SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -The New England Patriots have two of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. Both could have big games against an Oakland Raiders team that likes to play man-to-man defense.
Randy Moss, double-teamed most of the season, is trying to break out after a drop in his numbers from last season, when he caught an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes. And Wes Welker, who leads the league with 96 receptions, remains a threat with his sure hands and elusive moves.
“Any time you play a team that plays a significant portion of man coverage,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Tuesday, “there’s obviously a burden on the receivers to get off the line of scrimmage, be physical, use their quickness, whatever their strengths may be.”
Moss’s strengths are his speed, moves and leaping ability, but he’s dropped several passes recently. Welker has been strong all season, setting an NFL record with at least six catches in each of the first 11 games of a season. He had 12 catches in his 13th game last Sunday, a 24-21 win at Seattle.
oast, practicing at San Jose State for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
“This is a team that they do play a little bit more man coverage than some of the teams that we’ve played in the recent past,” McDaniels said in a conference call. “That being said, they use some different forms of it where they have some people that will help on the interior portion of the coverage.”
That’s where Welker excels, often breaking free over the middle and giving Matt Cassel an inviting target when the defense pressures him.
“He’s a very intelligent player. He does a lot of things well,” McDaniels said. “Wes seems to find a way to get open against different coverages and he has abilities that allow us to move him and do some different things with him.”
The Patriots (8-5) are still in the playoff hunt despite losing many starting defensive players to injuries. They’re tied for the AFC East lead with Miami and the New York Jets and can miss out on the playoffs even if they win their remaining three games.
They also are a long shot for an AFC wild-card berth with Indianapolis and Baltimore leading the race for those two spots at 9-4.
“For us, it is just going out there and make sure we do everything on our end to try and win games and let everything take care of itself,” Welker said. “Basically, just control what you can control.”
‘s game 2-10 and nearly won.
The Patriots, though, have two former Raiders – Moss and running back LaMont Jordan, who came back from a calf injury last Sunday that had sidelined him much of the season.
“Any time you have players that were in a system for a few years, they seem to know a little bit about the players and maybe some small things about the system,” McDaniels said. “In the end, it’s going to come down to our execution against whatever they decide to do against us.”
Moss was traded to the Patriots before last season after criticizing the Raiders, but coach Bill Belichick isn’t worried that the receiver’s emotions might hurt his performance.
“He is one of the most professional guys we have. I am not really too concerned about that,” Belichick said Tuesday. “I have talked to Randy about the specific players.
“He and LaMont know a lot of players on the Raiders team, their skills, strengths and weaknesses. I think that can definitely help us in our preparation. They know a lot better than we (coaches) do.”
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