Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 3, WR Joey Galloway

The 2007 season brought us the highest scoring offense in NFL history. This was due in large part to our revamped wide receiver corps, headlined by the acquisitions of Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Donte Stallworth was essentially a one-year rental and was gone after that season, and after 2008, we lost Jabar Gaffney when he departed to the Denver Broncos with former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. To fill the void left by their departures, we traded a 2009 fifth rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles for Greg Lewis and drafted wide receiver Brandon Tate in the third round. We also signed...

Number 3 on our list: Joey Galloway.

People may be skeptical about this pickup, and they aren't without their reasons. After all, Joey Galloway isn't exactly young anymore (are those gray hairs I'm seeing on his beard?). He's 37 years old and he's coming off a season where he only had 13 receptions for 138 yards because of injury.

But what if he's the outside threat we've been looking for to line up on the opposite side of Randy Moss?

As professional athletes get older, it's common for them to lose their speed. Except, all we've been hearing about is how fast Galloway is, even at his age. Peter King is among those who think Galloway could have an impact here in New England (although King says he's 38 years old; he won't be until November):

"Funny to think of in this way, but the key to a great offensive season for New England might actually be the fleet Galloway, who I'm told is running in the 4.4s even at 38. Imagine splitting a healthy Galloway and Moss wide to either side, with Welker in the slot and a good receiver like Kevin Faulk in the backfield. There are going to be some tough coverage assignments for a defense with those receivers playing as a group."

Michael Irvin recently did a nice video breakdown on NFL Network (starting at 4:33) of the experience Galloway brings to the table, comparing his route running to Jabar Gaffney and the way he sold his break better than our former wide receiver did (not too surprising, given that Galloway has been a #1 wide receiver for most of his career). Michael Irvin probably knows a thing or two about running routes.

Randy Moss and Wes Welker have two years of experience under their belts now in the New England offense, and they've both been hyping us up a little describing how much better they can be. Teams know how dangerous these guys are, hence they'll be drawing plenty of double-teams. This could leave Galloway with single coverage, where he can use those kind of moves to get open for Tom Brady. An interesting fact about Galloway is that he's never won a playoff game in his fourteen-year career. How much do you want to bet he's dying to win one here on the Pats?

So what do you think, Pats fans? Are we expecting too much from a 37 year old wide receiver? Do you see Greg Lewis receiving more of the snaps? Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.