Belichick not worried about Brown: 'Same thing you guys said about Moss'
The New England Patriots will welcome Antonio Brown to their famously no-nonsense locker room after a summer of drama for the former Oakland Raiders wide receiver.
Some believe the issues that caused Brown's departure from both the Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers will inevitably resurface in New England, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has experiencing dealing with star wideouts who are associated with off-field question marks.
When asked Tuesday about why he's confident Brown can change his tune, Belichick pointed to another Hall of Fame-caliber receiver who left Oakland for New England after his fair share of drama.
"It's the same thing you guys said about Randy Moss when we brought him in," said Belichick, according to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston.
Like Brown, Moss joined the Patriots after an unhappy stint with the Raiders from 2005 to 2006.
Many feared the wideout wouldn't fit well with the "Patriot Way," but those worries were soon after quelled, as Moss caught an NFL-record 23 receiving touchdowns and was second in the league in receiving yards (1,493) in his first season in New England.
Moss recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons - the last of his storied career - in 2008 and 2009 before leaving the Patriots.
The now-ESPN analyst recently advised Brown not to waste such an opportunity with more off-field distractions.
"You're with the GOAT head coach. You're with the GOAT quarterback. It's time to put up or shut up," said Moss, according to Cindy Boren of boston.com. "I don't know if this is his last stop or not, but he's playing for one-year deals. I just want the man to play football."
New England signed Brown to a reported one-year, $15-million contract that also contains a team option for 2020 valued at $20 million.
While the NFL world was captivated by Brown's exits from Pittsburgh and Oakland, Belichick isn't concerning himself with the receiver's past actions.
"I wasn't in either of those places so I can't comment on what did or didn't happen there," said Belichick, according to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.
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