Could Welker and Branch both having 1000 yards receiving this year?

[karguy85]

Branch has 760 receiving yards this year so he would need 80 yards a game. It is possible since he has been average over 90 yards receiving a game since coming to the Patriots.

Welker has 787 receiving yards this year so he needs a little over 70 yards a game to reach 1000 yards.

On a side not Welker only needs 20 catches to reach 100 again. That is ridiculous to think about since he is so closely removed from his injury.

 

[karguy85]

No responses?

 

[Nikolai]

No responses?

It got buried in the revelry and schadenfreude, but here's my take. I don't see them both doing it necessarily. As with everything else, the scheme comes first, and we could be seeing some TE-centric game planning with the Packers especially.

It's possible for both to do it, but a long shot. It's probable that one of them will do it, and my guess is Welker.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

As I responded in the other thread about WW reaching 100 receptions....

He doesn't care about that. Neither do I. Only one goal, win the game in Dallas.

"Stats are for losers" - Bill Belichick.

If you care about stats. Or if you are pro-resting players. Or even more so if both. I have a team for you: root for the Indianapolis Colts.

 

[Nikolai]

As I responded in the other thread about WW reaching 100 receptions....

He doesn't care about that. Neither do I. Only one goal, win the game in Dallas.

"Stats are for losers" - Bill Belichick.

If you care about stats. Or if you are pro-resting players. Or even more so if both. I have a team for you: root for the Indianapolis Colts.

Eh, fans can have fun with stats, and there's nothing wrong in rooting for your favorite players to have some personal achievements. Everyone knows that both of these guys have their eyes on the prize and value this milestone in a lesser fashion than a SB win, but let's not pretend that it would not be a nice "in your face" to the mediots who threw out this idea that the Pats couldn't be explosive, that Welker needs Moss, and that Branch is a JAG.

 

[karguy85]

I was more pointing it out to just illuminate how well they both were doing especially after people questioned Welker because of his injury and Moss leaving and Branch's skill after being pretty ineffective in Seattle.

I also think its funny that people keep talking about how many weapons Brady has compared to Manning and Rivers when many of Brady's receivers only became so great after pairing up with Brady. Branch is the best example of this. He did basically nothing in Seattle and now after being traded back to the Patriots can potentially have the first 1000 yard receiving season of his career.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

but let's not pretend that it would not be a nice "in your face" to the mediots who threw out this idea that the Pats couldn't be explosive, that Welker needs Moss, and that Branch is a JAG.

Which would be more in your face:

A) Welker ends the season with 105 rec. Both get 1100 yards.

-OR-

B) Patriots win the superbowl.

We win the superbowl it proves Welker and Branch can get it done w/o Moss much more convincingly than any stat sheet.

 

[Nikolai]

Which would be more in your face:

A) Welker ends the season with 105 rec. Both get 1100 yards.

-OR-

B) Patriots win the superbowl.

We win the superbowl it proves Welker and Branch can get it done w/o Moss much more convincingly than any stat sheet.

Why not both? :confused2:

EDIT - I'm not getting the "either/or" stuff around here. Brady has to either win MVP "or" SB, Welker catches for 1000 yards "OR" SB. It doesn't make any sense.

 

[karguy85]

Why not both? :confused2:

EDIT - I'm not getting the "either/or" stuff around here. Brady has to either win MVP "or" SB, Welker catches for 1000 yards "OR" SB. It doesn't make any sense.

I don't get it either. People throw out these "would you rathers" that don't make sense. Fans don't have control of anything the team does, so there is no point not talking about stats if we feel like it.

Obviously everyone would rather win the super bowl than have our receivers both have 1000 yard receiving seasons, but thats not a choice we get to make...

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

While personal stats mean nothing compared to team success, it would be cool with respect to media recognition for their efforts. I feel the same way about Tom breaking the no-INT streak, pro bowl elections, and regular season MVP awards. All are nice little bonuses, as long as they aren't a consolation prize.

I think people are a little more sour on such individual milestones after all those attained in 2007 left us still feeling like crap, but you're right, one is not replacing the other.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Why not both? :confused2:

EDIT - I'm not getting the "either/or" stuff around here. Brady has to either win MVP "or" SB, Welker catches for 1000 yards "OR" SB. It doesn't make any sense.

Agreed. Yeah, Belichick said "stats are for losers" in a huff after a game. But I'm betting there's at least a slight chance even he looks at stats in preparing for games. (And I'm pretty sure he cared about stats like 23 and 50 at the end of the 2007 season, to name two examples. The didn't mean he valued them over winning.)

