Just a day after muffing a fourth quarter punt that led to the New England Patriots' 30-24 loss at Denver, wide receiver Chris Harper has been released by the team.

Harper, who played sparingly in the Sunday night defeat, took his eyes off of a punt early in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost control of the football that was recovered by the Broncos. That play seemed to turn the tides of the game and give Denver some momentum.

Let's get one thing straight though; people should be more upset about the horrendous officiating late in the game than the miffed punt, if they're looking to place blame for the loss.

This was Harper's second stint on the active roster this season, after signing with the team after this past year's draft, in which he was not selected. The rookie out of California played well in the preseason and earned a spot on the initial 53-man roster, but was cut and resigned to the practice squad after Week 1. He was added to the active roster again, prior to last week's game against Buffalo.

If the undrafted free agent clears waivers, which he most likely will, look for the Patriots to resign him to their practice squad.

The move to release Harper could also mean that receiver Danny Amendola is close to returning to the line up and Keshawn Martin's hamstring is back to near full health after he played a bulk of the snaps on offense yesterday.

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