ctpatsfan77

For those saying that the Patriots should let Welker walk, there's two things that need to be kept in mind:

(1) The Patriots would have to replace his production—and, given his affinity with Brady, that's not an easy thing. As we've seen, a lot of receivers flame out in this offense.

I'm not arguing that it can't be done, but it's certainly not a given.

(2) Welker will almost certainly end up with a contending team. As a case in point, the Colts have over $40M in cap room. Even Denver has almost $20M. I don't want to see Welker become the anti-Woodhead.

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"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

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Ice_Ice_Brady

I think I've finally "seen the light" on why the Patriots are hesitant to re-sign Welker. For the record, I think Wes is an amazing player and one of my favorite Patriots of all-time. And it has nothing to do with his "drops", which frankly, are overstated. He catches a lot of very difficult passes and has lots of targets, so I don't really think he's prone to a lot of drops overall, and I think that his "anti-clutch" stuff is bs. He's made a ton of huge plays in big games; everyone just focuses on a couple of key drops.

But the reason why maybe it's time for Welker to go is because he overlaps so much with Hernandez' strengths that I wonder if he's worth a big contract. I often see both Hernandez and Welker open on the same play, but in games like tonight, neither one of them really broke the Ravens defense with their short route running. If the Pats could go out and get a proven player like Greg Jennings for, say, $8-9M per year, then that would make the offense better. You'd have a true number one receiver on the outside, a guy who can run all the routes, has decent size, and can go deep.

I think a receiving corps of Jennings (or someone like Wallace), Hernandez, Gronkowski, and Lloyd is much more effective than the current one. You have the field covered at all levels, which makes it so much more difficult to stop.

IllegalContact

I don't know........after the 2006 season (in which the pats were a bit close in getting to the SB), the pats had no problem flipping their WR roster......maybe its time to do it again......

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“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.

The Beast

Welker isn't a loss that the Patriots can't overcome. I love Wes and what he has done for us these past 6 years but if he wants big money then I say no, as we can use for stuff that we need help on and with Brady, Gronk, Hernandez, Lloyd, possibly another WR via draft or FA and McDaniels we will be fine without him.

Sciz

1. That's my main worry. If he's healthy, then I know Hernandez can take an increased role. Big if, though. Edelman is another guy that could definitely pick up some snaps in Welker's role, but he also lacks Welker's durability. Ideally they'll re-sign Edelman, but they definitely need to do more than that, whether it's a trade for Harvin, signing Hartline, a draft pick (my top three options), or something else.

2. The Colts would actually scare me less with Welker. It'd mean that they're taking one of their ridiculously explosive options off the field. And Peyton would get Welker killed so fast. Welker's good at avoiding hits, but Brady is also fantastic at not getting his WRs killed. Peyton, not so much. There can't be too many other good teams that can afford him.

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MoLewisrocks

How'd that work out in the end...

Brady_to_Moss

they don't need to flip their WR roster. lloyd, edelman and welker are great for this roster. Get a burner now. A greg jennings or harvin type player now

DocHoliday

No Jennings. No more retreads.

Get a Wallace to blow the top off or draft someone.

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ctpatsfan77

I don't think 2006 is the best comparison here.

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"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

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Brady_to_Moss

Drafting a WR is like going out fishing..you have no idea what you will catch and how they will respond to your system..look at chad jackson..we all thought he would be the next moss and a burner..