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Offense set to crank up: Moss gives Brady, Pats final jolt for new attack
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - Updated: 02:16 AM EST
Jim Miller finally had to stop talking so he could start laughing. The former NFL quarterback was trying to dissect the Patriots [team stats]’ recent offensive overhaul, but words failed him.
“My god,” he said. “I’m telling you, this is like an all-decade team.”
League observers were abuzz yesterday theorizing how coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will deploy their newfound weaponry. The passing game could look nothing like what the team’s fans have come to expect, which was all-world quarterback Tom Brady [stats] patiently picking apart defenses underneath while taking the occasional shot downfield.
Now he’s got two legit burners with size on both sides in Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth. He’s got a vintage Troy Brown [stats]-esque slot presence in Wes Welker. And he’s got all the complementary pieces he needs in explosive second-year back Laurence Maroney [stats], freakishly athletic tight end Benjamin Watson [stats] and jack-of-all-trades runner/receiver Kevin Faulk [stats].
“They went from one of the worst receiving corps in the league to one that just might be the best,” former All-Pro wideout Cris Carter said. “It’s amazing.”
Only Belichick and McDaniels know how they plan to use all the pieces, but Miller and Carter offered a few suggestions. Both, not surprisingly, started with Moss.
“Brady’s going to love Randy,” Carter said. “He’s absolutely going to love him. Randy’s going to do things Brady has never seen before. He’s going to do things that will blow Brady’s mind.”
And what kind of things would those be?
“His adjustment on bad balls,” Carter said. “How good his hands are. The fact that you can’t overthrow him. The way he can run right through coverage. There are routes that, against a certain coverage, coaches will teach you not to throw the ball. Randy Moss can run right through those coverages, and Brady’s never had a guy with the ability to do that. Troy Brown, in his prime, was a good receiver, but Brady has never played with a great receiver. Great receivers don’t have to be open for you to throw them the football.”
Miller, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2004 and now hosts a talk show on Sirius radio, took it a step further. Not only can Moss be thrown to while covered, he’s also going to open up a whole new realm of pass routes for the Pats.
“It’s the double moves, the go routes, the deep comebacks where the defensive back has to respect his speed,” Miller said. “He’s a bigger target that Tom can throw to. Nothing against David Givens, who was a strong player, or David Patten and Deion Branch, but those guys didn’t have the physical presence that Randy Moss brings to the table.”
Miller predicts teams are going to have to honor the sub-4.4 speed of Moss and Stallworth by keeping their safeties deep in cover-2 schemes. That’s key, because opponents killed the Patriots last year by bringing a safety into the box. Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders and the Jets’ Kerry Rhodes, for two, had field days flying into the backfield and recording double-digit tackles. They’ll have a hard time doing so 30 yards downfield.
That should open things for Maroney in the running game, or Welker and Watson underneath in single coverage against linebackers. Miller believes Welker will lead the Patriots [team stats] in receptions.
“The Patriots are so good at spreading it around, and Welker’s going to be great in the slot, on shallow crosses, running after the catch,” Miller said. “He’s a quick guy that just has that initial burst on the option routes that Tom likes, the kind of thing Deion Branch was good at. I wouldn’t put Welker’s speed up there with Deion Branch, but he has that burst.”
Put it all together, and the Pats appear loaded.
“It’s an All-Star lineup, man,” Miller said. “It’s night and day compared to last year. What Tom did was amazing, cultivating that group into something productive. Those guys weren’t the elite players that New England’s going to put on the field this year.”
http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=197792&format=&page=1
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - Updated: 02:16 AM EST
Jim Miller finally had to stop talking so he could start laughing. The former NFL quarterback was trying to dissect the Patriots [team stats]’ recent offensive overhaul, but words failed him.
“My god,” he said. “I’m telling you, this is like an all-decade team.”
League observers were abuzz yesterday theorizing how coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will deploy their newfound weaponry. The passing game could look nothing like what the team’s fans have come to expect, which was all-world quarterback Tom Brady [stats] patiently picking apart defenses underneath while taking the occasional shot downfield.
Now he’s got two legit burners with size on both sides in Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth. He’s got a vintage Troy Brown [stats]-esque slot presence in Wes Welker. And he’s got all the complementary pieces he needs in explosive second-year back Laurence Maroney [stats], freakishly athletic tight end Benjamin Watson [stats] and jack-of-all-trades runner/receiver Kevin Faulk [stats].
“They went from one of the worst receiving corps in the league to one that just might be the best,” former All-Pro wideout Cris Carter said. “It’s amazing.”
Only Belichick and McDaniels know how they plan to use all the pieces, but Miller and Carter offered a few suggestions. Both, not surprisingly, started with Moss.
“Brady’s going to love Randy,” Carter said. “He’s absolutely going to love him. Randy’s going to do things Brady has never seen before. He’s going to do things that will blow Brady’s mind.”
And what kind of things would those be?
“His adjustment on bad balls,” Carter said. “How good his hands are. The fact that you can’t overthrow him. The way he can run right through coverage. There are routes that, against a certain coverage, coaches will teach you not to throw the ball. Randy Moss can run right through those coverages, and Brady’s never had a guy with the ability to do that. Troy Brown, in his prime, was a good receiver, but Brady has never played with a great receiver. Great receivers don’t have to be open for you to throw them the football.”
Miller, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2004 and now hosts a talk show on Sirius radio, took it a step further. Not only can Moss be thrown to while covered, he’s also going to open up a whole new realm of pass routes for the Pats.
“It’s the double moves, the go routes, the deep comebacks where the defensive back has to respect his speed,” Miller said. “He’s a bigger target that Tom can throw to. Nothing against David Givens, who was a strong player, or David Patten and Deion Branch, but those guys didn’t have the physical presence that Randy Moss brings to the table.”
Miller predicts teams are going to have to honor the sub-4.4 speed of Moss and Stallworth by keeping their safeties deep in cover-2 schemes. That’s key, because opponents killed the Patriots last year by bringing a safety into the box. Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders and the Jets’ Kerry Rhodes, for two, had field days flying into the backfield and recording double-digit tackles. They’ll have a hard time doing so 30 yards downfield.
That should open things for Maroney in the running game, or Welker and Watson underneath in single coverage against linebackers. Miller believes Welker will lead the Patriots [team stats] in receptions.
“The Patriots are so good at spreading it around, and Welker’s going to be great in the slot, on shallow crosses, running after the catch,” Miller said. “He’s a quick guy that just has that initial burst on the option routes that Tom likes, the kind of thing Deion Branch was good at. I wouldn’t put Welker’s speed up there with Deion Branch, but he has that burst.”
Put it all together, and the Pats appear loaded.
“It’s an All-Star lineup, man,” Miller said. “It’s night and day compared to last year. What Tom did was amazing, cultivating that group into something productive. Those guys weren’t the elite players that New England’s going to put on the field this year.”
http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=197792&format=&page=1
