FOXBOROUGH - Donte' Stallworth isn't taking any chances. He has a sure-fire way to make sure the Patriots win Sunday's AFC Championship game against the San Diego Chargers.
"I am going to probably try to go down to San Diego and try to kidnap LaDainian [Tomlinson], and I might have to go get Shaun Phillips and [Shawne] Merriman, too," said Stallworth. "I don't know how I'm going to do it. Anybody want to help me?"
No need to notify NFL Security; Stallworth was simply being facetious.
But if anybody knows about players vanishing, it would be Stallworth. The free-spirited sixth-year wide receiver found himself losing playing time to Jabar Gaffney down the stretch of the regular season. In the Patriots' final four games, Stallworth caught a total of six balls for 66 yards.
He came out of wide receiver witness protection last Saturday in New England's 31-20 playoff victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, hauling in three catches for 68 yards, including a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter that set up a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Those were the big plays the Patriots were looking for when they signed Stallworth in the offseason, but while fellow new additions Randy Moss and Wes Welker have bonded with Tom Brady, grabbing headlines and receiving records, Stallworth has been a role player.
To his credit, Stallworth didn't complain about his playing time when asked before the Jaguars game, and yesterday the former Philadelphia Eagle and New Orleans Saint repeated that he was content with a supporting role, using levity when asked about his lack of catches.
"I went to Tom's house about 3 o'clock in the morning, went to his window and woke him up and was like, 'Hey, let me get some more balls,' " joked Stallworth. "No, hey, I understood the situation. I knew that before the season started.
"I remember having a conversation with Wes before the season even started telling him he was going to be the leading receiver on the team. This was right after minicamp, when we all took a receivers trip to New York.
"I knew my role. I knew what it was going to be. I couldn't be happier. I don't want to talk about any other teams, but my former two teams aren't playing right now and I'm playing still, so that's the most important thing."
Playing this deep into the playoffs is the reason Stallworth, who never had played in the postseason until last season, signed essentially a one-year deal to play in New England. His contract included only a $1 million signing bonus, and the Patriots have an $8 million option bonus payment due in the offseason that would turn his deal into a six-year, $33 million signing. It seems unlikely they will pick up that bonus, making Stallworth a free agent.
