Is this the last year of wes welker in a pats uniform...?????

[Snake Eyes]

I dont want Wes to go anywhere, I absolutely love him...BUT if keeping him somehow got in the way of getting Larry Fitzgerald then I'd have to endorse it.

 

[Kid~Brady]

I dont want Wes to go anywhere, I absolutely love him...BUT if keeping him somehow got in the way of getting Larry Fitzgerald then I'd have to endorse it.

Keep dreaming. I too have been wanting Fitzgerald here, he just fits our system on and off the field but I just heard on NFLN last night that they are preparing to do some long deal contract talk with him staying in AZ since they got Kolb and the others.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Why the **** this thread keeps coming up ? I don't understand.

 

[Kid~Brady]

Why the **** this thread keeps coming up ? I don't understand.

I was initially going to post something to this tangent but it seems that this time it was said over the radio. WEEI I think, on the Big O and Holley show. Curran ?

 

[condon84]

How big of a shock would it be if Welker gets traded before the season started?

 

[FalconHeavy]

Ah, those sports media ******* . they can't sell commercials without stirring up a controversy. :explative

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

How big of a shock would it be if Welker gets traded before the season started?

If the comedian and Flamboyant Ocho became our #1 Receiver,this team would be in trouble,We need Welker to remain Brady's Main Man

Sorry...but I simply do not trust Ocho to be anymore than an average receiver with about 500-700 yards at BEST.

 

[Sciz]

You can have three TEs on the field and still have a slot receiver. That's how Welker got his first TD last year.

Very true. I guess I'll have to say that on most 2TE plays, there is not a slot receiver

 

[Sciz]

If the comedian and Flamboyant Ocho became our #1 Receiver,this team would be in trouble,We need Welker to remain Brady's Main Man

Sorry...but I simply do not trust Ocho to be anymore than an average receiver with about 500-700 yards at BEST.

In Branch's 11 games, he put up yardage that would've been a little over 1k prorated over 16. There's definitely room in the offense for older receivers who get open with route running rather than speed. Ocho put up 831 yards in 14 games last year with Carson "Noodle Arm" Palmer at QB. No reason he can't do better with Brady.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Keep dreaming. I too have been wanting Fitzgerald here, he just fits our system on and off the field but I just heard on NFLN last night that they are preparing to do some long deal contract talk with him staying in AZ since they got Kolb and the others.

Until they put ink to paper it's all talk, Kolb might turn out to be a bunch of hype, I didnt think he did anything spectacular in Philly. Fitz just might risk it and finish the season there without a new deal in place.

 

[farn]

Wes produces and by all accounts is a hard worker and VG teammate.

It'd be great to have him stay. But what will he be asking for ? If he wants too much, he might not be back.

Who knows ? Maybe they CAN use that extra cap room to give him a good chunk early in the contract...

 

[scout]

Since I clicked through 4 pages and nobody mentioned it.....How can Welker be a product of the system? When Welker was with Miami we did not have an answer for him, and that is a fact.

 

[patsfan13]

We will use more that 3 WR and 3 TE's it's all about situational football and matchups from week to week. We get too hung up on the base O & D IMO.

No reason not to say split out Hernandez and play a slot receiver.

 

[naF staP]

Edelman is Wes Welker like, but he is not Wes Welker. Dump Edelman and use that money for Wes. It would be foolish to not extend Welkers contract. Wes has solid hands and is willing to go in and get anything and everything that is thrown his way. There really is no comparison between Welker and Edelman when it comes to receiving.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

I'm even on the "trade Welker" bandwagon, and I completely disagree with that. I just think that Welker is the best slot receiver in the NFL stuck in an offense that is at its best when there are 2 TEs and therefore no slot receiver on the field. More of a statement about Hernandez and Gronkowski than Edelman, who I don't see getting more than 10 catches even if Welker is gone. ¯\(°.o)/¯

I hear what you're saying but offenses change from year to year. Before last season, was our offense at its best in 2 TE sets? No, because we didn't have TEs like Hernandez and Gronkowski. Last year, we didn't have a consistent, outside WR besides Branch. We (hopefully) have that now in Ochocinco. Therefore, some of us feel Welker is set for a great season with the outside WRs getting extra attention, letting him get open in the slot.

