Larry Brown Sports

When the New England Patriots brought back Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator last season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that receiver Brandon Lloyd would not be far behind. Lloyd has had success in McDaniels’ offensive systems and seems to follow him wherever he goes, but the pair could finally split in 2013.

According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, it is unlikely that the Patriots will pick up Lloyd’s $3 million option to keep him with the team next season. While he was fairly productive with 74 catches, 911 yards and four touchdowns in 2012, there are apparently whispers that Lloyd’s lack of effort irritated the team.

A league and team source reportedly told Bedard that Lloyd’s “erratic behavior on the practice field and in the locker room” frustrated the Patriots’ coaching staff. It was obvious on several occasions that Lloyd and Tom Brady were not able to establish a great deal of chemistry, but this is the first we have heard of his behavior being an issue.

Many believe New England will sign Wes Welker to an extension now that the team has restructured Brady’s contract and gained salary cap flexibility. If Welker re-signs, that makes Lloyd more expendable. It also gives the Patriots some extra cash to explore options at receiver via free agency or trade. Adding a big-play receiver on the outside to join Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski could do wonders for New England’s already potent offense.

H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Having played for one of the worst teams in the NFL last season, Brandon Lloyd is likely going to be impressed by a lot of things the defending AFC champion Patriots do. He gets to catch passes from Tom Brady and play alongside All-Stars like Wes Welker, who should help soften the defense for Lloyd to get down field. In addition, Lloyd gets to play under Bill Belichick and admire his (in)famous wardrobe.

When asked if there was anything that has surprised him thus far about Belichick during a recent interview with NFL.com, Lloyd immediately brought up the hoodies.

“He actually wears the cut-off sweatshirts all of the time,” Lloyd said. “That’s actually the way he does his clothes, so I was definitely impressed by that.”

The three Super Bowl rings are kind of intriguing, but it’s the clothing that really gives Belichick that element of mystique. When something big goes on in the Boston area, statues get the hoodie treatment. It didn’t take Lloyd long to appreciate that element of the Foxboro culture.

H/T Boston Herald
Photo credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

With this year’s wide receiver free agent class being absolutely stacked, the Patriots could already be the front-runner for one of the top options. Brandon Lloyd has played 10 NFL seasons, and one of them stands above all the others. As a member of the 2010 Broncos under Josh McDaniels, Lloyd caught 77 passes for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns — all career highs. The Rams then traded for Lloyd with McDaniels as their offensive coordinator last season, and Lloyd has been open about his desire to follow his favorite coach wherever he goes. McDaniels is returning to New England as offensive coordinator next season, so it is no mystery that Lloyd would love to land in Foxboro.

“I admire Coach Bill (Belichick), I admire Tom Brady, I admire how they run things over there,” Lloyd told CSNNE.com’s Tom E. Curran. “For any receiver to be considered to come in and play on the New England Patriots is gonna be excited just because of the history of success.

“Winning is definitely the highest priority. I’ve been in the league for 10 years now and I don’t look at the NFL as a place where I can horde money and get as much as I can because it’s the end of the world (at the end of his career).”

Translation: the Patriots will get a discount if they’re interested. Lloyd also praised McDaniels during the interview, saying that the two trust one another and that Josh treats him “like a true No. 1 receiver.” It should also be noted that Lloyd is a respected player and has never been known to cause problems in the locker room, so he would seemingly fit the “Patriot Way.” If Tom Brady wants a new weapon on the outside next season, it sounds like the team can give him one at a team-friendly price.

Brandon Lloyd was a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Broncos last season. He put up most of his big stats with quarterback Kyle Orton throwing to him, but he also did well in the three games Tim Tebow started. Lloyd was traded to the Rams prior to the deadline, and he had six catches for 74 yards against the Cowboys Sunday. While being interviewed as a guest on ESPN 101′s The Fast Lane in St. Louis Wednesday, he was asked about Tim Tebow’s chances for success in the NFL. Lloyd didn’t give Tebow the most glowing review.

