If all goes right during free agency and in the draft, the team can point to this period as the time it established base camp at the NFL summit.

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, February 25, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

The New England Patriots stand just offstage, inches from the glare of the spotlight, peeking around the curtain at the waiting audience. It's time for them to fix their tie, smooth their hair, mouth their lines just one more time and then take a deep, cleansing breath.

They just exited the stage, and yet it's almost showtime again for the kings of the NFL because -- as people around here well know -- the plot doesn't start on opening day. It starts when the old season's barely turned cold and the new one is half a year away. It starts next Wednesday with the beginning of free agency. Then the Patriots will be eligible to make their opening moves with an eye on becoming the first NFL Superpower of the '00s.

They've won two Super Bowls in three years. They have the acknowledged best coach in the

NFL, two of the best coordinators, arguably the best quarterback, arguably the best defense, a culture of success and a stable of serious football players. The football-watching world cares a lot about what the next act will bring.

This is a critical 53-day stretch that ends with the NFL Draft. If all goes right over these days, the Patriots will someday point to this period as the time they established base camp at the NFL summit.

The first offseason domino is already falling. The Patriots have to get right with the $80.5-million salary cap by the end of business on March 2. They are a reported $2 million over the cap, though that number is hard to track, with 51 contracts in the mix. It's also impossible to verify since the Patriots' front office isn't open with contract information. But somewhere on this roster, somebody's reworking a deal or two.

So far, at least, the Patriots haven't contacted Gary Uberstine, the agent for Willie McGinest and Troy Brown, who both carry cap numbers in excess of $5 million. Other candidates for restructure include quarterback Tom Brady, corner Ty Law, linebacker Roman Phifer, kicker Adam Vinatieri and linebacker Mike Vrabel. There are indications nothing's been officially worked out with any of these players yet since all of them still have the same base salary on the NFLPA Web site that they had in September.

The Patriots have already untethered guard/center Damien Woody. And no matter how well Russ Hochstein played while replacing Woody for two playoff games, there is a dropoff athletically there that the Patriots will address. The Patriots also let running back Antowain Smith walk. Kevin Faulk, another back who becomes a free agent next Wednesday, is also unsigned. And then there's nose tackle Ted Washington, who -- useful as he is as a run-stopper -- will probably be all about Ted Washington when it comes time to sign his next deal.

Which leads us to the main areas of need on this team: offensive line, running back and (if Washington leaves) nose tackle. Wide receiver would probably be the next area that needs attention.

Last year, the Patriots attacked their deficiencies -- speed, pass rush and depth on defense -- on two fronts. The draft and free agency.

Given how close this year's model is to the cap ceiling, they probably won't be able to have it both ways this time. They're going to do it either through the draft or free agency, but not both.

In two of the last three seasons, the Pats have been especially active and extremely successful in free agency. Last season, they signed three players -- Rodney Harrison, Rosevelt Colvin and Tyrone Poole -- in a 24-hour period, and two of the three became major parts of the championship team.

If they decide to go the same route this year, there's little chance they'll be keeping all of their draft picks because they won't have enough room to pay them. (The Patriots own five of the first 96 picks in the draft, including the 21st and 32nd overall.) Last year, they dealt one of their two first-round picks when they (along with most draft experts) saw a precipitous talent drop from about the 15th through 50th picks. They added later picks, saved money by not having to pay a first-round choice and then hit on virtually every selection over the two-day draft.

There are factors that argue against the Pats being busy in free agency this season. For instance, last year the team's needs were more immediate. They needed a corner, a pass-rusher and someone who knew how to tackle people the way they were taught in Pop Warner. They found all of those. In contrast, this year the Patriots don't need to go out and find a bunch of veterans who can walk in and play right away because at most every position they have one.

Depth is key, and what better way to fill out a roster than by keeping picks and drafting shrewdly? The other reason the Pats may eschew a big free-agent push? Money. Free agents want guaranteed money, and guaranteed money hurts salary caps no matter how much a team tries to maneuver things.

Taking an educated guess at the team's free-agent plan, it'll take a run at a back (Charlie Garner is a Bill Belichick favorite), court Washington for a spell and quite likely dip their toes into the restricted free-agent waters since they have so many picks and signing restricteds costs draft picks as compensation.

Over the next few weeks, we'll spill ink and oxygen talking about who's available, who's visiting and who just signed. Yet there's a very good chance the Patriots may be content to just walk onstage next Wednesday and blink numbly into the lights as if they forgot their lines. They call that dramatic effect. And it could be the lead-in to a climactic April.