National Football League

Point of attack;New focus for Brady

Published Oct. 9, 2010 10:10 p.m. ET

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FOXBORO - With Wednesday's trade of Randy Moss to the Vikings, the Patriots didn't just lose a receiver who caught 50 touchdowns in 52 games in New England. They also lost a player who always drew extra attention from defenses.

Throughout his three-plus seasons with the Pats, Moss repeatedly was credited by coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady with opening things up for the rest of the offense.

Now that he has shipped Moss to Minnesota, Belichick must figure out how to replace a critical piece of the highest scoring offense in the NFL.

''Randy is a unique player, so I don't know that you replace a player like Randy or Kevin Faulk or guys like that,'' Belichick said. ''They are special players. They have a unique set of skills. Other players do different things and they bring different things to the table. As a team, it's collectively about what we do as a total football team.''

Moss was targeted 138 times last season and, at times, Brady locked into the deep threat to the detriment of the offense. That was the case in Week 2's 28-14 loss to the Jets, when Brady fired 10 passes in Moss' direction, resulting in as many receptions as interceptions (two).

The offense won't be more explosive without Moss, but it figures to be more balanced. ''I think playing quarterback, you gotta find the guy that's open, get the ball to that guy,'' Brady said on ''Patriots All Access'' this week. ''Whatever we design as an offense, the guys who are in the offense are going to be capable of doing those things, so it's my job to get the ball to the guy I think is open on the play. And I've always enjoyed that part of the offense, and the guys that are out there, I'll have plenty of confidence in.''

Brady has a stable of versatile receivers at his disposal, as was the case early in his career when he led the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles. The reliable Wes Welker remains the top target, while second-year wideout Brandon Tate and rookie tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski are emerging.

''I have a lot of confidence in Wes and Julian (Edelman) and Aaron and Rob and Brandon Tate, obviously,'' Brady said. ''All the guys that are out there are going to be able to contribute and I'm excited about that.''

With the additions of Gronkowski and Hernandez, as well as veteran tight end Alge Crumpler, the Pats have moved away from the four- and five-wide sets that were customary during Moss' tenure.

It is expected that without Moss the Pats will become even more diverse in their formations to utilize the skill sets of their remaining receivers.

''When you add different players into the offense, there's different elements and different things take shape,'' Brady said. ''Really, you do things that suit your players, because that's what your players are good at.''

It remains to be seen how good Tate, Hernandez or any of the other young receiving options will become. But there is no doubt that opposing defenses will have a different approach without the threat of Moss.

''Obviously Randy is a great deep threat, you always gotta account for him and things like (that). But at the same time, it's about beating people in coverage and that's just the way it is,'' Welker said. ''I mean, definitely I benefited from playing with Randy, but I'm going to benefit from playing with these other guys.''

- danduggan@bostonherald.com

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