Bringing new parts together quickly is Brady's challenge

Shopping for Tom Brady, whom Esquire magazine recently named the best-dressed man in the world, isn't easy. What do you get the quarterback who has fame, fortune, and three Super Bowl rings? If you're the New England Patriots, you give him the finest collection of wide receivers he's ever had.

After being unwilling to open their wallets last season to keep wide receivers Deion Branch and David Givens, who fit Brady like an Armani suit, and watching him struggle to dress up a group of bargain-basement targets, the Patriots went upscale this year, acquiring Randy Moss from Oakland and Wes Welker from Miami and signing free agents Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington.

With veteran Troy Brown and second-year man Chad Jackson starting the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, Jabar Gaffney is the lone holdover among the five-man receiving corps that will take the field Sunday in the season opener against the New York Jets, an indication of what coach Bill Belichick really thought of the group. New England has been so pleased with its new additions that it cut Brady's top target from last season, Reche Caldwell, who led the team in catches (61) and receiving yards (760) and tied for tops in touchdown receptions (4).

"Tom has never had better people to work with. He's never, ever had better wide receivers," said former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury. "Let's remove Moss. Let's say Moss isn't on the team; it's still the best he's had."

Brady enters the season as the winningest quarterback in the Super Bowl Era (since 1966) with an overall mark of 82-26, and he's one of only four quarterbacks to win three or more Super Bowls. But all three of those QBs had Hall of Famers on the other end of their passes, a luxury Brady hasn't enjoyed.

Terry Bradshaw, who won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a pair of Canton-bound receivers in Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Joe Montana, who won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, played with Jerry Rice - say no more - and the playmaker in the passing game for Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, was Michael Irvin, who was enshrined this summer.

Who is the best receiver Tom Terrific has ever had? Brown, who may be canonized in these parts - and rightfully so - but Canton recognition seems like a long shot.

"That's what makes what he's done all the more incredible," said Irvin. "He's never had that No. 1 guy. Deion Branch was perfect for what they were trying to accomplish, so you can't say he's never had a great receiver to throw to, but you can say he's never had an exceptional athlete, that one exceptional guy."

No grand array of talent

The last time the Patriots had a 1,000-yard receiver was 2001, when Brady supplanted Drew Bledsoe. That season, Brown finished with 101 catches for 1,199 yards. In the five full seasons that Brady has been the starter, no Patriots wideout has had 1,000 yards - Branch fell 2 yards shy in 2005. The commonly accepted explanation is that the New England system - and by extension Brady - spreads the ball around too much for one receiver to rack up that type of yardage.

However, it's possible Brady simply has not had the talent on the other end. Montana spread the ball around with the 49ers as well.

"Take Tom and stick him with Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Brent Jones, and Roger Craig . . . how does he do?" said Salisbury. "That's no disrespect to Troy Brown and David Patten. Anybody who says those Patriots teams didn't have talent, that's a crock. Bill Belichick wants smart players and good players, but there is a difference between good players and superstars like Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.

"Nothing against Peyton Manning, but put Tom with [the Colts]. I argue this all the time. I think Tom has done more with less than any Hall of Fame, superstar QB in history. I think the guy is special and now he's going into the season and he doesn't have to worry, 'Do I have to make extra plays?' All Tom has to do is do what he does and New England's situation will take care of itself."

The question is whether Brady is still playing without a superstar receiver?

There are those who feel that Moss, who is coming off a season in Oakland in which he had the fewest catches (42), receiving yards (553), and touchdowns (3) of his career, isn't the same receiver who terrorized secondaries and started his career with six straight 1,000-yard seasons. Since he didn't play in the exhibition season after injuring his hamstring Aug. 1, Moss has done little to dispel that notion.

"He's the best guy by name that [Brady's] ever had. We'll see about by play," said Irvin of Moss. "Personally, I think he needs Tom more than Tom needs him at this point. Tom was a couple of plays away from the Super Bowl. He's already won three. Moss hasn't had that in his career yet."

Stallworth was second in the NFL in yards per catch last season for the Philadelphia Eagles (19.1), but now in his sixth year he has never had a 1,000-yard receiving season. In Cincinnati, Washington's production never matched his startling athletic ability, although he played in an offense that was geared to getting the ball to Chad Johnson. Gaffney has been the most in synch with Brady during the exhibition season, especially with Stallworth and Moss, who only returned to practice this week, missing significant time.

Irvin said he thinks that Welker, who had a career-high 67 catches last year with Miami and is slated as the slot receiver, will eventually emerge as Brady's go-to guy.

"Welker will make the most catches," Irvin said. "Just built on reputation, teams will be afraid of No. 18 [Stallworth] and No. 81 [Moss] deep. That will open it up for Welker. He can get open over the middle. Neither Moss nor Stallworth can work in tight spaces and Welker can. Now, he has the most accurate quarterback in the game throwing it to him."

Star power

Brady deserves some of the credit for the Patriots' revamped receiving corps. His cachet convinced Stallworth and Washington, both of whom signed backloaded deals that allow the Patriots to cut ties with them after one year, to take less cash just to play with the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

"It's just like playing with a Michael Jordan in basketball," said Washington. "It's just a great feeling to know that you're playing with the best at this position."

Brady has tried to temper the expectations for the passing game, repeatedly saying it's going to be a long process, the same mantra he repeated last season. (Caldwell said last year that it wasn't until the week after the bye, which came following the fifth game, that the offense was in tune.) But just like last year, when Brady's body language betrayed him at times, revealing frustration with a stalled passing attack, it's impossible for No. 12 to mask the excitement he has about working with his new wideouts.

Salisbury said it will take time for Brady and his toys to get up to speed, but talent accelerates the process.

"If I take a Ferrari and it's tuned up, the Ferrari is getting from 0 to 60 faster than my Ford pickup truck," said Salisbury. "You and I can be roommates for five years and be on the same page, but if you're not open it doesn't matter. When Warren Moon and I were on the same team it was much easier to get in a rhythm with Warren Moon than me. Let's face facts. This group of receivers is better than the group they had last year."

That's why the world's best-dressed man might be able to accessorize with a fourth Super Bowl ring.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.