New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is expected to miss the next 4 to 6 weeks with a broken forearm.

The New England Patriots have used their franchise tag on WR ​Wes Welker​, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

When teams had their first chance on Sunday to claim young talent around the league on waivers — the day after 53-man rosters are set, and players with less than four years of pro experience subject to the process — it was no surprise to see Patriots players most in demand. Even so, the raw numbers were still somewhat shocking.

The Patriots were on the clock on “Path to the Draft” on Monday. New England is in an enviable position in the 2011 NFL Draft, holding six picks in the first three rounds. But what do the Patriots do with those picks?

Valentine’s Day is a day of love, so it’s only fitting that we take a look back at the things we love about the 2000s in the NFL. We have narrowed the list down to six here. But after giving this a look, you can join in the action down below and say what you love about the NFL.

NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports from Foxborough, Mass., on how many of the Patriots ensured they didn’t miss practice during a snowstorm Wednesday and why they are, indeed, listening to all the talk coming from the Jets.

Rex Ryan being Rex Ryan is taking all the attention off the Jets. Bill Belichick being Bill Belichick is making sure the Patriots ignores it.

From start to (almost) finish, the 2010 season has provided us with several dramatic transformations. No one would have predicted at the beginning of the season that the Patriots, Chiefs and Bears would be where they are right now.

Officially, the AFC playoffs will now go through Foxborough, Mass.

Pulling in a couple of fantasy thoughts from the Twitterverse.