Good cross-section of opinions on the Welker sitch, and a lot of what me and Frenz talked about this morning on the podcast.
There’s definitely an argument to be made for keeping Welker, he’s been the consumate Patriot, battled through injuries, no one has competed harder than him.
And if you want to say something about his “big” drops, just remember him catching the game sealing first down against the Colts in 2007. He had hundreds of big catches, and took far too many big hits.
If this is goodbye it will be bittersweet sorrow.
New column is up at B/R. Sorry guys, I think it’s time to let Wes go…
The bigger question is whether or not the Patriots offense with Welker is still ascending? They have been dominant the last three seasons, but is keeping Welker in the fold a way to stay ahead of the curve, or just kicking the can down the road and hoping he remains healthy and dominant?
I don’t think the key is the running game. The Patriots have to figure out a way to be more explosive in the pass game to setup the run. Healthy Gronk and Hernandez certainly help — if they ever stay healthy. But I think the Patriots have to look hard at Welker and their offense. What you saw before Hernandez got hurt against the Cardinals — Lloyd, Hernandez, Gronkowski and Edelman — makes them much more explosive all over the field. They need upgrades to Lloyd, and if Edelman can’t stay healthy, someone quick and athletic after the catch in that spot. Do you give up the safety of having Welker to go for broke — not in the regular season, but in the post season — by changing the offense and personnel? I think those are the big decisions looming over this team and Belichick.
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Super Bowl chat with Greg A. Bedard - Extra Points - Boston.com Interesting stuff buried in this chat with GAB. |
“I actually got into it with Wes Welker when I first went to college,” the San Francisco 49ers receiver said yesterday. “He said something about me playing in the summer. We were doing one-on-ones with some guys that were in the NFL that used to go to Tech. He was holding me, and I was fresh out of high school, had an attitude, and I was cussing him out to get off of me. He got in my face like I was going to back down.” Naturally, that wasn’t the case. “That was one of those things I was letting him know I’m about to come in there and do better than what he did,” Crabtree said. “It was just fun and games. That’s my dude, though.”
Biggest mystery of the offseason is how this works out, I think Edelman is a no-brainer regardless of Welker.
Welker, 31, played on a one-year franchise tag of $9.5 million in 2012. The Patriots are unlikely to do that again with the franchise tag jumping to $11.4 million for Welker in 2013. It appears to be long-term extension or bust for the Patriots and Welker this offseason. Meanwhile, New England has been high on the unproven Edelman, 26. He ended last season on injured reserve with a foot injury and will be much cheaper to re-sign than Welker. The Patriots rotated Edelman and Welker early in the season to see how Edelman fits in the offense. That was the first sign that New England was thinking about life without Welker after this season. Edelman had 21 receptions and is a beast on special teams.
