolphins on Saturday of Week 16. Mayo recorded 13 tackles and two sacks in the performance as he took down Miami QB Matt Moore repeatedly.

New England has placed DL Jermaine Cunningham (hamstring) on injured reserve on Saturday. The Patriots brought back DE Eric Moore.

Hamstring - IR. Out for the season

Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich, who was limited in practice leading up to the game because of a hip injury, is active for Week 17 against the Bills. He currently has 6 1/2 sacks on the season after recording one in five of his last six games.