The New England
Patriots had a couple of holes to fill on offense, what with their offensive
line starting two backups, losing all of their tight ends, having no fullback
and with their receiving corps missing a big downfield target - and in the wake
of their blowout win over the New York Jets on Monday night, it appears they've
addressed three of the four.
During the game,
newly re-signed tight end Ben Watson performed as he did when he was a Patriot
years ago, and run-plugging linebacker Elandon Roberts filled in admirably as a
lead blocker for Sony Michel - and while help is on the way for the offensive
line as left tackle Isaiah Wynn prepares to be activated from the IR, the
solution for a big downfield target is already here.
Just hours after
the Patriots humiliated the Jets before a national television audience, several
sources reported that head ball coach and defacto general manager Bill
Belichick pulled off a stunning trade, sending a 2020 second-round draft pick
to the Atlanta Falcons for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.
A homecoming of
sorts for Sanu, he joins three former Rutgers University teammates on the
Patriots' roster - his now-former Falcons' teammates posting congratulatory
tweets on social media, the common sentiment urging Sanu to "Go get
yourself a ring."
That, more than
anything else, provides a look at how the Patriots are viewed among his
contemporaries.
Sanu is a classic
possession receiver who operates best on intermediate routes - ten to twenty
yards down the field - and fights for the football on the 50/50 balls and
back-shoulder throws that are a staple of the Patriots' offense, and he joins a
banged up receiving corps that are about to get healthy enough to run roughshod
over opposing defenses...
...and just in
time, too, as New England is about to leave their seven-course appetizer to
start the season and enter the meat of their schedule that features four
consecutive games against 2018 playoff teams and two other teams that should
have been.
Sanu, at 6' 2"
and 220 pounds, joins a Patriots' pass catching unit that, when completely
healthy, features a solid mix of big possession types with Josh Gordon (6'
3", 225) and rookie first round pick N'Keal Harry (6' 4", 215), and
shiftier chain movers in Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett and undrafted free
agent find Jakobi Meyers...
...not to mention
the best passing back in the league in James White and the wiley veteran Watson
(6' 3", 250) at tight end.
At present, Gordon
is nursing a bum knee and Harry is back practicing after spending the first
part of the season on the injured/reserved list with a bad hammy. Harry can be
activated to the roster in early November, and while there is no established
time table for Gordon's return, the smart money has him returing to the field
this coming Sunday to face his former team, the Cleveland Browns.
It may seem unfair
that the best team in the NFL is getting even better, but the move for Sanu is
typically Patriots, as is Belichick's patience with the process.
It is reported that
Belichick tried to acquire Sanu in advance of last April's draft, but was
rebuffed by the Falcons as they felt they could contend for the NFC South
division title, but with Atlanta fading and now in 2020 season mode, they
finally relented and started their rebuilding process by obtaining New
England's second-round pick.
Considered a
third-down and red zone threat, Sanu now emerges from the large shadow of All
Pro receiver Julio Jones and lands in a spot where he can ply his trade on his
own terms, as Belichick is renowned for opening his playbook to accommodate a
player's skill set rather than forcing that player to acclimate to a set
standard.
So now quarterback
Tom Brady has yet another weapon to target. May God have mercy on the rest of
the teams in the NFL, because they will not find any mercy from the juggernaut
Patriots.
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