 

[VJCPatriot]

Branch has 760 receiving yards this year so he would need 80 yards a game. It is possible since he has been average over 90 yards receiving a game since coming to the Patriots.

Welker has 787 receiving yards this year so he needs a little over 70 yards a game to reach 1000 yards.

On a side not Welker only needs 20 catches to reach 100 again. That is ridiculous to think about since he is so closely removed from his injury.

It's possible but it's really not necessary with this Pats offensive system. Brady is spreading the ball out, BJGE is running the rock well, and the offense is scoring from all possible manners and ways possible. So it's really hard to focus in to try to stop just one guy.

As for 20 more catches needed, that's not as easy as you make it out. With 3 games remaining, Welker would need to average 7 catches per game. Can he do it yeah, I mean he's Wes Fricking Welker. But even if he doesn't it doesn't diminish anything he has accomplished, he has had a very successful comeback season.

Now for Branch, I don't think he has ever had a 1,000 yard receiving season as a Pat and he doesn't need to do it to be considered a huge success in returning to NE. Man I just wish we had him in 2006. The sight of bugeyes dropping a sure TD that would have sealed the game still haunts me today.

 

[karguy85]

It's possible but it's really not necessary with this Pats offensive system. Brady is spreading the ball out, BJGE is running the rock well, and the offense is scoring from all possible manners and ways possible. So it's really hard to focus in to try to stop just one guy.

As for 20 more catches needed, that's not as easy as you make it out. With 3 games remaining, Welker would need to average 7 catches per game. Can he do it yeah, I mean he's Wes Fricking Welker. But even if he doesn't it doesn't diminish anything he has accomplished, he has had a very successful comeback season.

Now for Branch, I don't think he has ever had a 1,000 yard receiving season as a Pat and he doesn't need to do it to be considered a huge success in returning to NE. Man I just wish we had him in 2006. The sight of bugeyes dropping a sure TD that would have sealed the game still haunts me today.

I don't think I made it out to seem easier than it is. I am just saying that coming off an injury and having a receiver get traded who supposedly opens up space for the slot receiver and still being only 20 receptions away from 100 is pretty impressive. With that being said he is averaging just over 6 catches a game. So if he keeps his current rate he will have 98 receptions (and that was with a fairly slow start to the season)

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Theres no way Welker can get 100 catches and 1000 yds without Randy Moss..oh wait...
Deion Branch is a JAG, thats what Cris Carter tells me...uh.. never mind

 

[JFK]

Depends on how the Packers game goes.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

I just want Welker to hit 100 receptions on the season to make it 4 seasons in a row with 100+ receptions.

 

[TealSox]

I don't think we can get hung up on either/both Welker or Branch going for 1,000 yards this season....

... but moreso on what it means to have two players who have been preforming so well. So well that they could both reach that MAGIC number of 1,000 yards receiving.

How many WRs reach 1,000 yards receiving?

2009... 20 WRs

2008... 21 WRs

2007... 20 WRs

2006... 19 WRs

2005... 18 WRs


Not every team has a 1,000 yard receiver and very few teams have two 1,000 yard receivers (TEs not included).

So what does it mean that the Patriots have a 1,000 receiver?

Means that they have a legitimate threat at the WR position that forces defenses to account for him on nearly every play. Having 2 1,000 yard receivers mean that, not only do they ahve two legitimate threats at the WR position forcing defenses to account for them on every play, but the offense (albeit a passing offense) is effective at moving the ball down the field....

means they have a very good QB...

means that they have a good offensive scheme...

means that the offensive line protects well, giving the QB time to find the open WR.....

So while it is easy to see this as individual numbers, it truly reflects the aptitude of the entire offense: from the coaches to the linemen.

And that is something we take for granted in arguing the matter.

 

[sbpatfan]

You could have two 1,000 yard receivers like we've almost always had with Randy / Wes. Or you could have a bunch of 500+ receivers in Branch, Welker, Tate, Gronkowski, Hernandez, Woodhead. Or see a guy like Edelman get 200 yards here. I like the spread the wealth offense as opposed to the two man machine we had from 2007 - early 2010.

 

[goheels22002]

Against the three remaining teams, the two could very possibly hit 1,000 which be another 500 yards of offense and likely 3 Ws.

I'd like to see Edelman get some additional time at slot receiver to get his motor runing in the offense to add another wrinkle heading for the playoffs.

 

[patsfan-1982]

Deion Branch, has never had a 1000 yerd season so i think Brady will try hard to get him he's first and i think Brady would also like to see welker, gets he's 4th 100 catch season in a row

so unless BB starts siting players i think they will both get 1000 yerds