Patriots coach Bill Belichick acknowledged his team’s signing of Antonio Brown for the first time Tuesday and doesn’t appear to be worried about the wide receiver possibly becoming a distraction for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Asked what gives him confidence Brown won’t be as disruptive in New England as he was in Oakland or Pittsburgh, Belichick had a witty reply.
Bill Belichick is asked by @tomecurran what makes him confident that Antonio Brown won’t be a disruption, like he was at times in Pittsburgh/Oakland.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 10, 2019
“It’s the same thing you said [as a collective media] about Randy Moss when we brought him in,” Belichick responded.
The analogy isn’t a bad one. In 2007, the Patriots acquired a disgruntled Moss from the Raiders — and the star wide receiver went on to revitalize his career with the Patriots, scoring a career-high 23 touchdowns that season.
Brown, meanwhile, signed with the Patriots after being released by the Raiders on Saturday. His months-long stint in Oakland turned out to be disastrous, from a helmet controversy to the wide receiver demanding his release.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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