Will Brandon Lloyd make the Patriots offense unstoppable?
The last time the New England Patriots played a game that counted, they most often lined up with receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch alongside tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Their opponent in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants, countered with a three-safety package that effectively focused on taking the middle of the field away. The plan was sound because if there is one area that Welker, Branch, Gronkowski and Hernandez threaten most, it's between the numbers -- short to intermediate. The approach also spoke volumes about how the Giants' viewed the Patriots' passing game -- there was no true vertical threat, and there wasn't much to worry about on the outer edges of the field.
The Patriots are undoubtedly hoping that Brandon Lloyd can provide a bigger boost than Chad Ochocinco did last season.
Bill Belichick, based on his offseason moves, must have seen the attack's deficiencies the same way.
Welcome, Brandon Lloyd.
A must read piece from Mike Reiss. He says balanced, I say unstoppable.
The wide receiver corps will by far be the most watched group this training camp, with so many big names and so many bodies, it will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Lloyd, however, is a virtual lock to make this squad and he's already impressing the media present at yesterday's OTAs.
Lloyd gives the Patriots offense an element that it's been missing ever since Randy Moss was traded. It makes them dynamic. Like Reiss states, the Pats had no deep threat last year. Still, that didn't really leave Pats fans with much to complain about, Brady still threw for over 5,000 yards and led the team to the Superbowl. However, that great offense just got even better with the addition of Lloyd.
Remember back in 2007, how you felt as a fan whenever Brady would launch a bomb? Instantly thinking Moss and looking for a highlight.
Recently when Brady has thrown it deep I've just been thinking "Shit shit shit, don't get intercepted, don't get intercepted".
Lloyd changes that, so does Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth depending on which, if not both, make this team.
The Patriots offense will now have a versatile passing attack. They can take better advantage of what defenses give them in the passing game. In Reiss' example above, the Giants took away the middle of the field. If Lloyd were on the Patriots, they wouldn't be able to do that.
The one big question for this Pats squad, obviously, is the running game. In this passing league maybe that's not as huge an issue as having a deep threat, but it continues to be the one Achilles heel for New England. When a team like the Jets puts eight guys in coverage, you're going to need to be able to run the ball.
Still, the Patriots are a pass first team. With a dynamic pass attack for the first time in years, they could be unstoppable again.
