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New England Patriots Have Finally Found Outside Threat In Brandon LaFell

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By @petahrahgas

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It’s no secret that the New England Patriots have been in search of a new X receiver since the sad and surprising departure of Randy Moss back in 2010. They’ve been looking for a receiver threat who can break away from man coverage and make contested catches on deep balls.

The need for an outside receiver has been so great that the quest for this elusive player has brought the likes of Chad Ochocinco, Brandon Lloyd and Aaron Dobson (or Kenbrell Thompkins if you consider him a better option on the outside) into the walls of Foxborough. Who ever thought we’d see a Patriots team with Chad “I love to celebrate and I changed my last name to my number” Ochocino? Well we did, however brief that might have been. There’s your answer for how desperately the Patriots were searching for this threat.

Enter Brandon LaFell.

The five-year pro had spent the first four years of his career with the Carolina Panthers catching passes from the great Jimmy Clausen, the magnificent Matt Moore and the actually really good starting quarterback Cam Newton. LaFell was underrated down in Carolina, having most of the spotlight taken by the small yet fiery then just Steve Smith (the senior was added later, once he dawned the purple and black). But LaFell was still a weapon in the passing attack, catching over 600 yards in three of his four seasons and averaging roughly 13 yards per catch.

But it’s always amazing what can happen when a receiver upgrades from the likes of starting caliber quarterbacks to first ballot Hall of Famers.

The Patriots initially didn’t even have their sights set on LaFell. It was obvious after the debacle in Denver last year that Tom Brady just needed more weapons around him. Julian Edelman was the only receiving threat the Patriots rolled out in the AFC Championship game and despite the fact the Denver Broncos still couldn’t cover him, there is only one receiver who can put the whole team on his back with success and he’s currently getting old in Minnesota.

New England targeted old Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders as their X receiver but lost in the betting pool to the Broncos in the great AFC arms race of 2014 (scoreboard: Patriots won that). The Patriots decided to sign the cheaper and more reliable LaFell to fill their outside threat, and since joining the team, LaFell has done just that.

As anyone would expect when a receiver upgrades at quarterback, LaFell’s 2014 season was a career year, posting highs in receptions (74), yards (953) and touchdowns (7). He perfectly stepped into the offense and has given Brady a big strong receiver on the outside who can fight for the long ball.

No play better shows what LaFell has brought to the Patriots than in the AFC Divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens when late in the fourth quarter, Brady lofted a bomb to LaFell, who fought off the corner with one hand, caught the ball in the other and managed to bring it in for the go-ahead touchdown to move on in the playoffs. It has been a long time since the Foxborough faithful have been able to witness such excellence in receiving.

And now LaFell has a chance to leave his mark on the biggest of all stages. Who knows if he’ll be getting the Richard Sherman treatment in Super Bowl XLIX or if he’ll lineup on the other side of the field, but one thing is for sure: LaFell’s ability to make big plays down the sidelines makes the Patriots’ offense even more difficult to contain.

Peter Rogers is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @petahrahgas, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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