By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The New England Patriots have joined the rest of the AFC East and have signed a big name wide receiver. The team came to terms with 12-year veteran Torry Holt to a one year $1.7 million deal.
Big name pickup, but does the 33-year-old still have the big game that new AFC East wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes have?
Once one of the members of the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf”, Holt’s numbers have declined dramatically. Last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars Holt caught 51 passes for 722 yards, both career lows. It was also the first season he did not play all 16 games (he only missed one game—the final game of the season—so it isn’t that big of a red flag) as well as catching zero touchdowns.
However, those stats don’t tell the entire truth about how much gas is left in Holt’s tank.
The Jaguars are a run-heavy team. Holt’s 722 yards were second-highest on the team, behind Mike Sims-Walker’s 869. Sims-Walker was also the only player to catch more than two touchdowns (7).
On the other hand, the Patriots like to pass the ball a lot and Tom Brady—a fan of veteran [...]