The Facts: Because the Patriots had to acquire the original terms of Moss's contract as part of the trade with the Raiders, the team needed to clear salary cap space to absorb the $9.75 million figure that Moss was scheduled to earn. Enter Brady, who agreed to restructure his present contract that runs through 2010 to create the space.

Diehards Line:That allowed the Patriots to finalize the trade for Moss, who then tore up his old contract and signed a one-year, $3 million deal that could be worth up to $5 million in incentives. "Tom does what he can in order to win," said Don Yee, his agent. As Globe staffer Mike Reiss suggests, QBs and receivers often talk about being on the same page on the field, but Brady's actions have helped him get off to a strong start with Moss off the field.