Was Letting Greg Lewis Walk a Mistake for Patriots?

Greg Lewis wasn’t good enough to make the Patriots. But the wide receiver is still good enough to make the catch of the NFL season so far.

After being inactive for the first two games of the 2009 campaign, Lewis made sure his debut with the Vikings was unforgettable.

Now Lewis is Brett Favre’s new best friend and the toast of the Twin Cities.

All it took was one miracle catch to beat the 49ers.

This catch may not have the historical significance of Lynn Swann’s Super Bowl dive, the same high stakes riding on it as Dwight Clark’s famous snag or the controversy of Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception, but Lewis’ grab was worth the full price of admission. It was his first catch of the season, and in the process of getting his name in the papers, Lewis displayed every quality a good receiver should possess — great hands, body control, field awareness, ability to drag the feet, flexibility, poise and balance.

All the qualities every Patriots wide receiver not named Randy Moss has been lacking most of this season.

Joey Galloway has dropped almost as many passes as he’s caught (seven) and already has cost the Patriots a score or two. There’s still time for him to get in sync with Tom Brady, but the clock is ticking. And at this point, Galloway looks closer to retirement than the Pro Bowl.

Julian Edelman is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The rookie has shown wheels and promise. But with any first-year player, there is a steep learning curve. The NFL is a win-now business, so there’s not a lot of patience for inconsistency, poor routes, dropped balls and mistakes.

Wes Welker is proof that it’s hard to be a difference-maker while standing on the sidelines in street clothes. The Patriots are crossing their fingers that Welker’s gimpy knee heals enough to play, but it’s a bad sign when a team’s second-leading receiver hasn’t caught a ball in over two weeks.

Any possibility the Patriots are regretting cutting Lewis loose in the preseason?

Lewis may not have shown much in training camp and the preseason with New England, but it’s obvious he still knows how to catch a football. And Brady could use all the weapons he can get — especially when the quarterback is shaking off some rust and the 3-0 Ravens are coming to town.

The Patriots are going to need a balanced offensive attack to beat Baltimore. Fred Taylor proved that he still has 100-yard games in his legs against the Falcons, but the Ravens have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 37 games.

Snapping that streak won’t be easy.

Every New England receiver not named Moss is going to need to step up and make plays to keep the Ravens' defense honest. If they don’t, it could be a long day for Brady and Co.

And the Patriots might end up wondering why they let Lewis get away.