Curran: Can Patriots keep up in NFL’s skill position arms race? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Late in the 2001 season, when the Patriots were rolling in a season that would end with an unimaginable Super Bowl title, I stopped Bill Belichick as he was passing through the Foxboro Stadium locker room.
I was wondering about rookie defensive tackle Richard Seymour. Months earlier, with all of New England demanding a wide receiver weapon for Drew Bledsoe, Belichick instead plucked Seymour with the sixth overall pick.
There were howls of indignation.
“This is why he got fired in Cleveland and why he’ll get fired here. You don’t pay your quarterback $103M and then leave him throwing to Troy Brown when David Terrell is sitting right there! Koren Robinson, Rod Gardner, Santana Moss, Freddie Mitchell, Reggie Wayne – all go in the first round. But Bill’s smarter than everyone.”
By the time I snared Belichick, nobody was talking about David Terrell. They were talking about the…