Patriots’ moves worth the plunge

Boom.

Can you hear them now?

Of course you can. And so can the rest of the league.

It’s hard to imagine a team making more waves with two transactions than the Patriots did - and they might not be done - even if the Jets land cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to go along with the re-signing of receiver Santonio Holmes.

If this were New York, or some place that needed to sell tickets, then that would be great. Give them the award for the most “OMG tweets’’ of the offseason and we can all go home.

But nobody cares about that. The only things that matter in the NFL - especially inside Gillette Stadium - are wins and Super Bowl titles.

Does acquiring Haynesworth and Ochocinco get the Patriots closer to their ultimate goal?

Maybe.

Were those moves worth a shot considering the Patriots only had to surrender three late-round picks and no big money?

Absolutely.

Let’s start with the known quantity.

Ochocinco improves the Patriots’ offense from the get-go. At 33, he is no longer the burner he once was, and isn’t the type of home run threat that will scare defenses, but he gives Brady more options.

Two AFC pro personnel directors agreed that Ochocinco is still an upper-echelon receiver.

He won’t blow by anyone on a 9-route (fade), but Ochocinco has the kind of short-area quickness the Patriots’ attack is predicated on. In that regard, the 6-foot-1-inch Ochocinco is like a taller and more durable Deion Branch. And Ochocinco is a great route runner with top-notch hands. He is fearless over the middle and will win the in-breaking routes against tight coverage.

The Jets showed the way to clamp down on the Patriots’ vertically challenged passing attack in the playoffs. Ochocinco doesn’t solve that problem, but he does make the Patriots more effective horizontally. That’s where this offense has evolved. The Patriots use every inch of the 53-yard-wide field by attacking the entire width. That forces defenses to spread out, which produces holes for Brady to pick apart and the running backs to slice through.