Last modified: Sunday, August 31, 2008 3:00 AM EDT Hard-nosed safety/wide receiver Raymond Ventrone (41) made the team. (Staff photo by Keith Nordstrom) Cassel survives cutdown BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - Bill Belichick proved once again Saturday that even though he appears on a radio talk show every Monday, he never listens to what's said during it. Talk show hosts, other media pundits, and a significant number of fans have been calling for the head of Matt Cassel on a stake for most of the Patriots' four-game exhibition schedule, but Belichick would hear nothing of it - and instead released last year's third-string quarterback, Matt Gutierrez, to keep Cassel as the primary backup behind future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. The return of Cassel was one of a few interesting decisions made by the Patriots' coach and his staff leading to Saturday's 4 p.m. deadline to set the team's regular-season roster. Among the biggest surprises: Cornerback Fernando Bryant, who started all four games in the preseason, was one of the 14 players given their outright release Saturday. Victor Hobson, the former starting New York Jets' linebacker who was seen as a free-agency coup early in the process, was easily beaten out by rookie Jerod Mayo at inside linebacker and was released. Two players who made headlines by playing offense, defense and special teams, Matthew Slater and Ray Ventrone, stuck on the roster. Butterfingered receiver-returner C.J. Jones apparently saved his job with two outstanding returns in Thursday's preseason-finale loss to the Giants, becoming one of eight players listed as wide receivers on the roster. Generally, teams rarely keep more than four or five. In all, 17 players were pared from the roster Saturday. The Patriots are in compliance with the 53-man limit, but they actually have 54 because running back Kevin Faulk, on the reserve-suspended list, does not count against the roster. Faulk was issued a one-game suspension Saturday for having been detained at a Feb. 22 concert in his native Louisiana and found to have four marijuana cigars in his possession. Faulk was issued a misdemeanor citation and later underwent a blood test, in which no trace of the drug was found in his system. Released were Gutierrez, Hobson and fellow linebacker Vince Redd, Bryant and fellow defensive backs Mike Richardson, Antwain Spann and Mark Dillard, offensive linemen Mike Flynn, Stephen Sene and John Welbourn, defensive linemen Titus Adams and Santonio Thomas, tight end Tyson DeVree and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Defensive tackle Kenny Smith (arm) and linebacker Bo Ruud (ankle) were placed on the injured reserve list and lost for the year, and offensive lineman Oliver Ross (shoulder) was placed on the non-football-injury reserve list to round out the reductions. The 53-man roster is likely to undergo a few revisions between now and the regular-season opener Sunday at Gillette Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12). As it is constituted now, there's a huge overload in the so-called skill positions - eight wide receivers, three tight ends and five running backs, although only four of the latter will be active for opening day. The receiving corps has Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney at the top, of course. Chad Jackson's potential apparently kept him in place, and Kelley Washington saw more game reps as a receiver in the preseason to go along with his special-teams play. Slater and Jones (returns) and veteran Sam Aiken (special teams) are practically in-name-only additions to the position group, but it could be argued that other positions may be left thin because of the overload. The addition of a third tight end in Stephen Spach behind Benjamin Watson and David Thomas may also be seen as overload, because linebacker Mike Vrabel has been particularly effective in that role over the years. Formalizing the third tight end on this roster may be a sign that Vrabel (12 seasons) is showing the wear of age that can also be found in fellow linebackers Larry Izzo (13), Tedy Bruschi (13) and Adalius Thomas (nine). The linebacking corps got younger with the additions of rookies Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton and Shawn Crable, but three of the survivors (Izzo, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods) are almost exclusively special-teamers. The offensive line (with Billy Yates apparently taking over for the PUP-listed Stephen Neal, who will be back in October) added just one new face in Dan Connolly, a third-year veteran late of Jacksonville. Ex-Baltimore Raven Mike Flynn made a strong bid to stick by playing center for much of Thursday's game, and may be the sort of fellow whose number will be on Scott Pioli's speed-dial if someone else goes down. In the secondary, the rejection of Bryant left unfinished business as the regular season nears. Now, the coaches must decide in maybe four practice days if veteran Lewis Sanders or rookies Terrence Wheatley or Jonathan Wilhite will have what it takes to replace the departed Asante Samuel. One move will be assured when Faulk's suspension ends on Sept. 8. At that time, the "battle" between backup tailbacks LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris may be renewed, or a spot may be opened from among one of the overcrowded position groups. Several of the released players, including Gutierrez, Green-Ellis, Spann and Redd, may find their way back to Foxboro by way of the eight-man practice squad, which will be assembled later today. MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.