With 4 catches, TD, Stallworth gets into act
FOXBOROUGH - Five games into his Patriots career, Donte' Stallworth obviously has mastered the team blueprint.
For instance, about his big game at Gillette Stadium yesterday . . .
"I wouldn't say it was a big game. I dropped a third-down ball," said the sixth-year wide receiver.
OK, then. We'll downgrade that assessment. How about his good game . . .
"We got the win and that's the most important thing. But I'm sure there are a lot of things I'll be mad about [when he looks at the game film] and a lot of things I could have done better."
The most productive game in his brief New England career was in the books - 4 catches, 65 yards, 1 touchdown - but seven months since signing on as a free agent, Stallworth has had plenty of time to absorb what has been at the heart of a team concept that has produced three Super Bowl titles in the last six seasons.
That is why in the aftermath of the Patriots' 34-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, Stallworth seemed to care very little about his performance. Instead, he appreciates that there is a bigger picture. So as he was asked a third or fourth time (or was it a fifth?) about scoring his first touchdown as member of the Patriots, Stallworth conceded, "It feels good, I'd be lying if I said it didn't," but he quickly demonstrated that his great shifts aren't relegated to the football field.
"But at the same time, it's only one game. We have to play better than we did. We'll hear about it [today], definitely, at 12 o'clock."
That is when coach Bill Belichick will meet behind closed doors with his players, and you wouldn't want to wager that he'll be patting the lads on the back and suggesting they all go play 18 holes of golf.
"We'll eat some more humble pie [today]," said Stallworth, who surely has bought into the Belichick/Patriots way of life after four years in New Orleans and one in Philadelphia. Following a 2006 season in which the lack of depth at wide receiver was a major problem for New England, Stallworth came aboard in March and for a brief time it appeared he'd be quarterback Tom Brady's go-to guy. Six weeks later that landscape changed with the acquisition of Randy Moss.
The Brady-to-Moss connection has been the Patriots' most electric story of the young season, and perhaps the NFL's, too. But Stallworth served notice that he not only accepts that reality, he's loving the chance to work within that framework, because he knows the way defenses will prepare for the Patriots.
"We just go out and we play and wait on the opportunity," said Stallworth. "I got a little more opportunity, obviously, [because] they were trying to take Randy out of the game. Whenever that happens, the other guy has to pick up and make some plays."
Enter Ben Watson (6 catches, 107 yards, 2 touchdowns). And enter Stallworth, whose biggest contribution came on the Patriots' third possession of the game. Leading, 3-0, Brady & Co. were given prime field possession on the team's second interception of a Derek Anderson pass, this one by Asante Samuel. On first and 10 from the Cleveland 34, Brady dropped back and looked at the great wealth that is at his disposal this year, "but I guess his initial reads weren't open," said Stallworth.
Indeed, as they did for most of the game, the Browns devoted double-coverage to Moss (3 catches, 46 yards), so Stallworth reacted.
"[Brady] came back to me," said Stallworth. "We were on the same page."
Taking the short pass toward the left sideline, Stallworth then was in position to show off his greatest skill, the ability to produce yards after the catch. In last Monday night's win at Cincinnati, 36 of Stallworth's 49 yards were in the "YAC" column, but none of them were as impressive as those he hung up on the Browns and befuddled defensive back Leigh Bodden.
Seemingly stopped by Bodden for what would have been a short gain, Stallworth worked his way free, then cut behind a downfield block by running back Sammy Morris. It went into the books as a 34-yard touchdown pass, but Brady knows where the credit rests.
"Donte' made a nice catch on that ball," said Brady, who shared his teammate's assessment of the day. The first half was good, the second half not so good for anyone on the New England offense. Stallworth conceded as much; just don't ask him what happened.
"I don't know," said Stallworth. "At times we stopped ourselves. We weren't efficient in the red zone. We weren't good on third down."
His statistics mirrored the team's good-half, bad-half performance, for Stallworth didn't make a catch in the second half. In fact, he spent a good portion of the third quarter on the sideline as Jabar Gaffney got some playing time. No worries, said Stallworth, who accepts whatever role the coaches have for him. He knows he's part of a team concept and he's willing to answer the call - even if it's to run a reverse, like the one coaches called for him in the second quarter.
"I [stink] at reverses," said Stallworth, with a laugh. "Except for in high school, but high school doesn't count anymore. But in college and [for] a couple of seasons in the pros, I've never done much on reverses. They're usually stopped in the backfield."
Not this one. Instead, at his 49, Stallworth took it right-to-left and picked up 12 yards, the first play on an eight-play drive that ended with Stephen Gostkowski's second field goal and a 13-0 lead.
It was Stallworth's 12th rushing attempt in the NFL, his first since 2005, and resulted in his second-best effort. But more than anything, it made him feel good because on the Patriots' prior possession, he felt awful because of a mental lapse. On third and 3 from the Cleveland 45, Stallworth was wide open on a slant pattern, but dropped the ball.
Stallworth made it clear that the drop will stick with him more than the catch and deft move that produced a touchdown. It's all part of the new landscape in which he finds himself.
"When you get your opportunities, you have to make the most of them," said Stallworth. "But I didn't play great, by any means. There are a lot of things I can do to correct the mistakes I made."
Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.
