Could bad word of mouth sink Brandon Lloyd to Pats?

All offseason, Brandon Lloyd's discussion about his future included a subtext that's gone something like this: The Patriots want me. I want the Patriots. This is manifest destiny. Where do I sign?

It wasn't crazy, either. The Pats badly need a complement to Wes Welker, and Lloyd -- with his established playmaking abilities and ties to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels -- appears to be a snug fit.

But a report in Sunday's edition of The Boston Globe raises some character questions about Lloyd, who's on the verge of joining his sixth team in nine seasons.

"I know you've heard he was good in the building, but he wasn't necessarily an angel in the building," a Broncos source told the Globe. "He wasn't a good teammate. During games, he was asking the stat person to see how many catches and yards he had at that point in the game when (Kyle) Orton was starting."

(Uh oh. Teddy Bruschi is probably prepping his statement about the clear and present danger to The Patriot Way as we speak.)

"He's extremely intelligent," the source said of Lloyd. "Very articulate, very well-read, but there were times when people in the building thought he may be bipolar -- and not joking -- because he has days where he's up and ready to go and happy-go-lucky and he's like, 'Hey, what's up? How's it going?'

"And then there were other days when he was surly and moody, and you just know it's not a good day to approach him."

The Globe goes on to connect this description of Lloyd to Albert Haynesworth, which is just about the worst thing you can do to anybody.

"He's kind of a different cat, I'll say that."

The source said Lloyd has an "affinity" for McDaniels and believes the coordinator's presence "could be the equalizer that controls all the negative stuff."

But the chance of a clash remains.

"He wasn't shy about telling (former Broncos quarterback Kyle) Orton, 'Give me the damn ball,' or a look," the source said. "I don't think Tom Brady is going to put up with that. Tom Brady is going to be like, 'Just shut up. I pass it to the open guy. If you're open, I'll get it to you.' I don't know how he would react to that. Kyle never did that."

In a free-agent class loaded with quality wide receivers, you wonder how easily a team can be spooked by bad word of mouth. Food for thought at Patriot Lair.