Monday night, while fans were still digesting the news that Panthers’ sixth-round running back Tyler Gaffney was suddenly a Patriot, this tweet hit our mentions column.

It’s an amusing theory, but the odds it happened that way are slim to none. The tweet was likely tongue-in-cheek, anyway. But for the purposes of this post, let’s go with it.

This piece in Wednesday’s Sun Chronicle has interesting nuggets on both Gaffney and former Panthers’ receiver Brandon LaFell, whose hands are apparently still an issue.

“He’s had more than his share of drops in practice,” writes Mark Farinella, who added this quote from LaFell:

“I think I’ve been OK. I haven’t been consistent. I started off slow the first couple of days of camp and had a few drops, but I picked it up from then. So as of now I think I’m getting better, but it’s still early in camp and I have to learn how to be consistent and put good days together back to back.”

Farinella even dug up a previous Patriots’ mistake with a tie to the Panthers.

In 2002, after Donald Hayes started to look like one of the league’s emerging receivers, the Patriots had to have him. He turned out to be one of head coach Bill Belichick’s first and biggest busts.

After leaving Carolina to sign a two-year, $4 million contract in New England, Hayes produced 12 receptions and two touchdowns. He was cut after 12 games and never played in the NFL again.

One of Hayes’ biggest mistakes was publicly admitting his struggles with the playbook, and even though LaFell was better at Tuesday’s practice, Farinella says his latest comments are similarly ominous.

“I just haven’t been finishing plays and I need to continue to finish plays,” LaFell admitted.

Despite four seasons in Carolina where things never completely clicked, the Patriots gave LaFell a three-year, $11 million deal in March. What if Belichick has already decided he bought a broken toy?

Continuing with the theory: Embarrassed, or furious because he’s going to be embarrassed, Belichick notices Gaffney on Sunday’s waivers. Then, for the third time since 2010, the Patriots break one of the league’s unwritten rules, stealing a player off waivers before first cuts. Gaffney can’t help him this year, but Belichick sees an opportunity to snag a guy he previously had eyes on, plus it’s a chance to get back at LaFell’s former employer.

The last part makes little sense, but again, we’re just having some fun here.

“I think (Gaffney’s) a good all-around back that we want to work with,” Belichick said Tuesday. “He was available, so we’ll see how it plays out here.”

Yeah, he was available because the Panthers figured everyone would play nice. When burned, Belichick doesn’t. He’s now stuck paying a guy who can’t catch, and Gaffney was his way of paying back the Panthers.

So there you have it – the Great Gaffney Conspiracy Theory of 2014.

Anyway, it’s an off day at Panthers camp. Any good movies on? Wonder if JFK is on Netflix …

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