.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Wes Welker was nowhere to be seen in the New England Patriots' locker room on Wednesday. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the two rookie tight ends who have had a big impact on the Patriots' passing game, were literally speechless - they were told they couldn't talk to the media until Friday.
Good thing Brandon Tate showed up. A second-year player - meaning he can talk to the media - he figures to become much more involved in New England's offense in the wake of recent trades.
The enigmatic Randy Moss is gone to Minnesota, taking his ability to stretch the defense for the long ball. Tate, a third-round draft pick out of North Carolina in 2009 who missed all but two games because of a knee injury, could be the guy to replace him.
He's already shown his game-breaking ability on kickoffs, returning two for touchdowns: 97 yards against Cincinnati and 103 against Miami. But can he translate that to catching the ball?
Jim Harbaugh, coach of the Baltimore Ravens (who come to Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday for a game with the Patriots) sees no reason he can't.
Harbaugh liked Tate coming out of college, saying that he thought Tate ''was one of the premier receivers coming out'' in 2009. But a knee injury that ended his college career six games into his senior season scared off a lot of teams.
''We looked at him in the draft and we liked him,'' said Harbaugh. ''He's a speedy guy, a game-breaking potentially type of guy. He's proven that already on special teams. We're going to have to keep an eye on him.
''He looks like he has good vision across the field, can kind of pick the spot where a guy might be getting out of position. And he does it seamlessly. He doesn't have to stop, start again. He's very smooth and a quick accelerator.''
Those skills should translate easily to the offensive end.
''He's a receiver. Some guys are running backs, some guys are defensive backs, some guys are receivers ... (and there are) guys who return kicks,'' said Harbaugh. ''He's a young receiver. He was a good receiver at North Carolina. He was a guy that had some injuries that pushed him down a little bit in the draft ... He's a young developmental receiver and (I) don't see any reason why he won't be a good one.''
The Patriots hope he can continue to develop. They took a chance on him primarily because of his return skills - he holds the NCAA career record for combined punt and kick return yardage (3,523).
But they saw enough in him those six games his senior year to take a chance with a third-round pick.
''It was half the season but I think the games we saw were good competitive games and he was doing things more like NFL receivers were doing more than a lot of the guys we were scouting,'' said Coach Bill Belichick, noting that North Carolina plays a pro-style offense.
He suffered another injury his rookie year and played only two games. But that may have been a blessing. Tate said he was finally able to get healthy.
''It gave me time to get mentally stronger, physically stronger,'' he said. ''I was able to get my body back right so when I hit this year I felt my body was right.''
He leaned on veterans, such as Moss and Welker, to learn the pro game. Moss, he said, was especially helpful.
''He taught me a lot just about football that I didn't know,'' he said. ''You come in thinking you know a lot but Randy, he taught me a lot, not just about football, but in general.''
Tate insists he doesn't feel any pressure. ''I'm just playing ball and taking it one play at a time,'' he said. ''There's no challenge (to replace Moss). I've just got to go out and keep doing what I'm doing and play ball.''
Quarterback Tom Brady is quick to tick off the list of possible receivers he has at his disposal. He's not concerned with a drop-off in production. Neither is Julian Edelman, who, last year, filled in admirably for Welker when he was injured.
''I'm pretty confident with our group,'' he said. ''We're going to be all right.''
One thing's for certain, said Harbaugh - the Ravens have their work cut out for them this week.
''It's tough for us,'' he said. ''We're going to come out there and going to have to defend (the new passing game) for the first time and everyone else will have a look and see how it works out. For us, because we don't get to watch practice, we're really not going to know what it is until we play.''
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
