FOXBORO -- Jabar Gaffney spent three seasons in New England. Since, he's spent two seasons in Denver, and is currently in his first season with the Washington Redskins.
And his presence on the field, Sunday, against the Patriots, may remind those in New England that it's not an easy task to try and find the right fit for a No. 3 wide receiver on the depth chart.
That's what Gaffney was when he was with the Patriots. There was Randy Moss. There was Wes Welker. And then there were guys like Gaffney.
He was part of the 2007 powerhouse offense, along with Moss, Welker, and wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Gaffney finished that season with a career-high five touchdown receptions and 449 receiving yards.
These days in New England, the Patriots are still searching for that No. 3 wide receiver on the depth chart. Technically, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez own that role, but still, they're listed as tight ends.
Gaffney offered some insight, during a conference call on Wednesday, as to why he was able to click with Tom Brady right away.
"Just all the attention to detail and his attention to detail," said Gaffney about Brady. "He pretty much lets you know what he expects and he puts in a lot of work. I was always a guy that didnt mind putting in work, so we got on the same page real quick."
In order to succeed as the No. 3 wide receiver in New England, Gaffney said, one has to "look at himself as the number one, because on any play, Brady really does probably the best job of any quarterback of reading the play and he will get it to you. You want to be reliable on that side because if he comes to you, you have to make plays."
That's something that guys like Chad Ochocinco and the recently cut Taylor Price have been unable to do.
"Its a pretty tough offense, and if youre not really used to it, it can be a little overwhelming," said Gaffney. "And with Bill Belichick, if you dont know your stuff, hes not going to put you out there and trust you in those situations.
"You have to be smart out there and you have to know everything. You can have four or five different routes on each play and you just need to be on the same page with the quarterback and reading the defense at the same time."
Brady and Belichick praised Gaffney on Wednesday for being able to come in and do the things he was supposed to.
"We know Jabar is an excellent route runner, hes a good receiver, very disciplined and dependable guy," said Belichick. "The Redskins change their passing game around from week to week. Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan do a good job of that. They have a lot of core concepts but they build them from different formations, different personnel groups. And then they usually have a few patterns each week that really attack that particular team that theyre playing, whether its the individual personnel or the scheme that they're using and they do a good job of that."
"He could do it all," said Brady. He plays every position. I think thats the thing makes him such a good receiver, is his versatility. There are times when you're in the slot and then you have to go outside and now you're in a bunch of receivers or you're in a combination route with another receiver. Whatever it was, hed always figure out a way to understand what he had to do and then get open."