As I watched the 2007 NFL draft unfold, I couldn’t help but hold skepticism over some uncharacteristic moves that were….well, uncharacteristic of the New England Patriots. First, of course, was their decision to draft embattled defensive back Brandon Meriweather out of the U. While very talented and highly touted heading into the draft, he will forever be remembered for the grape stomping imitation he did here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=djig29mgp9k
But nonetheless, the Patriots addressed a serious need, particularly with the dubious future of the franchised Asante Samuel.
Yet the real headliner for the Pats was when they traded a 4th round draft pick for the enigmatic, five-time pro bowl wide receiver, Randy Moss. This is a guy who has had several on field and off field run-ins with the law of some kind. On September 24, 2002, he was cited for failing to stop for a police officer and was arrested for bumping the officer causing her to fall down; he was also found with marijuana on his person. Then there was Moss walking off the field during the final game of that season against the Redskins, deserting his team in the waning moments as they closed the book on another disappointing season, failing to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Moss has also been fined by the NFL numerous times for incidents such as mooning the crowd during a game and squirting a referee with a water bottle. And he has also been accused of taking plays off at his discretion.
All this from a guy who had just been picked up by a team that, since winning the Super Bowl in 2001, has predicated its mantra on filling the locker room with character guys who fill roles and put the team first.
But then I realized something. The Patriots already have proven leaders, character guys, some of whom now wear three Super Bowl rings on their finger. And according to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com, Bill Belichick and Patriot officials were “candid in apprising Moss that there will be a zero-tolerance approach, and that the kind of behavior he has manifested at times in the past will not be acceptable.” Kraft even alluded to the veteran leadership of his team, affirming his confidence in Scott Pioli and Belichick to stack the roster with said character guys that can help a player who might otherwise become somewhat of a pariah acclimate to the culture of the organization that has made it such a stable presence at the forefront of the NFL over the last six years.
Meanwhile, Moss is already saying the right things. He is asserting that he is in awe at now being a part of this organization and was overwhelmed with some of the things Belichick said about him during the recruiting and interviewing process. This wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. The Patriots went to great lengths to ensure that this would be a good fit for the team, both performance and personality wise. And if he continues some of the erratic behavior that has made headlines since being drafted 21st overall by the Vikings in 1998?
According to owner Bob Kraft, "If people don't adjust to our standards, they won't be here."
Enough said.
As far as Moss the player, the Patriots are getting a tall, athletically gifted deep threat they have longed and desperately needed. The Pats have lost their deep threats over the past few seasons, watching as the Davids, Givens and Patten went to greener pastures via free agency. Then there was the high criticized and publicized departure of Deion Branch to the Seahawks. This forced the Patriots passing game to adjust to an offense that predicated itself on utilization of the tight ends, a two-back system with Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon and short passing routes to the outside. In fact, the Patriots only had two wide receivers with 25 or more receptions; Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk were the others, along with the released Doug Gabriel. The result? The passing game fell to 12th in the league and Tom Brady passed for the fewest yards in a season since taking over the reigns full-time in 2002.
You can argue that Moss has seen his numbers slip since leaving that potent, high-powered offense in Minnesota. After becoming the first players in NFL history to record 1,000-yard seasons in each of his first six years in the league, he has since only done that once in 2005. Also, after logging back to back seasons with over 100 receptions in 2002 and 2003, Moss failed to catch more than 60 passes in each of his next three years. But why be concerned? We may not need the Moss of old to bring home another Super Bowl, statistically speaking, at least. Moss is just the icing on the cake in an off-season that saw the Pats also add receivers Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington. Stallworth was brought into Philadelphia last year to become a bona fide number one after sitting shotgun to Joe Horn in New Orleans for four seasons. Although an injury plagued 2006, combined with the season ending injury to Donovan Mcnabb left Stallworth with less than stellar numbers (38 receptions, 725 yards and 5 touchdowns), he showed in the first two weeks just how explosive he could be. Against Houston and the New York Giants, Stallworth logged a combined 11 receptions for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. I remember how jacked up I was since I had selected him late in the 5th round of my fantasy football draft. What a steal!
With Welker, you pick up a slot receiver who will be invaluable across the middle as a possession guy. Welker really came into his own last year with the Dolphins, catching 67 balls for 687 yards and a touchdown. Not a big scorer, but a guy you can trust will catch the ball when thrown, too. Washington, meanwhile, has failed to hit stride over the past two seasons with the Bengals playing in only 12 games and logging 19 balls for 216 yards and a pair of scores; disappointing for the four year veteran out of Tennessee who displayed blossoming potential when drafted in 2003. And how can you not get excited to see “The Squirrel?”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xMuvjLcuvTI
All this depth in the receiving corps will give Tom Brady all the options he needs when packaged with Ben Watson, Kyle Brady and David Thomas at the tight end positions. Brady thrives on spreading the ball, and I am seriously excited to see him do it with players who have more talent than the cast of characters that did a laudable job of filling in last season as if we were watching The Replacements. But you do have to feel sorry for Reche Caldwell, who went from being the Patriots leading receiver last season with 61 receptions to being the 4th or 5th receiver on the depth chart at best. As my buddy Keefe said, this must be a real “eye-opener” for him.
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