By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com Patriots InsiderFollow @tomecurran
Keith Bulluck wants to be Junior Seau. A longtime standout linebacker for the rock-ribbed defenses of the Titans, Bulluck is looking for a post-lockout landing spot.He named the Patriots as a desired destination. "New England is always veteran-friendly, and I know, every year, theyre in contention of winning," Bulluck told host Adam Schein on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Like I say, I want to win, really. At this point in my career, financially, me and my family are fine. But I definitely would like to be in a position to play myself into maybe possibly being one of the top-paid linebackers in the league again. Definitely one of the top players in the league. It's unlikely the 34-year-old free agent-to-be will roll back the clock to that level. He was limited to eight games last year with the Giants as he came off an ACL surgery. But the Patriots are - as Bulluck points out - a veteran-friendly team as they've demonstrated with Seau and several other greats in the twilight of their careers. I believe the Patriots could use that kind of stabilizing influence among the linebackers. By every report, Jerod Mayo is one of the finest leaders in the NFL and the young linebackers surrounding him - Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham, primarily - are in an excellent position to learn from him. But Mayo's got his own job to do as well and having a veteran presence between the lines like Bulluck could help. The question is, whether or not Bulluck knows enough about the 3-4 principles the Patriots use to be of major assistance. He's been in 4-3 systems his entire pro career. And he's not going to be in a position to unseat Spikes at inside linebacker on first and second down and he doesn't have the ability to cover like Gary Guyton does on third downs. He would very much be a figurehead leader with a specific and narrow role.And I'm not sure, based on his desire to once again be one of the top linebackers in the league, that would work for him.
Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran