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Brandon Tate shredded his right knee midway through his senior season at the University of North Carolina, tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.
The Tar Heels had seven more games to play, but Tate's collegiate career was over. Still, the Patriots had seen enough of the receiver and returner to know they liked what they saw.
"He played half the year down there in a pro offense," coach Bill Belichick recalled yesterday. "It was basically a pro offense at UNC, ... I think you could see him do some of the things we ask our players to do. And he (also) did a very good job returning it.
"It was half a season, but I think the games you saw were good, competitive games. High level of competition and he was doing things more like an NFL receiver would do them than I would say a lot of other guys you would scout. So it wasn't that bad, just unfortunately, he got hurt."
Despite the injury and the fact he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine, Tate's talent and upside were so enticing he was still projected as a second- to fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft.
The Patriots snatched up Tate in the third round with the 83rd overall selection, then saw recurring knee problems limit him to two games and no catches - although he did average 26.5 yards on four kick returns - as a rookie.
"The hardest part was the treatments, but I've moved past that," Tate said, pointing out he retained his confidence and remained patient while sidelined last year. "I'm glad to be here right now playing football."
Tate has not only played in all four games this season, starting the last two, but has made plays on both offense and special teams while helping the Patriots to a 3-1 record heading into Sunday's home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Tate has had a huge impact on the return game, which was a major disappointment for the Patriots last season. He's averaging a ridiculous 33.4 yards, good for second in the NFL behind Seattle's Leon Washington (40.4).
It's early, but Tate is at least positioned to challenge Raymond Clayborn's 33-year-old franchise record of 31 yards.
"I just try to go out there and give my team good field position every time I'm out there," said Tate, the NCAA career leader in combined return yardage with 3,523. "I try not to take any plays off. Just compete and just finish it hard."
Two of his 18 returns have come to a halt in the end zone.
In the season opener, Tate brought back the opening kick of the second half against Cincinnati 97 yards for a touchdown. He did the same thing against Miami in Week 4, only this time covering 103 yards with some celebratory high-stepping at the end to punctuate the second-longest return in team history.
"Actually I had thought about that the day before," a smiling Tate said of the strutting. "You know you sit around and you're like, `If I get a chance to score, I'm going to do this.' So when I broke it, I just did it."
In the wake of the Randy Moss trade, Tate's receiving skills have suddenly become a popular topic of discussion with fans. The latest Sports Illustrated urges fantasy football owners to pick up the sophomore in anticipation of his playing a more prominent role in the offense going forward.
Not that Tate was going there.
"I don't really feed into all that," he said. "All I worry about is what I can do to make this team better so, like I said, we're just going to go out there and compete." Tate ranks third on the team with 11 receptions, good for an average gain of 12.3 yards. He has no receiving TDs, but three catches have produced first downs.
Tate has terrific size at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and speed to match at 4.52 seconds in the 40, making him an inviting target for Tom Brady. But he's only worried about taking care of business, whether there's a payout or not.
"Every play that's called I just do my assignment," Tate said. "If (Brady) passes to me or not, it doesn't matter because I know he'll probably come to me soon. So I just go out there and play hard."
Despite a lost fumble after a 14-yard reception against Buffalo, Tate has displayed excellent hands while catching all but three targeted passes. And, in the best of both worlds, the Patriots have been winning games while Tate has won over the coaching staff.
On the next series after that giveaway, Tate had his number called. He responded by gaining five yards on a reverse.
"It showed me the coaches have some trust in me and they believe in me," Tate said.
Yup, the Patriots certainly like what they've seen from Tate to date with the anticipation there's more to come from the young receiver.
