New England Patriots: 6 Reasons Brandon Lloyd Will Flourish

The New England Patriots have done it again. While many teams went all-out on big name free agents that may or may not be a great fit, the Patriots went out and signed Brandon Lloyd to a reasonable deal.

Not only did the Patriots acquire Lloyd for a reasonable price, they got a player who will fit right into their system and thrive. That's the Patriot way. If we've learned anything in the past decade, it's that the Patriots generally know what they are doing when it comes to personnel decisions.

Lloyd wasn't the biggest name that was on the market at wide receiver. Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace headlined this class of free agents, and even though some of them re-signed, they were all available. Yet the Patriots zeroed in on their guy.

In Lloyd, the Patriots got a player who has shown he has the ability to put up elite production but has failed to produce those numbers consistently. In 2010, Lloyd led the NFL in receiving and earned himself a Pro Bowl nod.

Prior to his breakout 2010 season Lloyd had played for three other teams who either passed on re-signing him or traded him due to his lack of production and inconsistent play.

While the Patriots' most recent high-profile wide receiver signing hasn't quite panned out as planned (Chad Ochocinco), Lloyd will absolutely flourish with the Patriots. Here's why.

Bill Belichick

No football coach in the modern era gets more out of his players than Bill Belichick. He has become the master of squeezing every ounce of potential out of his players, especially on offense.

Brandon Lloyd will be the next player on the long list whose careers have been turned around or extended thanks to the brilliance of Belichick.

Lloyd could very well bear resemblance to one of Belicheck's greatest reclamation projects, Randy Moss.

Much like Lloyd, Moss came into New England as a player with a reputation for being difficult to handle at times but with true No. 1 receiver potential. Moss, who was already headed for the Hall of Fame, was coming off the worst statistical season in his career before the Patriots took a gamble on trading for him from the Oakland Raiders.

Moss went up one of the most monstrous seasons at wide receiver in NFL history, easily becoming the NFL's most dangerous target. Moss even found himself in the record books, catching 23 touchdowns, the most in a single season.

While Lloyd can't be expected to have the type of season Moss was able to put together, Belichick should have no problem optimizing Lloyd's talents and getting the most out of his newest weapon.

Josh McDaniels

In landing with the New Endland Patriots, Brandon Lloyd should find at least one recognizable face on the Patriots sideline. Former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels, one of the primary reasons Lloyd chose to join the Patriots, served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos during Lloyd's Pro Bowl season in 2010. Lloyd's already stable relationship with McDaniels, who is now in his second stint as offensive coordinator with the Patriots, should only further the impact of this coaching staff on Lloyd.

McDaniels is a coach that has always fought for Lloyd, and should continue to make sure that he is a part of the Patriots prolific offense throughout the season.

McDaniels was one of the primary reasons the Rams sought out Lloyd in a trade with Broncos last season, and Lloyd once again put up good numbers on a struggling Rams team.

The presence of McDaniels, a coach who has already shown he knows how to utilize Lloyd's skill set, makes it a lock that Lloyd will flourish as a Patriot.

Wes Welker

In Brandon Lloyd's career, he has been asked to be the No. 1 receiver at every stop. With Wes Welker in town, Lloyd will no longer feel the pressure of being the focal point of coverage anymore.

For the past five years, Welker has been one of the most consistent and prolific pass catchers in the game, providing quarterback Tom Brady a safe, reliable target with great hands on his way to catching over one hundred passes in four of the last five seasons.

Welker's ability to play in the slot and demand the defense's attention will certainly open things up for Lloyd's big-play ability.

With his quickness and precise routes, Welker stretches a defense from sideline to sideline like no one else in the league. Add in a deep threat like Lloyd to the mix, and we could once again see the Patriots own the most dangerous offense in football.

Welker is the perfect complementary receiver to Lloyd and something Lloyd has never had in his career. In a pass-happy offense like the Patriots' Lloyd shouldn't see a large dip in targets, but the quality of his targets should be improved dramatically.

Rob Gronkowski

As if the Patriots needed another weapon in their arsenal, 2011's biggest breakout star also happens to belong on Brandon Lloyd's new team. Rob Gronkowski burst onto the scene in a big way last year and will certainly draw a lot of attention from defensive coordinators' game plans, creating even more opportunities for Lloyd in the process.

Rewriting the record book for tight ends and redefining the way the position is played, Gronkowski put up mind-boggling numbers in only his second season in the league. Most importantly for the Patriots, Gronkowski's 17 receiving touchdowns made him the best red zone threat in the league.

It wasn't uncommon for teams to throw triple coverage at Gronkowski around the goal line last year, and even then it was an unfruitful tactic sometimes. With the threat of Gronkowski dominating the middle of the field, teams will be forced to cover the stud tight end with both a linebacker and a safety, thus leaving defenses unable to bracket receivers on the outside.

This could lead to a high number of red-zone targets and touchdowns for Lloyd as his ability to high point the ball over defenders remains one of his greatest assets.

Culture Change

In the NFL, success is all about culture. That's why year in and year out we see familiar names at the top of the standings and familiar teams at the bottom.

Certain teams have the reputation of winning, and as the old saying goes, success breeds success. Conversely, the perennial losers in the league will continue to find themselves in the cellar unless they are able to change the culture surrounding the team.

Throughout Brandon Lloyd's career, he has been on losers. In Lloyd's entire career he played a role on one team that had a winning record when he caught 26 passes for 364 yards for the Chicago Bears in 2008.

From the ownership to the front office to the coaching staff to the players, the Patriots is an organization that knows how to win and have successfully built one of the best cultures in the NFL.

Playing for a consistent winner such as the Patriots where Lloyd will constantly be surrounded by great competition for targets should be enough to push Lloyd to the next level. If Lloyd buys into the winning culture that has been firmly established, he has the potential to post some career years in a Patriot uniform.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is the reason that any wide receiver coming to the New England Patriots should succeed. However, with Brandon Lloyd, Brady's appearance should work wonders.

In the last two years in which Lloyd has had most of his career success, he has caught passes from the likes of Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, Kellen Clemens, A.J. Feeley and Sam Bradford. Three Mediocre starters and two career backups, yet Lloyd was able to post a career year with Kyle Orton and a rookie Tim Tebow throwing him the ball and served as the lone bright spot in Sam Bradford and the Rams' starstruck 2011 season.

If Lloyd can post good numbers with that group of quarterbacks, his potential with the future Hall of Famer Brady is off the charts. Brady remains one of the elite quarterbacks in the game today.

Without a true deep threat in his arsenal last season, Brady was able to post a career-high 5,235 passing yards in a season. Now with the addition of a true vertical threat in Brandon Lloyd that the Patriots have been missing since Randy Moss's departure, Brady should continue to post absurd numbers.

With the most dynamic pass catching duo already in place, a head coach known for maximizing potential, a prior familiarity with the offense and one of the greatest triggermen in NFL history in place, there is no reason that Lloyd should not flourish as a Patriot in 2012.