Not gonna lie, it was a little strange and was a little bit of a gut punch. The interesting thing to me is that the way the Broncos moved the ball with him reminded me of the Patriots offense. We all have seen the Patriots look just as unstoppable as the Broncos did last night and that’s what Welker can do for an offense.
But I think what we’ve learned about the Welker-based offense is that while it can be at times unstoppable, it can also tend to go cold. Maybe Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker will prevent teams from doing what they used to do to the Pats to stop it, i.e. crowding the short zones, and blasting Welker every time he makes a catch, but seeing what the Broncos did last night didn’t make me wish Welker was still on the Pats.
It’s was more “yup, that’s what he can do” but let’s see if he can continue to do it for the next six months and when it’s all on the line. I still have my doubts given his age and how, despite the touchdowns, he still had some mistakes.
That said, I’m excited for the new receivers in the Pats offense, and seeing Danny Amendola in Welker’s role, and what new elements he brings to it.