What if Gronk or Hernandez went down? Are we still a better team with a 2 TE set with Lee Smith on the field rather than the best slot WR in the NFL? You don't get rid of someone like Welker simply because a formation without him in it works well. It's the NFL. You need to be able to execute in a LOT of different formations and player packages. He's worth it.

 

[Sciz]

I hear what you're saying but offenses change from year to year. Before last season, was our offense at its best in 2 TE sets? No, because we didn't have TEs like Hernandez and Gronkowski. Last year, we didn't have a consistent, outside WR besides Branch. We (hopefully) have that now in Ochocinco. Therefore, some of us feel Welker is set for a great season with the outside WRs getting extra attention, letting him get open in the slot.

The thing that gets Welker is when there was a guy on him to his outside shoulder (guarding the out) and an LB in zone inside (guarding the in). It's usually not a safety that's included in Welker's coverage, so that safety can still focus on either Ochocinco or the TEs. Where having Ochocinco will actually help more, in my opinion, is in those 2TE sets. Now teams have to choose whether they want a safety helping on Ochocinco or Gronkowski/Hernandez. Both of them are better deep than Welker, thus more likely to draw a safety. If one safety is helping with Ochocinco, then either Gronkowski or Hernandez is drawing an LB in coverage.

What if Gronk or Hernandez went down? Are we still a better team with a 2 TE set with Lee Smith on the field rather than the best slot WR in the NFL? You don't get rid of someone like Welker simply because a formation without him in it works well. It's the NFL. You need to be able to execute in a LOT of different formations and player packages. He's worth it.

I think it's safe to say that it's more likely Gronkowski and Hernandez both stay healthy than get injured long term. And in the case that they are both healthy, then Welker turns into a >50% snaps, 40 catch guy. It's a risk that the big 4 (Gronk, Hern, Branch, Ocho) stay healthy for a year (or that Price can step in for Branch if needed), in return for a 2nd round pick. (Remember, I'm not giving him away. I'd want something significant for him.)

 

[Ivan]

This whole 'product of the Patriots system' BS is laughable.

Its the ultimate backhanded compliment - players A isn't that good he's just a 'product of the system'.

Didn't we have to listen to this BS about Brady year after year?

Wes Welker, like Logan Mankins, is the best at his position - just because he makes it look easy it doesnt mean guys like Edelman are just going to step in and be that good, that consistently.

Welker is probably one of the most sure-fire re-signings on the roster.

Great post, I agree completely.Welker is the best slot receiver in the game and is invaluable to Brady when the pressure is on. The idea he is easily replaced is laughable. I think Welker will be reasonable in his contract demands and like Mankins will be with Brady for years to come.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

No..............

 

[Richardson]

Wes is a very good player, yes Brady makes him great (What great QB's make his teammates worse?) but to say that he'd be nothing without our system is just plain stupid.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

I think it's safe to say that it's more likely Gronkowski and Hernandez both stay healthy than get injured long term. And in the case that they are both healthy, then Welker turns into a >50% snaps, 40 catch guy. It's a risk that the big 4 (Gronk, Hern, Branch, Ocho) stay healthy for a year (or that Price can step in for Branch if needed), in return for a 2nd round pick. (Remember, I'm not giving him away. I'd want something significant for him.)

I think you're drastically underestimating what Welker can add to the team, even if he plays less snaps. 40 catches? He is still Brady's #1 target, so I think that number is extremely low.

I also don't see us getting a 2nd round pick. Anquan Boldin was a year younger when he was traded for a 3rd and 4th rounder. Again, I just don't see us getting near enough value in a trade compared to what he'd give us in production this season. (and hopefully beyond)