Without Moss, Brady Doing a Great Job of Spreading the Ball Around

Although wide receiver Wes Welker’s individual numbers have declined since Randy Moss’s abrupt departure on October 5, the New England Patriots have actually improved considerably on offense as a whole without the polarizing presence of Moss. Brady is doing a much better job spreading the ball to everyone, including the suddenly revived Deion Branch, which has also improved the running game and create a balance offensively.

Back in Week 2 against the New York Jets, Brady consistently forced the ball into Moss, who was only single-covered by Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie in the second half. In fact, after Moss’s acrobatic one-handed touchdown catch late in the first half, Brady targeted Moss seven times in the second half. The result? ZERO catches, TWO interceptions. The Patriots ended up losing that game and Brady threw as many interceptions that game as he has the rest of this season.

With the enigmatic presence of moss not out of the locker room, the Patriots offense has become even more explosive. To make it even better, they’re doing it as a collective unit with a bunch of no-name players, just how New England won their three Super Bowls to begin this millennium.

Finally, the Patriots have realized that Tom Brady is the unquestioned leader of this team, and they are surrounding him with high-character, low-key players that don’t need to be force fed the ball. Six players have at least 18 receptions while five have at least 24. Danny Woodhead, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Branch, and Brandon Tate have become bigger focal points to this offense, and it has paid tremendous dividends for the team.

Following the Cleveland game, which we can now say was an aberration, the Patriots have scored at least four touchdowns and 30 points in each of their past three games, which were all wins. Against Detroit this past Thanksgiving, Brady threw for an astounding four touchdown passes in the second half; two each to Branch and Welker. In previous game against Indianapolis, Hernandez, Welker, and Danny Woodhead each had a touchdown reception. Against Pittsburgh, Gronkowski had three touchdown receptions. Different players are getting it done in different weeks.

With the passing game going extremely well, the running game has certainly opened up for the Patriots. BenJarvus Green Ellis and Woodhead, two undrafted running backs, have combined to rush for 971 yards this season and while that may not seem like a lot, they haven’t gotten the amount of carries as other elite running backs in the league. They have averaged nearly five yards per carry and do an exceptional job of breaking tackles and getting the tough yards. They fight for every last inch on every play and despite their physical limitations, they have turned negative plays into positive plays several times this season. Coach Bill Belichick covets these running backs, and the work of these two players has kept opposing defenses honest against the run, which has continued to open up the passing game.

As everyone continues to get more comfortable and acclimated as an offense, New England will continue to put plenty of points on the scoreboard. Since a different player has a breakout game each week, the defense does not know who Brady will distribute the ball to at any given time. In addition, since each of these receivers and running backs feels like they are a major part of this team, they will continue to run hard and either create separation for themselves or for their teammates. Deion Branch must feel like one of the luckiest people in the world coming back to New England, as he gets to join an unselfish receiving corps who only cares about winning.