Lloyd On Patriots Receivers: 'A Lot Of Talent' But Still A Lot Of Work
FOXBORO (CBS) - With a talented, and crowded, group of receivers, newcomer Brandon Lloyd knows how potent the New England Patriots offense can be this season.
But after his first few days of practice with his new team, Lloyd also knows there is a lot of work left to be done.
"Only time will tell," Lloyd said when asked how good the Patriots' air attack can be. "We still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of practices ahead of us. We still have a lot of work to do before we can start making any predictions like that."
Lloyd On OTAs, Pats Receivers
Lloyd, who signed a three-year, $12-million deal with New England over the off-season, joins Tom Brady's arsenal that includes Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Ochocinco, Donte Stallworth, Julien Edleman, and Anthony Gonzalez (just to name a few). And those are just the receivers. Brady also has a duo of talented tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at his disposal.
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"There are a lot of talented pass catchers, not only that are on this team and played last year but that are new to the team and were successful at previous stops. There's a lot of talent there," admitted Lloyd.
It helps that they have Brady throwing to them as well.
"He's good from far away and he's good up close," Lloyd said of his new quarterback. "[He's] definitely professional; makes the throws, makes the correct reads and delivers the ball."
But for now, the nine-year veteran just wants to get used to a new team and new surroundings.
"Plugging away," he said when asked how his first few days with his new team went. "Just getting into our OTAs and understanding the process and the way that the plays are called and run and just the execution of the workouts and the timing and the scheduling. It's been a change and I'm excited to see how everything works out."
Lloyd joins the Patriots after catching 70 passes for 996 yards and five touchdowns for the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams last season. Those numbers are a significant drop from his career-highs in 2010 with Denver (77 receptions, 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns) but the transition to New England will be eased by one man: offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The two have been together on both of Lloyd's previous teams; as his head coach in Denver and as his coordinator in St. Louis.
"It helps because I'm familiar with the offense. I'm familiar with the nuances of the offense so that definitely helps with the transition coming to this team," he said. "The way the plays are called is very good for the way that I run routes and catch the ball."
When asked if he would have difficulty picking up the system, Lloyd gave a simple "no." One thing that will make it easy is the Patriots and Rams' terminologyis "pretty much the same," according to the receiver.
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Over the off-season, Lloyd made it very clear that he wanted to be a member of the Patriots. Through numerous campaigns on TV and online interviews, it was well-known that he wanted to land in New England. The Patriots uniform will be Lloyd's sixth of his career, with his longest stay a three-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2003.
So why such passion to join the "Patriots Way?"
"The coaching; the way that the message is delivered and the way that the coaches coach and the players all fall in line," he said. "It's been a good experience so far."
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And so far so good with that crowded group all fighting for passes from #12.
"Everybody has been communicating and excited," he said. "However this pans out, however the lineup falls, it's going to be a talented group of players."
