Troy Brown of '01 and Branch were far better than any receiver the Pats currently have and that's a fact.
Ummm. No, its not fact. Its just YOUR OPINION. The FACT is that in 2001, the Pats didn't have anyone BUT Troy Brown and David Patten. The Pats only had 2 legitimate WRs and a pass catching RB in Faulk. They had no #3, #4 or #5 receiver to speak of (all of whom were significantly worse than Kelvin Kight). They had no Pass Catching TE to speak of. Yes they had Wiggins, but that's it.
While Gaffney and Caldwell won't put up the numbers that Brown did in 2001, its because the offense has changed and has many more weapons.
OH, Branch wasn't all that. He'd disappear for games as well.
Yeah, the Pats will go to the open receiver, provided that receiver can actually get open. Did you not watch the Denver, Jets(#2), Miami(#2) or SD games? The passing offense was horrible those days.
Yes, I watched those games and it seems that, unlike you, I look at the ENTIRE situation and not just things in a vacuum. But lets recap for a moment.
Denver Game - Early in the season. Neither Caldwell nor Gabriel were on track. Gaffney wasn't with the team yet. The running game didn't do much that day. Corey Dillon and Matt Light both got hurt in that game. Brady made some very BAD pass attempts. There were MANY complaints about BRADY being the issue and not the receivers.
Jets game #2: It was horrible field conditions and Brady was slipping and falling all over the place because of the mud. That game was the straw that broke the camel's back regarding the natural grass being replaced.
Miami #2: Pats were 14-28 in passing and the offense had 4 fumbles, including the one by Doug Gabriel. The Pats were without Laurence Maroney that game.
San Diego: The Passing game was 27 for 51. Brady wasn't sacked, though he was pressured a few times. The receivers had a couple of drops. The Pats went with a short passing game, for some reason. Also, their running game took a huge hit with Faulk and Dillon being out for much of the 2nd half.
The Pats do need a deep threat on offense so D's will play us honest. They also need to be a scoring machine again (a la 2004) because our defense will likely go through some growing pains b/c of the LB position. Unless you believe we're perfectly fine at the LB position.
What "deep threat" did the Pats have in 2001 and 2003?
The Pats were a scoring machine this year, in case you missed it. The Pats scored 25 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs. That is actually MORE than in 2004 when they only had 44 TDs (29 passing and 15 rushing).
Now, why are you making stupid assumptions about what I think regarding the LB position? If you'd actually read other threads on the board, particulary in the draft forum, I believe that the Pats would do well to sign Jarrett Johnson and Carlos Polk as well as draft 1 or 2 LBs.
