Patriots Seek a Quarterback for Future

Steve Walsh might look good in a New England Patriots uniform. Bobby Hebert certainly would, and ditto for Jim Everett.

Maybe Maine’s Mike Buck could fill the bill. Or perhaps a quarterback from Moscow (Idaho, that is) would be the person for the job.

Whomever. Wherever. As life slowly seeps out of this season, the Patriots are already looking to the future. And to future quarterbacks.

“We’ve got to get a quarterback somewhere,” said Dick Steinberg, the Patriots’ director of player development.

One of the major reasons the Patriots take a 4-7 record into Sunday’s game in Los Angeles against the Raiders is the problem they have had at quarterback.

Tony Eason failed and is now with the New York Jets. Doug Flutie failed and is now buried on the Patriots bench. That leaves Steve Grogan, a 36-year-old with a history of injuries, and Marc Wilson, a soon-to-be 33-year-old, who has barely played in two years.

“It makes a lot of sense to try and look around and see what’s available next year in the draft or free agents (or) trades,” said Patriots Coach Raymond Berry.

It also makes sense for the Patriots to get a better read on Wilson, who has played less than a half this year after sitting out all last season. Grogan, as well as he has played, is certainly not the long-term answer, while Wilson’s one brief appearance this season makes him a possible solution.

Wilson made everyone reassess their opinions of him in his only regular-season game after Grogan sustained a concussion early in the second half Nov. 5 against the Jets. Wilson completed 12 of 18 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in a near-heroic performance.

Wilson’s touchdown pass to Hart Lee Dykes with 1 minute, 3 seconds remaining gave the Patriots a 26-24 lead. But the Jets won on a last-second field goal.

Berry might have opted to play Wilson Sunday against his former team, but with last week’s victory over the Buffalo Bills, Berry apparently holds a tiny bit of hope that victories in the remaining five games might get the Patriots into the playoffs. Thus, Grogan, who has played well in leading the Patriots to two victories in his five starts, gets the nod.

“Trying to get (Wilson) a chance to play as a starter certainly figures in our plans before the season is over,” Berry said.

“Right now we’re trying to concentrate on beating the Raiders.”

Wilson, Grogan and probably Flutie are expected back in the Patriots camp next year. New England also would like to bring in a young quarterback who can be groomed to take over the starting job.

“The most likely scenario,” said Patriots general manager Patrick Sullivan, “may be for us to sign a free agent.”

The Rams’ Everett and the Saints’ Hebert will be free agents at the end of the season. But signing either might be costly -- not only in terms of the money they would demand, but also because the Patriots would have to give up two first-round draft picks as compensation.

Another factor is that the Patriots might not be able to lure Everett or Hebert from their respective teams.

Trades for quarterbacks don’t happen easily, and the asking price for a good one is guaranteed to be steep. One quarterback who may be available for trade is Walsh, who is behind another young quarterback, Troy Aikman, with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys would probably demand a first-round draft pick to replace the one they used to select Walsh in the supplemental draft last spring, additional draft choices and maybe a player or two.

The Patriots would be interested, but probably not at that price.

The draft is a more likely avenue. Steinberg likes to build through the draft and the Patriots may get a fairly early first-round pick depending on how they finish.

The Patriots will definitely draft a quarterback. The problem is that there aren’t any blue-chip quarterbacks coming out of college next spring.

“We won’t take a quarterback in the first round if he’s not a first-round guy,” said Steinberg.

Idaho quarterback John Friesz is the player most consistently mentioned as having pro possibilities. Everyone seems to agree that the lanky, 6-foot-4, 216-pounder has a National Football League arm, but he is not mobile.

The Patriots are interested in Buck, who has played against National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-AA competition for the most part. Steinberg said he will have to see him in postseason all-star games to make a complete assessment.