Where does Reggie Wayne land on the Randy Moss-Torry Holt scale?
The Patriots signing former Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne is anything but unordinary for New England. In recent years, we've seen plenty of "pass their prime" players roll into Foxboro, specifically receivers.
We all remember the train wrecks of Torry Holt and the wide-out formally known as Ochocino (who apparently is now showing up at random peoples houses, taking their food and beating them in FIFA) in a Patriots uniform.
In the teams defense, however, we have also seen the likes of Randy Moss come in here and light up the league like he did before each high school game when was a member of the Rand University community.
So now we are down to Wayne. A great receiver in his day, but so were all of the receivers mentioned above.
Where does Reggie find himself on the Moss-Holt scale? Well lets check.
Last season Wayne played in 15 games after coming off an ACL tear midway through the 2013 season. He racked up 779 yards, 64 catches on 116 targets and two scores.
All in all, coming off an ACL tear, not bad.
He is coming into the Patriots at 36 years of age and will turn 37 in November. How does that stacks up to the other three receivers in the year before they joined the Pats?
Torry Holt
Age: 33 Former Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Stats: 12 games started, 51 catches on 103 targets, 772 yards and zero touchdowns.
Patriots Career: released in training camp
Chad Ochocinco
Age: 32
Former Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Stats: 12 games started, 67 catches on 120 targets, 831 yards and four touchdowns.
Patriots Career: 3 games started, 15 catches on 32 targets, 276 yards and one touchdown. Also one catch for 21 yards in Super Bowl XLVI #NeverForget
Randy Moss
Age: 29
Former Team: Oakland Raiders
Stats: 13 games started, 42 catches on 96 targets, 553 yards and three touchdowns.
Patriots Career: Awesomeness.
Moss is clearly at the top of the class finishing his first year with the Patriots playing all 16 games (all wins), caught 98 balls on 160 targets and had a record 23 touchdowns.
Now, what does this mean for Reggie Wayne?
It's important to point out that he is the oldest out of all of the players mentioned and he had the best quarterback in his season before joining the Patriots in Andrew Luck. Andrew Walter and Aaron Brooks (Moss), Carson Palmer (Ochocinco) and David Garrard (Holt) were the signal callers for the others.
However Wayne, is still a very talented route runner and the book on ACL injuries is that the second year removed from surgery is when you start to feel like your old self. If we take that into account, then we should look at Reggie before the tear.
In that 2013 season, the then 35 year old had 38 catches for 503 yards and two touchdowns through seven games. If you project that out through a 16 game season he was looking at an 86 catch, 1,150 yard and 5 touchdown season. Not too shabby for an old guy.
Given at that time with the Colts he was the number one receiver and in New England he is at best looking at a 3rd option for Tom Brady, so it's hard to imagine he puts up those numbers.
But is Reggie Wayne done? I don't think so.
Look for him to have a line that looks something to the tune of 65 catches 700 yards yards and 4-6 touchdowns. Landing him above Holt and Ocho, but not even in the stratosphere of Moss.
Again, another sneaky move for Belichick and, as a bonus, it also burns Colts fans in process, which is always a plus.
Photo Credit: Boston Herald
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSully
