Antonio Brown

I'll be honest - I didn't want New England to sign Antonio Brown. I was in agreement with Tom E. Curran that "the Patriots should run like hell away from Antonio Brown."

And, again to be honest, I thought this was both funny and probably true.

But then the Patriots signed Brown. Now I have to concede that my opinion doesn't count for much and that in Bill We Trust.

Antonio Brown and his agent are, of course, saying all the right things. He's going to be accountable, do things the right way, the Patriot way, yada yada yada. But the proof of that will be on the field. And in the locker room.

Everyone seems to want to make the Randy Moss comparison to the Brown signing. But the voice in the back of my head keeps reminding me that Randy Moss did not win a ring with the Pats. Granted that was through no fault of Moss who was a great player for New England. I'm then conversely reminded by that little voice that past Patriots personnel gambles Corey Dillion, LeGarrette Blount and Darrelle Revis all did win Super Bowls. 

One under-reported aspect to this whole scenario could be the potential impact Patriots great Troy Brown could have here. Troy's been helping with the coaching this season and what a perfect project Antonio could be for "Coach" Brown in helping Antonio become acclimated to the New England playbook and way of doing things.

As a side note - if this does work out for the Pats then it could make Tom Brady a favorite to win the MVP. Brady was a 20-1 shot before the trade (and yes I did put some money down on that).

Go Pats! (I have my fingers crossed that this doesn't blow up on them.)

Red Sox Magic Number - 80

The Red Sox magic number now stands at 80. That happens to be the number worn by all-time Patriots great Troy Brown.

Troy Brown is from South Carolina just like soon to be enshrined Hall of Famer Jim Rice. Troy Brown is fast like Jacoby Ellsbury. Troy Brown was a small man who excelled at a big man's sport just like Dustin Pedroia. Troy Brown led by quiet example like Jon Lester. Troy Brown was an all-time leader in some franchise records and fan favorite but just not of Hall of Fame caliber just like Tim Wakefield.

The Red Sox are very much like Troy Brown. Troy Brown wore number 80.

Randy Moss

So the New England Patriots acquired talented receiver Randy Moss for just a 4th round draft pick. With Moss in the fold - the Patriots now have perhaps the deepest and most talented receiving corps in the NFL.

The big concern with Moss is not just his on-the-field performance but also his off-the-field-behavior. Many people are comparing this trade to the deal that brought Corey Dillion to Foxboro after 7 seasons in Cincinnati. I, however, think there is a better comparison to make here.

In 1980 a Boston area team traded for a tall, talented player from the Oakland area. This player had a poor reputation due to supposed attitude problems and we know now that this player also enjoyed an occasional bong hit in his spare time. This player was Robert Parrish and he worked out just fine for the Boston Celtics. I don't think anyone would dare think Randy Moss will have the same sort of Hall of Fame impact as Robert Parrish had on the Celtics but I think it is not unreasonable to hope that Moss will help the Patriots raise another championship banner like how Parrish was able to help the Celtics to their 14th, 15th and 16th championships.

Randy Moss also gives Tom Brady his own personal "big three" receiving corps with Moss, Donte Stallworth and Ben Watson (at tight end) with Wes Welker and Kelley Washington playing the roles of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge receiver wise.

Looking at the Randy Moss as Robert Parrish analogy in full is not without its downside. Like how the arrival of Robert Parrish convinced Dave Cowens that it was time to retire - the arrival of Randy Moss probably will have a similar effect on Troy Brown.

It looks like the Patriots will have Moss, Stallworth, Welker, Washington, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney and last year's number-one draft pick Chad Jackson on the depth chart. I don't see the Patriots carrying 8 receivers into the season - so that probably leaves fan favorite Troy Brown on the outside looking in.

Randy Moss has an under-publicized history of spending his time and money on charitable endevours and that will endear him to the Kraft family (who own the Patriots). His ability to gain yards after the catch and his ability to catch jump ball passes in the end zone will endear him to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

With the acquisition of Randy Moss - I will make the following three predictions:

1. Randy Moss will have double-digits in TD catches this season.

2. Tom Brady will easily top his career best 4,110 in passing yards.

3. The New England Patriots win this year's Super Bowl.