Good Signs, Bad Signs
On the Free Agent Road, Redskins and Patriots Take Divergent Paths
New England has gotten solid production from its newcomers, former Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, left, running back Sammy Morris, top right, who is now injured, and reserve tight end Kyle Brady. "Their organization really speaks for itself," Randy Moss said of the Patriots.
(Photos By Getty Images And Associated Press)
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The New England Patriots have been the NFL's most dominant franchise this decade largely because of shrewd personnel decisions. Scott Pioli, the Patriots' vice president of player personnel, has made the right call in just about every instance, and New England is 7-0 after some significant offseason moves.
"How many players can you ask in the league that wouldn't want to come up here and play for the New England Patriots?" said wide receiver Randy Moss, whom the Patriots acquired for a fourth-round draft pick this past offseason. "Like I said, their organization really speaks for itself. You don't have to really go out and ask Mike Vrabel, Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, you don't have to ask those guys about the organization because the organization speaks for itself."
Moss is leading the league in receiving yards and touchdowns.
The Redskins, on the other hand, have missed on some significant acquisitions and have been capricious with their draft picks. Perhaps most notable was dealing a third-round pick last year and a fourth-rounder this year to the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.
Lloyd has been a huge disappointment. He has one catch this season, and last season he finished with 23 catches for 365 yards. He has not caught a touchdown since he joined the Redskins.
Washington also missed badly last season on free agent Adam Archuleta. The Redskins made him the highest-paid safety in NFL history, giving him a $10 million signing bonus, and he wound up on the bench behind Troy Vincent and Vernon Fox.
The Redskins traded Archuleta to the Bears this past offseason for a sixth-round pick. Archuleta reworked his contract with Chicago to be more salary cap-friendly, and the Bears reportedly are paying him $1.8 million over three years. The Redskins, meantime, are absorbing a one-time $4.5 million salary cap hit this season on Archuleta.
The Patriots have been the virtual polar opposite of Washington on the free agent front. This past offseason, the Patriots signed linebacker Adalius Thomas, running back Sammy Morris and tight end Kyle Brady. Thomas made an immediate impact when in Week 2 he returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown in a 38-14 victory over the Chargers.
More recently, Kyle Brady caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady during last Sunday's 49-28 triumph over division rival Miami. Kyle Brady was filling in for injured starter Benjamin Watson.
Morris also had been productive as a substitute for injured starter Laurence Maroney. Signed as a free agent in March, Morris had consecutive 100-yard rushing games before a chest injury sent him to the bench two weeks ago.
