A lot has been made about the New England Patriots wide receivers in the past year. After losing Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker, the team attempted to replace them with Danny Amendola, but injuries forced him and Rob Gronkowski to miss significant time in 2013 and the wide receivers suffered as a result. Quarterback Tom Brady was left making something out of nothing as unlikely players became stars. After making several offseason moves, Brady likes what he sees from the new group.
While Amendola and last year's star, Julian Edelman, are back this season, the real star would be Brandon LaFell who signed in free agency from the Carolina Panthers. After looking extremely inconsistent during organized team activites, LaFell spent the weeks before training camp get more familiar with the Patriots' offensive attack and the way the team does things. Now he looks better than ever and Brady might have just found his new favorite target.
"He keeps making more plays," Brady said, via CSNNewEngland.com. "He's understanding better and better. He's a veteran. He's savvy, knows how to run the routes, big body, big frame, makes a lot of tough catches."
One thing Brady loves about LaFell is his size. The wide receiver is one of the tallest on the team with his 6-foot-3 frame. Aaron Dobson also comes in at the same height, but is currently injured with a foot issue. Amendola is 5-foot-11 while Edelman is 5-foot-10. The size of LaFell makes Brady's job easier as he is confident the wide receiver will go up and make a move for any pass. During joint practice with the Washington Redskins, LaFell had nine catches off 12 targets, impressing the coaching staff.
"Absolutely. I've got some of the little pygmies out there like Julian and Danny and it's nice to have a little bigger guy out there from time to time who has a bigger catch radius," Brady said. "Hopefully Danny and Julian don't get mad at me for saying that. They won't. They know I'm joking."
While the wide receivers group appears set with LaFell, Amendola and Edelman, the running back rotation could be a weaker point. Last season, the Patriots ran a ground game by committee, but with LaGarrette Blount out of the picture, other players must step up. Stevan Ridley is set to be the starter in his contract year, but Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden could steal some playing time.
