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I'm sure I will be accused of sour grapes from plenty of people on here, and let me start by saying that Wes Welker is one of my all-time favorite Patriots, and in addition to that, I'm usually the person who accuses others of being homers, including the preseason gloom-and-doom posts about the Broncos. The Broncos sure have an awesome offense this year, but more of it has to do with the emergence of Julius Thomas and the continued playbook mastery of Peyton Manning.
I have watched both games this season, and I can tell you that Welker is not the same player he was in New England. He is significantly slower, seems to have shriveled up in his pass radius, and I even noted a few alligator arms plays to avoid hits. I am aware that he had an ankle injury and it still may be nagging, but in New England he was never this slow, despite multiple nagging injuries nor even after his ACL tear (the recovery lasted through the the 2010 season.)
All in all, my eyes tell me that Welker lacks the burst he once had, and by the typical curve of wide receivers, he'll be a Stokley-esque nobody in two years, and maybe much sooner (by the end of this season.) With all of the criticism heaped on the Patriots for not re-signing him, there was little talk that there was virtually no market for a receiver with tons of mileage, a small body, approaching the breakdown age for all WRs. And they go fast.
You may point to his three touchdown grabs, ignoring that on all of them, it was more the power of Manning conning the defense with all of his big red zone targets, with Welker slipping out uncovered.
The stats:
Welker is averaging 5.6 yards per target. I use this stat quite often in evaluating players, as it typically doesn't lie. A star player, such as Calvin Johnson or Gronk or Moss in 07 typically average 10-11. Great players average 9-10. Brandon Lloyd averaged about 7 last season. 5.6- this isn't just below average- it's below starting WR quality, and in that offense? His longest play of the season has been for 20 yards.
You might say that this is a small sample size, and you are correct, but I'm certain about what my eyes have told me watching those first two games. At 32, and 780 catches, Wes Welker is on a rapid decline. Yes, he will still have some good games here and there and make the Broncos a bit better (and I sure wouldn't mind having him here), but he is closer to mediocrity than he is to stardom at this point in his career.
That being said, he still may get his ring with Manning, and the signing sure would have been worth it for both parties. My point is limited solely to his quickly eroding football skills at this point in his career.
Have at it, then... I'll take my beating....
I have watched both games this season, and I can tell you that Welker is not the same player he was in New England. He is significantly slower, seems to have shriveled up in his pass radius, and I even noted a few alligator arms plays to avoid hits. I am aware that he had an ankle injury and it still may be nagging, but in New England he was never this slow, despite multiple nagging injuries nor even after his ACL tear (the recovery lasted through the the 2010 season.)
All in all, my eyes tell me that Welker lacks the burst he once had, and by the typical curve of wide receivers, he'll be a Stokley-esque nobody in two years, and maybe much sooner (by the end of this season.) With all of the criticism heaped on the Patriots for not re-signing him, there was little talk that there was virtually no market for a receiver with tons of mileage, a small body, approaching the breakdown age for all WRs. And they go fast.
You may point to his three touchdown grabs, ignoring that on all of them, it was more the power of Manning conning the defense with all of his big red zone targets, with Welker slipping out uncovered.
The stats:
Welker is averaging 5.6 yards per target. I use this stat quite often in evaluating players, as it typically doesn't lie. A star player, such as Calvin Johnson or Gronk or Moss in 07 typically average 10-11. Great players average 9-10. Brandon Lloyd averaged about 7 last season. 5.6- this isn't just below average- it's below starting WR quality, and in that offense? His longest play of the season has been for 20 yards.
You might say that this is a small sample size, and you are correct, but I'm certain about what my eyes have told me watching those first two games. At 32, and 780 catches, Wes Welker is on a rapid decline. Yes, he will still have some good games here and there and make the Broncos a bit better (and I sure wouldn't mind having him here), but he is closer to mediocrity than he is to stardom at this point in his career.
That being said, he still may get his ring with Manning, and the signing sure would have been worth it for both parties. My point is limited solely to his quickly eroding football skills at this point in his career.
Have at it, then... I'll take my beating....