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CBS football analyst Randy Cross joined the Dennis & Callahan show with Dale Arnold and Rob Bradford filling in Wednesday morning to discuss the Patriots and their recent acquisitions as well as the upcoming season. To hear the interview, go to the  Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page .

Cross was asked what he thinks of the AFC East heading into the first preseason game for the Patriots Thursday night. With the Jets winning last season’s playoff game vs. the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, he said the Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East — adding it may not be a bad thing for the Patriots.

“If I were going to handicap the AFC East right now, I think you have to start with the Jets in the 1 spot,” Cross said. “That is based only on what happened in this stadium last January and the way they played against the Patriots and the sort of a bad match at times they can be for this team, which makes them right now going in kind of the team to beat in the AFC East, which is a perfect position for the Patriots to be in, especially coming off of a 14-2 season.”

Asked for an early Super Bowl prediction, Cross went with the Steelers vs. the Packers in a rematch of last season’s title game. “I’m going to go with the Pittsburgh Steelers ’til proven otherwise,” he said of the defending AFC champions. “They’re doing nothing but getting better. They’re a tough, physical defense, and that’s always been the key.”

The Patriots currently have 20 players who play on the defensive line. Cross said this is unusual for the Patriots as they are usually a team that has extra linebackers on their roster. He notes that it could have an impact on special teams as well.

“It does present a compelling difference philosophically as far as how do you stock a roster when it comes to cutting the last 53 guys,” he said. “This has been a team defensively that has always highlighted the linebackers, and it seems to be a shift of of way and a year linebackers won’t be at the premium that they have been in the past. Down linemen will take up an extra roster spot or two. That also kind of raises an interesting story from a special teams standpoint. You’re light a few bodies on the special teams side that maybe play linebacker.

Ocho and Hoho : Football Tickets Online

I have waited a little bit since the Patriots picked up their much talked about roster additions before I wrote anything.  I wanted to see how it all worked out or appeared to be working out before I condemned it out of hand.  I follow all the NFL teams of course as a sports writer, but my favorite teams are the Patriots, Falcons and Lions , yes I said the Lions.  And in that order.

When the Patriots picked up Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth, I was not overly impressed.  Like everyone else, I had read all their horror stories.  I had watched as last season Ochocinco seemed more focused on a TV reality show than on the field.  Haynesworth was completely disgruntled, failing conditioning tests, not playing, overweight.  They were both in the news quite often and usually not for anything good.  Ochocinco became the king of Twitter and Facebook and Haynesworth became Hoho king.

The Patriots have taken on perceived “problem” players before.  Randy Moss being the most talked about.  But until he decided that pastures were greener elsewhere he was the model of Patriots football.  He performed his job well.  He was a team player.  He didn’t rock the boat or make waves.  He conformed.  Other players taken into the Patriots fold have done much the same.  Mostly because, they either do it the Patriots way or they find another place to do it.

The Patriots didn’t give up much at all to get Ocho and Hoho.  Just some late round picks.  Nothing really.  If either of them decide they don’t want to play Patriots football, they can be done away with quite readily without the Patriots been any the poorer.  In fact, that may be a great motivator for the two players knowing that at the slightest sign of behavior or performance that is not conforming that the Patriots can cut them loose without even looking twice.  It might make a guy want to really give it his best.

I follow Ochocinco on both Twitter and Facebook because he posts very interesting things for the most part.  He is funny and friendly online and he’s uplifting a lot of the time.  I have noticed that since he has been with the Pats his posts have been far fewer and almost all of them are very warm and fuzzy.  He genuinely appears to see this as a gift from Heaven that he has this opportunity and I think he wants to make the absolute most of it.

I do not follow Hoho anywhere.  I know that he has been practicing.  I know that he doesn’t look too terribly much overweight.  I know that he hasn’t made any news for the wrong reasons of late.  I have read things from Patriots beat writers who say that he is doing very well at practice.  All encouraging signs.

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