Tom Brady Will Make New Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd a Pro Bowler in 2012

The aerial attack of the New England Patriots was among the league’s best last season. The Patriots had three receivers gain over 900 yards, and quarterback Tom Brady ranked second in the league and NFL history with his 5,235 passing yards.

However, despite the incredible production the Patriots passing game was missing something. They lacked a receiver who could spread the field and make big plays down the field to complement the plethora of intermediate route runners on their roster. 

The team’s lack of a big play receiver was a large reason for their offensive struggles in the Super Bowl. The Giants defense tightened up and locked in on the Patriots short passing game knowing that their opponent was unable to beat them deep.

The Patriots weren’t going to enter the 2012 NFL season with the same offensive hole. That’s why the team signed Brandon Lloyd.

Before we get into how Lloyd will help the Patriots, one thing needs to be brought up.

The Patriots signed Lloyd for three years and $12 million. In comparison, Pierre Garcon joined the Redskins this offseason for five years and $42.5 million, and Josh Morgan, a player who played in just five games last season and has never gained more than 700 receiving yards, was signed for two years and $11.5 million.

Lloyd is better than both Garcon and Morgan despite making less per year than each of them. The bargain price that the Patriots were able to get Lloyd at is a testament to the franchise’s savvy and their allure as a destination for free agent players.

Just two years ago Lloyd gained a league best 1,448 receiving yards and caught 11 touchdown passes. Lloyd averaged 18.8 yards per catch and each game seemingly made at least one miraculous circus play.

Last season, Lloyd got off to a slow start but after he was traded to the St. Louis Rams began to pick up his play. He finished the year with just under 1,000 receiving yards and added five touchdown receptions.

Lloyd obviously took a step back production wise in 2011. However, much of that can be attributed to the dysfunction of the team’s in which he played for. The Broncos struggled to figure out their offensive identity and the Rams were a complete mess.

In 2010, Lloyd ranked second in the league only behind Steelers speedster Mike Wallace with 23 catches of 20 yards or more and nine receptions for at least 40 yards. Also, 93.5 percent of Lloyd’s receptions resulted in a first down, which ranked first out of any receiver with at least 10 receptions.

It’s not as if Lloyd was playing with elite quarterbacks the last two seasons. The receiver played with Kyle Orton in Denver and Sam Bradford in St. Louis. Orton was benched for Tim Tebow after five games last season and Bradford battled through injures and inconsistent play during Lloyd’s tenure with the Rams.

For the first time in his career Lloyd will now be playing with one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He won’t have to make spectacular one-handed grabs game after game. Instead, passes will be dropping perfectly into his hands, making life much easier for the receiver.

Some may compare the Patriots acquisition of Lloyd to their trade for Chad Ochocinco last season. The big difference between the two is the fact that Lloyd already knows the Patriots system and it won’t be too complex for him to adjust to.

Lloyd played for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in Denver and St. Louis, and had the two best seasons of his career during that time.

The multitude of receiving options in New England will open up the field for Lloyd. During the past two seasons Lloyd has been his team’s only reliable receiving option. Now he will be playing with Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Jabar Gaffney. Teams won’t be able to put all their energy and focus into stopping Lloyd because the team has so many other players who can hurt opposing defenses.

Lloyd will see far more single coverage and favorable matchups this season and will be able to take advantage of these opportunities.

Tom Brady has only had one elite deep threat in his career. His name was Randy Moss.

I’m not saying that Lloyd is anywhere near the player Moss was during his tenure with the Patriots, but Brady has proven that he can make big plays when given an explosive threat at the receiver position.

Lloyd’s jumping ability, timing, elite route running and hands make him a terror for any defense to deal with. Now he’s playing with arguably the best quarterback in NFL history on a team with an abundance of talent at the receiver position. Brandon Lloyd will have a tremendous 2012 season and make the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Patriots.