Another moderately stunning move by BB & Co. today, as former third-round draft choice Tyrone McKenzie has been released. The Patriots needed a roster spot after claiming rookie O-lineman Steve Maneri (6-6, 290) off waivers from the Houston Texans. Maneri signed with the Texans this past May as an undrafted free agent out of Temple University. New England also confirmed its trades for LB Tracy White and S Jarrad Page.
The New England Patriots acquired S Jarrad Page in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for undisclosed draft considerations and LB Tracy White in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for undisclosed draft considerations.
More stunners - some milder than others - from Bill Belichick and his staff of coaches and scouts. And another blow to the already suffering Patriots defense, as final cuts were announced late today.
Michael Garrett Mills was born the son of Michael and Billie Mills on Oct. 12, 1983 ... Earned conference academic honors all four seasons and CoSIDA Academic All-American accolades as a senior ... Both of his parents graduated from Tulsa, and his father played football at Tulsa ... A threeyear starting tight end at Jenks (Okla.) High School, where he also lettered as a linebacker as a senior ... Selected as the Tulsa World Player of the Year as a senior and was a member of teams that posted a three-year record of 40-1 and won three Class 6A state titles ... Named the District Player of the Year as a senior ... Caught 39 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns and totaled 45 tackles and two interceptions as a senior ... Recorded career totals of 71 receptions for 1,711 yards and 12 touchdowns ... Also lettered three times in basketball ... Management major at Tulsa, with a minor in Accounting.
Career Transactions
Garrett Mills was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round(106th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.
2006 Season
2006 (0/0/0/9): Placed on injured reserve on Nov. 14, 2006.
Buffalo (9/10): Inactive. at N.Y. Jets (9/17): Inactive. Denver (9/24): Inactive. at Cincinnati (10/1): Inactive. vs. Miami (10/8): Inactive. at Buffalo (10/22): Inactive. at Minnesota (10/30): Inactive. Indianapolis (11/5): Inactive. vs. N.Y. Jets (11/12): Inactive.
College
Mills' 201 career receptions at Tulsa ranked second in Division I-A history among tight ends and ranked third in school history among all players ... His 2,389 career receiving yards are tied for second in Division I-A history among tight ends (with Boston College's Pete Mitchell) and rank sixth on Tulsa's all-time list among all players ... Became the first tight end in school history to top 2,000 career receiving yards ... Caught 23 touchdown passes, placing him fourth in school history ... Gained over 100 yards receiving in eight games during his career ... Did not miss a game, playing in 50 contests with 33 starts and catching 201 passes for 2,389 yards (11.9 avg) and 23 touchdowns ... Added two kickoff returns for 21 yards and recorded 26 special teams tackles ... Was Tulsa's leading receiver for three straight seasons (2003-05) ... Caught at least one pass in each of his final 40 games, compiling the longest streak of any of the nation's tight ends when his college career ended. 2005 (Senior): Recorded 87 catches for 1,235 yards (14.2 avg) and nine touchdowns, with all of those marks tops among NCAA Division I-A tight ends ... His 1,235 receiving yards ranked fifth in the nation set an NCAA Division 1-A record for a tight end, breaking the old mark of 1,156 yards by Chris Smith of Brigham Young in 1999 ... His yardage total ranked fourth among all receivers in Tulsa history ... His 87 receptions ranked second on the Division 1-A single-season list for tight ends, trailing only James Whalen of Kentucky (90 in 1999) ... His 87 grabs rank fourth in the school's singleseason record books ... All-American first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and CBSSportsLine.com, adding second-team honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and third team accolades from the Associated Press ... First-team All-Conference USA choice, the third straight year he's earned first-team all-conference honors ... Named to the ESPN and CoSIDA Academic All-American Team with a 3.91 grade point average ... Gained over 100 yards receiving in seven contests ... Saw some action on defense, posting four tackles while assisting on a quarterback sack ... Tied his career high with 152 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the Conference USA championship game ... Also recorded 152 yards on 13 receptions against Oklahoma ... Caught a game-winning 66-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against Southern Methodist. 2004 (Junior): Earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors for the second straight season ... Led the team with 51 receptions for 560 yards (11.0 avg) and a pair of touchdowns ... Added six tackles (3 solos) on special teams coverage units ... Recorded a season-high 139 receiving yards on eight catches against Boise State ... Also earned Academic All-WAC honors ... Recipient of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete postgraduate scholarship. 2003 (Sophomore): Earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors, adding Academic All-WAC honors ... Played in every game, starting eight contests at tight end ... Led the team with 53 receptions for 456 yards and a teamhigh 10 touchdowns ... Led special teams coverage units with eight tackles (5 solos) ... Had at least one reception in every game. 2002 (Freshman): Played in 12 games as a true freshman ... Recorded 10 catches for 138 yards (13.8 avg) and two touchdowns ... Returned a kickoff 14 yards and registered eight tackles (5 solos) on special teams to earn Academic Freshman All-WAC honors.
High School
Attended Jenks (Okla.) High School, playing football for head coach Allan Trimble...Three-year starting tight end, where he also lettered as a linebacker as a senior (would also see some action at that position as a senior at Tulsa)...Selected as the Tulsa World Player of the Year his final season and was a member of teams that posted a three-year record of 40-1 and won three Class 6A state titles...All-State choice by the Daily Oklahoman and Tulsa World, earning honorable mention from the Oklahoma Coaches Association...Was named the District Player of the Year as a senior and received first-team All-Metro honors by the Tulsa World...Caught 39 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns and totaled 45 tackles and two interceptions as a senior linebacker...Had career totals of 71 receptions for 1,711 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 22 catches for 503 yards and three scores his junior season, and 200 yards on 10 grabs as a sophomore...Also lettered three times in basketball.
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