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On Monday, Bill Belichick reminded us of a persistent truth in trading for Josh Gordon: The New England Patriots will take risks with talented players, whatever their background. In Gordon's case, the trade reminds us that the Patriots believe so much in "The Patriot Way" that they do not care about what happened in the past.
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We have seen this over and over again, and the Patriot Dynasty continues. And yes, it must be said: it is because everyone "does his job". For players who work in New England, it's because all they needed was a bit of structure. If you are good enough, Belichick will create a niche. And if you do your job, you can revive your career or at least leave with some success within the team.
Here's a look at seven other team pitches that the Patriots have picked up and turned into treasure.
Randy Moss
For Moss, talent has never been an issue. One of the most physically talented players In the history of the NFL, Moss spent the first seven years of his career with the Vikings, becoming All-Pro in three of them. He was traded to the Raiders, where the difficulties of Oakland, simply, did not motivate him. Although Moss had beaten 1,000 yards in his first season with the Raiders, he recorded a 48.8% catch percentage, which is the lowest of his career. The following season, it dropped to 43.8% and it was only 553 yards. All this came with a visible lack of effort, and it was traded to the Patriots for a fourth round pick in the 2007 draft.
In his first season with the Patriots, Moss's numbers exploded. He captured 95 passes for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns and was named All-Pro in 2007. The Patriots remained undefeated in the regular season before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. After this (almost) record year, Moss spent two more seasons with the Patriots, beating 1,000 yards in the pass. In 2010, however, the honeymoon phase ended. Moss was unhappy not to have had an extension after signing a three-year contract two seasons earlier, and he was traded to the Vikings. He retired for the first time after the 2010 season.
Corey Dillon
The Patriots did the unthinkable and traded for a physical return once he was 30 years old. Before the 2004 season, the Pats traded a second-round pick to the Bengals for Dillon. He had 8,061 rushing yards in his career, but for most people it seemed like a mileage, especially after racing for only 541 yards in 2013. With the Patriots, Dillon had 1,635 yards per season. best average since his rookie year. The Patriots won the Super Bowl 39.
Dillon was injured in 2005 and, in 2006, he separated with Laurence Maroney. After 345 races in 2004, his numbers remained solid but took a hit. The Patriots released Dillon in 2007, both parties being aided by each other. Dillon is probably the best back Belichick has ever used, and Belichick knew it. He took Dillon in 2004 with the intention of making heavy use, but he probably had more than he could have hoped for.
Junior Bucket
Bucket was going to retire before joining the Patriots, but he did not even get away from the game for a week before taking it back. Bucket was with the Chargers for 13 years, where he built a Hall of Fame career. . He spent three seasons with the Dolphins, missing half of his second season with the team and playing only five games in his third year. Bucket was another part of the 2017 team, and a big part of that. Despite the fact that he only started four games, he played every 16 games and finished the year with three interceptions.
Seau played two more seasons with the Patriots, but he only played seven games in the 2009 season. He retired as a patriot at the end of the 2009 season.
Wes Welker
Welker was another new addition to the undefeated 2007 team, and he had the added bonus of coming out of the division. Welker captured 96 assists for 1,121 yards in two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who then traded to the Patriots for second and seventh round picks. In his first season with New England, Welker captured 112 passes for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns. He is undoubtedly the best player of the Belichick era not to win Super Bowl.
Welker has earned a reputation for "The Patriot Way" incarnation. He was a precise road racer with sure hands who became a pillar in the Patriots attack. He has beaten 100 times five times with the Patriots, made four consecutive Pro Bowls between 2008 and 2011, and was named All-Pro in 2009 and 2011. Welker broke Troy Brown's record in 67 games. He holds the franchise record for most consecutive games with a catch, achieving at least one match per game in New England. In the end, he and the Patriots separated when the two parties could not agree on a contract. He joined the Broncos in 2013 and finally retired as a Rams member in 2015.
Aqib Talib
After spending four seasons with the Buccaneers, Talib was traded to the Patriots in mid-2012 after an anti-doping test revealed he had taken Adderall and would be suspended for four games. Talib already had some baggage before the doping test – a fight with another Bucs rookie at the rookie symposium in 2008, a suspension for allegedly beating a taxi driver in Florida in 2010 and various personal fouls on the ground. But the Patriots traded a fourth-round pick for Talib and the seventh round of the Buccaneers.
With the Pats, Talib had a choice of six in his debut on his return from suspension, and the Patriots reached the AFC championship match in 2012 with Talib in front of Kyle Arrington. The Patriots have seen enough Talib to sign for another year for $ 4.86 million. In his next season, Talib had four interceptions and 13 passes defended in 13 starts. He was named second All-Pro team and his absence in the AFC championship match was felt against the Broncos. Talib was eliminated by Wes Welker and the Broncos won 400 yards in the air. Talib left after the 2013 season to join the Broncos while he and the Patriots could not agree on a contract.
LeGarrette Blount
It's no coincidence that some of Blount's best seasons have been won by the Patriots. He is the perfect player for Belichick. A player who fulfills an extremely specific role, Blount joined the Patriots through trade after only 41 carries with the Buccaneers in 2012, a breakout year for Doug Martin. Blount had extra baggage after hitting a player while he was in college with Oregon.
Blont's work with the Patriotes, in general, consisted of running straight and running hard. In an increasingly demanding league in the ass game, Blount was ruled out five times in 2013, four times in 2014, seven times in 2015 and eight times in 2016. The Eagles followed this pattern, targeting him eight times after Darren Sproles fell.
Of Blount 's 18 touchdowns in 2016, 13 of them were less than five meters away. He barely played in the Super Bowl against the Falcons, while the Patriots caught up with most of the game.
Chris Hogan
Hogan is another receiver originally from the East AFC. When Hogan was a free agent with the Bills, the Patriots signed it for a three-year, $ 12 million offer. Not only did the Bills turn down Hogan's offer sheet, but they had not received anything in the draft because they had signed it to the minimum bid.
Hogan has emerged in a prominent threat in the Patriot attack, and is most often used vertically. In his first season with the Patriots in 2016, Hogan recorded a record high of 17.9 yards per shot. He has 38 catches for 680 yards and has been outstanding in the playoffs. In the AFC championship game against the Steelers in particular, Hogan caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. In 2017, his season was shortened by an injury to the shoulder. Although this had an impact on his stats, Hogan returned in time for the playoffs, and he was huge in the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, catching six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. While the verdict is still on Hogan, it has been a key weapon for Brady since he joined New England.
… and some failures
There is another reason why people take note of the successes of patriots: failures do not last long. The Patriots made some questionable transactions, such as trading Logan Mankins with the Buccaneers for Tim Wright. This trade took place in 2014 and the Patriots released Wright in 2015. The Redskins traded Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots for a fifth-round pick in July 2011, and he was released in November. They traded two late-game selections against Chad Johnson, who was part of the team for about 11 months. They briefly had Kenny Britt and Michael Floyd. There are many examples of these agreements that do not work, but the Patriots know when to reduce their losses. Even players like Dillon, Moss and Seau were released when they started showing their age.
17 years ago, the "Brady-Belichick dynasty" and people are tired of hearing about "The Patriot Way" and "Do Your Job". But these expressions are there for a reason. Josh Gordon could continue to play a key role in the race that the Patriots are looking to do this year. For a fifth-round pick, he might as well leave the team next summer. What sets the Patriots apart from other teams is that they know when to give up a project. Gordon's talent, for them, was worth taking a chance. Only time will tell if this chance is profitable for a player with the talent of Gordon … and his luggage.
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