NFL  > New England Patriots  > What is going on with Randy Moss ans Wes Welker "Last year & this" ???
May 12, 2009, 12:22 PM
I haven't seen too much written on Randy Moss with Cassel in the place of Tom. Personally I saw a huge change other than simply production & output wise. It seems to me that Randy didn't seem to play with the same fire as he did in 2007 with Tom. As hard as he tried to adjust to the loss of Brady and through the games it took for Casell to find some of his own timing, it just didn't really happen. The chemistry he found with Tom was extraordinary and will seldom be repeated, but I'm hoping on all hope to witness it again this year. To me it was poetry in motion.

I suppose it's Human Nature that playing with Cassel after Tom's injury just didn't bring out his optimal effort or performance. It looked like he was almost suffering from the loss of a good friend...yes, an almost palpable sense of loss and he himself looked lost at times. Often he missed passes he would normally make with Tom. When he tried to motivate teammates in his surroundings, it came off in a more mechanical way than in 07. Many of his early comments on Matt's performance were reserved praise judgements with a "wait and see" slant. Probably deliverd so as not to inflate Matts ego too much, but I always had the feeling that he was comparing him to Tom anyway.

Wes, on the other hand, seemed less emotionally involved or affected by the QB change. His adjustments to Cassel were flawless and he still seemed to play with slightly more commitment and a more natural enthusiasm than Randy. Maybe his job is slightly easier because it was easier for Matt to connect with all the short stuff, but I think the relationship between Wes and Tom is a lot different.

Love to hear your opinions on this and even more, what you think will happen when the 3 of them are united this year. Any projections..thoughts???

My prediction with a healthy Tom:

Randy Moss - 103 cathes, 19 TDs, 1,450 yds
Wes Welker - 123 cathes, 11 TDs, 1,280 yds

I'm figuring that Galloway/Lewis & the TE and running back depth will free up Randy & Wes more than in 2007. Go pats!!!

Thanks,
Neil
May 12, 2009  12:29 PM ET

Seriously. What a long rant about an obvious situation. SO...Welker didn't care and just wanted to produce, there are a ton of receivers that latch onto and form a bond with QB's. Young and Rice, Smith and Delhomme, remember Moss and Culpepper...this is his spot now. Give Brady that stellar reciever and they both are looking for big years. Lets just see what Tom comes back....that is if all those criminal background checks don't find anything...j/k.

May 12, 2009  12:33 PM ET

Sorry about the long rant...Guess it is about bonding, thanx. How do you see their production with a healthy Tom kryptonian GSP King?
Neil

May 13, 2009  02:58 PM ET

Interesting article Neil. I think some of Moss and Cassell not having the chemistry Moss and Brady had was due to Cassell's inexperience. Cassell couldn't read the defense at the line of scrimmage, which led him to being sacked more, which equals less time for Moss to get downfield. Plus, Cassell still threw balls downfield to Moss, they were just off-target. I liked Cassell, but he was definitely no Brady. I think if for some awful reason Brady were to go down again, I think you'd see a similar season out of Kevin O'Connell. Short dump passes to Welker, an occasional strike to Moss.

May 13, 2009  04:39 PM ET

Neil, I find it hard to anticipate better numbers from Brady/Moss/Welker in 2009 than they had in 2007! I think '07 was a bolt of lightning, unlikely to strike again in the same place. That said, they should be a productive group.

As for Cassel, he did come along as well as anyone could expect, but of course, in his first year of play, he was not the equal of eight-year veteran Tom Brady. But compare Cassel's numbers and visible performance to Brady's first year, and I think we saw much alike. Matt Cassel should be a very good QB in the NFL for years to come.

The reason he was sacked so often was probably timing more than anything else, as you cite. But I worry about the aging of the O-line. I have never been a big Matt Light fan, and he is getting on in years. I wish they had a better back-up, but maybe LeVoir/Kaczur is good enough? God, I hope so!

Comment #5 has been removed
May 13, 2009  09:27 PM ET

With all the slacking going on,how in the world did they finish 11-5?Because they are a great team!watch for moss to compete with TO for total yards TD's and Catch's..Id say 17 TD's 1500 yrds and 115 catch's.Love Moss and Brady(from THE university of Michigan,GO BLUE)Moss from Marshall!who is the back up now?

May 13, 2009  11:00 PM ET

Moss is not a 100 reception receiver. His production went down because Matt could not get him the ball. And others because he dropped it. He did get lacks in his business no doubt. But this is Tom's team. Brady being healthy and with some new weapons this could be an interesting year. No more 07s of course but Tom should have 3700. Moss should have like 15-17 tds and Welker should have about 100 catches again.

May 14, 2009  01:22 AM ET

Did you not watch many Pats games last year, Neil?

Cassell was not able to use Randy as a deep threat. More importantly, as a NEW QB, they had to simply the routes. In a simplified scheme, you do NOT throw into double coverage very often.
Because Randy is double-covered regularly, this stretched the field and opened up the possibilities for Welker.
Randy was used as a decoy very frequently.

It had absolutely nothing to do with "fire". In fact, nearly all reports agree that Randy stepped up as a veteran leader last year in Brady's absense.

 
May 18, 2009  02:17 AM ET

i think tb is going to throw to more of the second te and 3rd and 4th wr this year

hopefully alex smith the te makes the team

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