Alright. C's real season a few weeks away, NFL in the thick of it.
Moss deal is history; time to move on. I'm looking at things the Pats could do now to really still make a push this season based on some rumors out there:
Bernard Berrian was already having a disappointing season at wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, and with this week's acquisition of Randy Moss (coupled with the eventual return of Sidney Rice), the BB Gun's reps figure to decrease even further.
Berrian expressed frustration with his lack of production and his increased role when he met with reporters on Friday, according to Tom Peliserro of ESPN 1500 in Minnesota, but said with regard to his future on the team and in the league, "I don't have to worry about that because I can't control any of that. All I can control is what I do."
It's probably fair to list Berrian among the receivers who could potentially see themselves traded this season (Steve Smith, Vincent Jackson, Deion Branch and Lee Evans are a few of the others), although it's unclear what kind of interest he might draw. He clearly hasn't clicked with Brett Favre since the QB arrived in 2009, but he had a very productive 2008 season that could entice a team or two into calling about him (the Vikes don't have a ton of depth at WR, however, so they may prefer to hang onto him).
Of course, if the team most frequently rumored to be looking for a wideout, New England, had eyes for him, they could have just asked for him to be included in the deal that sent Moss back to Minny. So a Tom Brady-to-Berrian combo looks unlikely.
As the rumor points out, Barrian is unlikely, or he would have been part of the moss deal. But what about the others?
I for one would be extremely intrigued by Lee Evans. Each year, I keep hearing about how advanced metrics AND scouting ranks him as one of the best in the game, but with absolutely no one to get him the ball he is extremely underrated. On the Pats, he could easily put up Moss-like numbers. Of course, so could Smith, who is more of a sure thing (but more expensive in salary and in trade assets...I bet Evans could be had for pretty cheap).
Kiper touched on this topic in one Moss reaction column:
but even a player like Steve Smith can't be considered an impossible get when you're holding such a massive picks portfolio.
Devin Thomas was cut from the Redskins...third year, 2nd WR picked in 2008; plays special teams too; is he salvageable on a good team with a good offense? I don't know, but he could be cheap and worth a try.
And, of course, it'd be fun to have Branch back here.
Switching gears a little, here's a little nugget about Brian Westbrook being unhappy about his role behind Frank Gore:
All running backs experience plenty of wear and tear during the season, and the same figures to happen with Gore at some point, which could open the door for Westbrook to see some more action. However, there's a good chance Westbrook is regretting his free agency choice, after seeing one-time suitors Denver and Washington going through revolving door situations at running back.
With the Pats' RBs banged up, would he fit on the team in a sort of SuperExpanded K. Faulk role?
Topic: Feeding on Rumors (NFL) (Read 3535 times)