New England Patriots: Tom Brady’s top 5 receivers of all time…so far
No. 2 – Randy Moss
The obvious No. 1 receiver on this list should be the athletic freak known as Randy Moss. This dude was absolutely amazing in a New England Patriots jersey, but the reason why I don’t have him at No. 1 is he only played three seasons with Tom Brady and he really didn’t fit Brady’s strength.
I know that sounds ridiculous since the two tore up the NFL. During that 2007 season, the two connected for 23 touchdowns, including many deep bomb connections.
A different style
Anyone who has watched Brady over the years know he is not really a deep ball passer. But, the athleticism and height of a player like Moss makes him an easy target.
What a deep threat like Moss did prove is that when Brady has that kind of weapon, he is even more lethal. The 50 TD performance during that 2007 season proves it. At the end, Moss could not get the team over the hump in the Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.
In my opinion, the team went away from the short passing game that made Tom Brady so successful. That is my main reason for not ranking Moss No. 1 here.
His 982 receptions, 15,292 receiving yards and 156 touchdowns will get him into the Hall of Fame. While 34 of those touchdowns came from Brady, we are left to wonder how much great those numbers would’ve been if they played more than three seasons together (just a half of a game in 2008).
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In an interview with Patriots.com in 2016, Randy Moss gushed about his time playing with the G.O.A.T.:
"“I did some great things here (in New England). There’s a lot of memories I left here on this field, man. And I still keep in contact with the guys, Mr. Kraft. One thing about the fans of the Patriots is they love their guys. Now I’m a fan, so I’m able to understand a bit where they’re coming from.”"