Tom Brady has already raved about newly signed wide receiver Brandon LaFell through almost a month of training camp. Now, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is taking time to sing the receiver's praises. After two preseason games, LaFell appears to be standing out amongst the pack. After signing on in free agency after a stint with the Carolina Panthers, LaFell could turn out to be the Patriots' leading target this upcoming season.
After losing players like Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez before the 2013 season, the Patriots attempted to fill their absence with Danny Amendola and younger receivers. That did not really work out as planned as Brady was left trying to make something out of nothing. Yes, the Patriots made it all the way to the AFC championship game, but it was clear the passing game was not where it normally is especially for New England standards. However, 2014 should be different and LaFell is leading the charge.
"He's been very diligent in trying to learn his assignments, learn the plays," Belichick said, via ESPNBoston.com. "He's a tough kid. He's played for us in the kicking game, he's given us some plays there, which at that position it's always good to get those [plays] out of those receivers. Those are kind of like bonus plays. I think he's been very competitive. Obviously he's a big target. Again, he's gotten better at the routes that we've run. I thought the deep out route that he ran in the game was good. He created a lot of separation on that. He's got a good skill set; a little different than some of our other guys, but good and he's tough."
LaFell joins a receiving group that consists of returning leading receiver Julian Edelman, often-injured Amendola, still injured Rob Gronkowski and young stars, Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins. It appears LaFell could be the best of the group. Brady has raved about his 6-foot-3 frame, ranking him as one of the taller targets on the team. Patriots beat writers have been noting that LaFell has been getting plenty of passes thrown his way and fantasy football owners should take note as the receiver says his comfort level with the quarterback continues to grow.
"He expects you to be exactly where he wants you to be when running a route," LaFell said. "Not a yard off, not a yard too deep, not a yard too short. He expects you to be exactly where he wants you to be because he's going to put the ball placement exactly right. The more and more reps I get with this guy, getting our timing better and also he's trying to find me more."
