Why I Think the Patriots Cut Stallworth and Gaffney

When the Patriots piled their plate high and deep with WRs, I thought Donte Stallworth was a long shot to make the team but figured Jabar Gaffney would likely be on the roster. Gaffney has worked well with Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels in the past, and he did well in 2011, finishing with 947 receiving yards for the Redskins.

I figured the WR depth chart would be Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch, and Donte Stallworth. I wasn't shocked when Stallworth got cut, but parting ways with Gaffney surprised me.

Until I thought of the offensive line.

If there were a Moneyball 2 about football, I think the statistician Jonah Hill played would be obsessed with one number: Throwing Time. The amount of time a QB has to throw the football.

And judging from the preseason games, Tom Brady won't have that much time to throw. It won't be like 2007 with Stallworth, Gaffney, and of course Randy Moss. When Brady had an eternity to find a receiver, and those receivers had an eternity to go downfield.

Tom Brady simply won't have the time necessary for vertical receivers like Gaffney and Stallworth to go downfield. He'll need shifty mid-range and underneath receivers like Welker, Branch, and the tight-ends. Guys who can get open quickly, and whose diversity present matchup problems for defenses. Brady can spot those problems pre-snap and get rid of the ball before the pressure envelops him.

Carrying WRs who primarily go deep is a waste of roster spots. There won't be enough Throwing Time to consistently go deep. Plus with the tight-ends, how often will more than three WRs be on the field for the Pats? Stallworth and Gaffney were unnecessary parts of the Patriots' offensive machine.

Patriots Sign Jabar Gaffney

When the Redskins let go of Jabar Gaffney, part of me thought that the Patriots might sign him. He was once a solid 3rd option for the Patriots (behind Moss and Welker), and had done well for the Broncos and even better for the Redskins.

Then I said to myself "the Patriots already have a packed stable of WRs. They won't sign Gaffney."

But the Patriots did sign him. And now that I've been able to think more about it, it makes sense.

The Patriots have Chad Ochocinco, Deion Branch, Brandon Lloyd, Anthony Gonzalez, Julian Edelman and Donte Stallworth. Wes Welker's status is still unknown, but you know the Patriots want to keep him. Gaffney is the 8th receiver to the party, but he's not the 8th in line. Matthew Slater is listed as a receiver, but his true value is on Special Teams. Still, 8 WRs on a team with a pair of tight-ends that combined for 169 catches is a bit weird. Brady threw 611 passes last year. There's only so many passes to go around.

But Gaffney is stability. He's the known variable. Look at the other guys. Most have a question mark. Ochocinco doesn't understand the playbook. Branch will be 33 when the season starts. Gonzalez hasn't caught a pass since 2010 and he only caught 5 that year. Edelman caught 4 passes last year. Stallworth only caught 22 passes last year and hasn't been the same since 2007 with the Pats.

Gaffney is pretty good. He caught 68 passes for 947 yards last year. He's a guy that Josh McDaniels likes to worth with, and worked under him in New England and Denver. You know what you're getting with Gaffney.

If you had to put 5 eligible receivers on the field for the Patriots, it'd be Gronkowski, Hernandez, Welker, Gaffney, and either Lloyd or Branch. And that's why the Patriots sign him.

Gaffney is the #2 receiver on this team behind Welker. He can run deep routes, go across the middle, and he doesn't whine when someone else gets the ball more than him. He works well in McDaniels' system.

This Patriots' off-season is getting ridiculous.

PATRIOTS RETAIN GAFFNEY FOR ANOTHER YEAR

The day after re-signing Randy Moss, the Patriots have made a deal with Jabar Gaffney that will keep him in a Patriot uniform for another year. The deal is said to be worth $2M.

In 2007, Gaffney was tied for 5th on the team in receptions with 36. But he got most of those in the 2nd half of the season. Through the first 8 games, he had 8 receptions for 59 yards. In the second 8 games of the year, he had 24 receptions for 393 yards. Four of his five TD receptions came in the 2nd half of the season. He started off the year as the #4 WR, but ended at #3 behind Welker and Moss.

So this is what the wide receiver depth chart now looks like for 2008:

1: Randy Moss
2: Wes Welker
3: Jabar Gaffney
4: Kelley Washington
5: Chad Jackson

Not too shabby

Sources:
Reiss's Pieces
Pro-Football-Reference.com

STALLWORTH TO CLEVELAND

The Browns and Stallworth have agreed to a 7 year deal. No word yet on how much the deal is worth, but I'm assuming it's worth more than it should be worth, and is also loaded with incentives.

This isn't a major loss. Stallworth was solid for the Pats in '07, but was essentially tied with Jabar Gaffney for the 3rd spot on WR depth chart.

For any Patriots fan out there panicking, and any hater out there relaxing, this is what the Pats' WR depth chart might still look like next year:

1: Randy Moss
2: Wes Welker
3: Jabar Gaffney
4: Chad Jackson
5: Kelley Washington

That's still phenomenal.

In other Patriot news, Kelley Washington, who led the club in special team tackles, was re-signed. Long-snapper Lonie Paxton will also stay with the Patriots

Kyle Brady was surprisingly cut, then again, he is 36 years old.

Randall Gay is reportedly talking with the New Orleans Saints. The team and Gay will exchange contract offers tonight. In other words, they're very close to a deal.

Sources:
Associated Press
Reiss's Pieces
Scout.com