Deion Branch Back in New England: How the Trade Affects the Receiving Core

Randy Moss out, Deion Branch in. 

With the most recent trades made by New England, the Patriots have virtually replaced Moss with Branch in a matter of days. 

The Pats said farewell to Moss last Wednesday, two days after their victory against Miami, and welcomed Branch back to New England late Monday night. 

Just looking at New England's depth chart, it's just simply one receiver out, and one receiver in. But, it's not that simple. Replacing Moss with Branch changes New England's passing game tremendously. 

Brady taking shots to Moss, running along the numbers, and downfield are now over. New England being "the greatest show on turf" is now over. 

The Patriots will now be reverting back to their dynasty days; a very efficient offense that will score in the clutch. More specifically: having receivers run quality routes to get open, rather than running along the numbers in search of the big play. 

When you look at New England's top two wide receivers now, they're Wes Welker and Branch. Both receivers do not present any much of a "deep threat", but both have a very strong football IQ and will run, efficient quality pass patterns. 

Going even deeper into New England's receiving core, you can't forget their two rookie tight ends, Ron Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Gronkowski is your ideal tight end; he is well over six feet and is a huge target in the red zone. 

Hernandez on the other hand, is something special. He might be listed as a tight end on the roster, but he plays more like a wide receiver. He is just your classic h-back. You will see New England utilizing Hernandez in multiple ways in multiple positions. 

With New England's "new look" offense, you'll see a whole new identity. They'll be more balanced with BenJarvus Green-Ellis being the lead-back with quarterback Tom Brady spreading the ball around to the open receiver. 

I'm not saying New England is going to win a Super Bowl this year, but they're going back to their old ways.

Their offensive scheme has changed dramatically, and it is the right decision. 

This article was first seen on Sports Haze.

Tony Santorsa is Sports Haze's AFC East Beat Writer, and you could read more sports stories at www.SportsHaze.com.

You can also follow Tony via Twitter @ TonySantorsa.