Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) With Lloyd, it won't be easy to game plan for Patriots.
The point here is pretty simple: adding a vertical player such as Lloyd forces opposing defensive coordinators to re-evaluate how they prep for New England.
... I said Cover 2 above, but we could also throw Cover 4 (quarters), Cover 1 (man-free), Cover 7 (combination man), etc. into the discussion as well. Every coverage is suspect when you have a player that can flip the field on top of the talent the Pats already have on the roster.
And thinking about it today, if Lloyd does have the impact everyone expects in the Patriots offense, finding a coverage or scheme to match New England’s multiple alignments, personnel groupings and play makers just got a lot tougher.
I give the Patriots a lot of credit here. They targeted (and added) a player to upgrade their offense at a bargain price (3-years, $12-million). And considering the amount of cash we saw thrown at the WR position this past week in free agency, the Patriots made the smart move.
Nick Underhill reports BenJarvus Green-Ellis was at the MassMutual Center Friday night to drop the opening puck for the Falcons game. He says he would like to remain in New England, but is listening to all offers.
"It's a different process. It's not something that I've been through," Green-Ellis said Friday at the MassMutal Center, where he dropped the puck for the game between the Springfield Falcons and Portland Pirates. "I don't know what's going to happen. I just have to sit back and wait for things to unfold."
"It's not a perfect world," Green-Ellis said when asked if he'd like to remain a Patriot. "I just know that both sides are working on it and hopefully things get done."
He also has seemingly created a second career for himself by touring the country and taking part in the pre-game ceremonies at various sporting events. Besides dropping the puck for the Falcons, he stopped by the Atlanta Braves' spring training facilities in Florida last week to throw out the opening pitch for a game against the New York Yankees.
Green-Ellis said that dropping the puck was nothing compared to throwing out the opening pitch, but he wasn't nervous for either one because he knew he could deliver in both instances.
Did he throw a strike at the baseball game?
"Oh yeah," he said with a smile. "I threw a strike."
TEAM TALK
- Andy Hart says that signs point to Devin McCourty at corner in 2012.
- The PFW staff wonders if the Patriots should be interested in Tim Tebow, if Peyton Manning becomes a Denver Bronco.
- Patriots re-sign veteran LB Tracy White; Sign veteran safety Steve Gregory.
- Patriots announced the signing of unrestricted free agent WR Anthony Gonzalez.
- Patriots Today - Chung speaks at The Hall. (2.20 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Ian Rapoport reports the Patriots reached an agreement with ex-Broncos starting TE Daniel Fells.
- Mike Reiss notes Fells' contract is for three years and he is expected to earn around $2 million per season, with a chance to earn more based on escalators.
- Mike Reiss takes a closer look at TE Daniel Fells.
- Karen Guregian reports Patrick Chung was the featured speaker at the Hall at Patriot Place Thursday night, letting fans get to know a side of his personality they rarely get to see.
- Ian Rapoport breaks down each of the Patriots' done deals so far.
- Mike Reiss shares some thoughts on the Patriots free agency moves so far, and more.
- Greg A. Bedard notes the Patriots prefer to pick their spots in free agency, and catches us up with the happenings around the NFL this weekend.
- Chad Finn finds that with the Patriots, patience is usually rewarded.
- Jeff Howe is looking forward to an exciting wide receiver positional battle in Training Camp.
- Christopher Price takes a closer look at the Patriots' signing of DE/OLB Trevor Scott.
- Mike Reiss gets AFC West reporter Bill Williamson's opinion on the Trevor Scott signing.
- Mike Reiss shares some quick hit thoughts on Brandon Lloyd, LaRon Landry, Mark Anderson and Niko Koutouvides.
- Christopher Price tells us what the addition of Brandon Lloyd means for the Patriots' passing game.
- Ian Rapoport looks at the trickle-down effect of Brandon Lloyd's signing with the Patriots.
- Mike Reiss offers his opinion on the Patriots reaching an agreement with WR Brandon Lloyd.
- Tom E. Curran points out Brandon Lloyd is walking the talk when he said winning was more important than money.
- Christopher Price analyzes the Patriots' signing of WR Anthony Gonzales.
- Mike Rodak posts the Anthony Gonzales injury file.
- Mike Reiss details Matthew Slater's new three-year, $5.4 million contract with the Patriots.
- Mike Rodak reports the Patriots waived LB Christian Cox who spent all last season on IR after suffering a neck injury in the preseason opener.
NATIONAL NEWS
- James Walker (ESPN) Patriots fix only hole on offense with Lloyd.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Patriots reach agreement with Brandon Lloyd.
- Doug Farrar (Yahoo! Sports) Brandon Lloyd could be New England's dream come true.
- Jason La Canfora (NFL.com) Top free-agent running backs take weekend meetings. Jets showing interest in Benny?
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Low demand for veteran running backs.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Special Monday 10-pack: Winners and losers in free agency.
- Peter King (SI) MMQB: Ripple effect of Manning's decision will affect these parties and more.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Peyton's decision will put another quarterback in play.
- Staff Report (NFL.com) Peyton Manning stock watch: Who's the favorite right now?
- Clark Judge (CBS Sports) Handicapping the Manning field.
- Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) Who'd be interested in Tim Tebow if the Broncos land Peyton Manning?
- Don Banks (SI) What's next in Saints' bounty saga?
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Redskins, Cowboys could go "nuclear" over cap mess.
- Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) NFL facing unprecedented week with both Manning, bounty decisions.
- Dan Pompei (Nat'l Football Post) Sunday Blitz: The Bucs dole out the bucks, free agent winners, draft talk and much more.
- Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Gluttony: The wide receiver feeding frenzy.
- Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Burn unit: Who will get toasted by WRs in 2012?
- Brian Billick (NFL.com) Plenty of value remains as free agency enters second stage.
- Pat Kirwan (CBS Sports) Top 30 free agents for the second wave.
- Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) Late round/free agent backs who could make it big in the NFL.
- Mike Mayock (NFL.com) Mid-March position rankings for 2012 NFL Draft.