Some comments on the Comments:
Disclaimer: I only read pages 11-15 before posting so pardon in advance if any of my points have already been stated.
1. If Amendola fumbles inside his own 5 and has 2 drops, he'd be crucified on this board nd dubbed a BB failure for all time.
2. If Amendola averages less than 7 ypc, he would be crucified for not being productive after the catch and for having a BELOW average YPC
3. I don't know why the myth that the Pats screwed Wes Welker persists. It just isn't so. The fact is, although the Pats last offer had less guaranteed money on the surface, the reality is that the Broncos can release Welker after this season with no repercussions. So instead of a 2 year deal with $10MM guaranteed and with reasonably make-able incentives would add another 4 or 5MM to the pot, he took a deal with the Broncos that is likely to have him looking for work next season and just 6MM in his pocket. RIght
The Pats really screwed him.
4. The fact is that Welker and most of the fans here (including myself) vastly OVERESTIMATED Welker's market. We the time came Welker, the league spoke and Welker found himself realizing that the Pats were right all along. IMHO he was too proud to admit it and took what amounted to a lesser offer from a team that offered the 2nd best fit for his skill set.
5. I can't remember where I heard it (Matt Chatham perhaps?) but I heard this comment on last night's game that rang true to me. The observation was that, although Manning connected with Welker on 9 passes, the ball came out later and without the zip on it we'd usually see from Brady. This led the observer to worry that Welker might be more likely to get "blown up" more often and less likely to remain healthy. Brady's accuracy rarely put Welker in position to get crushed, and usually led him away from trouble. Manning didn't show that level of accuracy and zip.
Maybe its because their relationship is new and its possible that it could improve as the season goes on. But I thought it was an interesting observation that bears watching as the season goes on.
6. While other seem to rave about it, I thought that Welker's performance last night was hardly more than adequate. In fact only having 69 yds of production out of NINE catches was below average. Not even counting the drops, the only real laudable aspect of the performance was the 2 TD catches (2 and 4 yds)
7. I know its not Manning's fault, but I can't help but blame him for the fact that if Brady had done what he'd accomplished last night, he would have been accused of padding his stats and running up the score.
8. Over the last few years Welker has had Gronk and Hernandez (and to a lesser degree Lloyd and Branch) to help deflect the focus on him. Going into this season Amendola will have NONE of that protection. Any DC worth his salt will do everything in his power shut Amendola down, and force the Pats to go to their rookies to win the game. I very much doubt he will see anything less than a double team every time he lines up. On the other hand Welker now has even more protection in Thomas, Decker and that young TE.
The point being, when we compare the 2 performances and make our instant judgements, lets make sure we care comparing apples and apples.