“I don’t know. I think only time will tell with that style of play,” Lloyd told the hosts. “I think it is effective last Sunday, but I just don’t know how effective that style can be over the course of long games and playing formidable opponents.”

Lloyd was asked about Tebow’s throwing mechanics — Tim has a long windup before throwing — and Lloyd indicated that the slow delivery is a problem.

“Timing is an issue. There’s just not that much separation that you get in the NFL,” Lloyd explained. “You get a yard on a guy, you’re wide open. You’re not that open for very long. Any delay in throwing the ball or not being in position to throw the ball when that separation happens, it just throws a monkey wrench in anything you’re trying to accomplish down the field.”

Lloyd played two training camps and three games with Tim Tebow, so his opinion is significant. What he’s saying doesn’t mean Tebow can’t become a successful quarterback, but like he said, only time well tell how he does. Of course, he’s not the first, and he won’t be the last person to question how successful Tim Tebow can be in the NFL.

Here’s audio of that portion of the interview:

[audio:http://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/brandon-lloyd-tim-tebow.mp3|titles=brandon-lloyd-tim-tebow]

via Sports Radio Interviews

The Denver Broncos drafted Tim Tebow with one thing in mind: he would be their quarterback of the future. You don’t draft a player in the first round to use him strictly in special situations.  Tebow is no different.  When the Broncos traded for Kyle Orton, they were looking for some stability at quarterback.  They seemed to have found it for a while, but now whether Orton will be traded has turned into one of the mysteries of the offseason.

Only six weeks away from the start of the regular season, Brandon Lloyd and other Broncos veterans have grown tired of the uncertainty.  Lloyd spoke with Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated on Monday and gave us a glimpse into the frustration Denver players are facing as a result of not knowing who their quarterback will be.

“It’s the Tebow Thing,” Lloyd said. “They’ll put Kyle on the trading block because they don’t want to deal with the Tebow Thing. But it’s not going to end until [Tebow] plays. The faster they get this Tebow Thing over with, one way or the other …

“I spent the entire offseason preparing myself for Tim being the quarterback, because the organization put Kyle on the trading block at the end of the year,” he continued. “I spent the offseason asking myself, ‘What pass plays are we going to be running? Are we going to be running sprint plays? Throwing from outside the pocket?’

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Three weeks after getting thoroughly embarrassed at home by the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos (partially) redeemed themselves with a 49-29 beating of the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver was up 21-0 by the end of the first quarter getting three straight touchdown passes from Kyle Orton. They led 35-0 midway through the second quarter and essentially had the game over well before halftime, proving that the Broncos’ coaches made excellent use of the bye week.

Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno, and Brandon Lloyd put up stats and made plays like they were John Elway, Terrell Davis, and Rod Smith. Orton hit Brandon Lloyd with a 37-yard pass down the middle on the team’s opening drive, setting up a touchdown four plays later. Lloyd caught the pass in traffic and had to dive for the ball making an incredible catch. Lloyd also hauled in a six-yard touchdown on their next drive, and he rounded out his terrific afternoon with a 15-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter. The 8th-year receiver from Illinois finished with 90 yards on six catches and two touchdowns, missing out on his 6th 100-yard game of the season by 10 yards.

Though the passing game exploded against Kansas City, the running game got going too. Second-year running back Knowshon Moreno had his first career 100-yard game, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries. Moreno also took a short pass from Orton for a touchdown on the opening drive and finished with 50 yards receiving on three catches. Kyle Orton’s final stat line was 22/34 for 296 yards and four touchdowns. I have no idea what got into Denver in week 10, but their receivers were making spectacular catches and everything seemed to be working. I won’t get carried away here, but they looked pretty darn good. And having Knowshon Moreno healthy makes a huge difference for this team.

Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images; AP Photo/Joe Mahoney