Lloyd and Other New Pats, A Fan’s Take

Now it’s official, Brandon Lloyd is a New England Patriot. Let the excitement for the coming season begin! For those that aren’t aware, the acquisition of Lloyd is a huge bonus for the already deadly Patriot offense. A deep threat receiver like Lloyd stretches the defense and opens up the short passing game. Think about it, safeties and corners paying attention to the deep passing threat will allow receivers like Welker, Gronkowski, and Hernandez to wreck havoc. Lloyd has already proven himself to be a dangerous receiver, leading the league in 2010 for receiving yards. What many people don’t realize, however, is he accomplished this feat and his past success while being thrown to by sub-par quarterbacks. Let’s take a look at the list of his past quarterbacks: Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith, and the list goes on with less prominent names. Sure, Bradford isn’t a bad quarterback, but he had a rough season last year while Lloyd was on the team. Alex Smith isn’t bad either, but Lloyd caught him early in his career before his recent success. With Lloyd joining the Pats, he will finally have an opportunity to work with a high caliber quarterback, Tom Brady. The two can hopefully form a deadly duo that will remind fans of the Randy Moss days.

Alright, now for the other new Patriots. The acquisition of WR Anthony Gonzalez from the Colts likely means…nothing! True, his numbers weren’t bad his rookie and sophomore years, but this guy has been injury plagued and I honestly can’t see him even making the roster let alone seeing much playing time. The Patriots already have receivers in Branch, Ochocinco, Edelman, Welker, and now Lloyd. Five bucks says this guy doesn’t make the final cut.

The Patriots have also signed the ex-Raider DE, Trevor Scott. Unlike Gonzalez, I actually see Scott becoming a great addition to the team. He is a very promising player despite his past injuries. If  the Raider’s organization didn’t have the stability of Tebow’s QBR, he might have emerged as a prominent defensive figure. Now, under Coach Belichick, look for this player to be a difference maker if he can stay injury free.