Five facts that continue to amaze me

[Pat the Pats Fan]

The ironic thing about Welker is when he was on a team full of talent and superstar players such as the powerhouse known as the Miami Dolphins, he lacked the skill set to earn a starting role at WR, starting only 3 games in two years. However, on a team with less skilled WR, the New England Patriots, he rose to the level of starter, starting 12 of 14 games this season.

If the fact that Welker could not cut it at the Dolphins, but leads in receptions on the New England is not absolute proof that the Dolphins are talent packed and Patriots is an abyss of quality players, then I don't know what other proof exists.

I love your logic.....

 

[mgteich]

Ya think??? Miami VOLUNTARILY made Welker available to anyone who would pony up a second. They were WILLING to trade him for a second. The team holding the players sets the price. Miami could have required a first.

Great list.

I guess one could argue that Miami made a mistake by giving Welker a 2d round tender instead of a 1st round tender. I'd agree with that. But when you hear commentators refer to Welker as having been "traded" by Miami, to the extent it implies a voluntary trade and desire to get rid of him, it's not entirely accurate.

 

[BradyManny]

Exactly, you have to fault Miami for the RFA tender level. Or maybe they're just A-OK with the trade, it's not like they're going to be good anytime soon, in the end, as ctpatsfan pointed out in the OP, the trade will work out just fine for both teams.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Exactly, you have to fault Miami for the RFA tender level. Or maybe they're just A-OK with the trade, it's not like they're going to be good anytime soon, in the end, as ctpatsfan pointed out in the OP, the trade will work out just fine for both teams.

That wasn't quite my point. My point was that, in the long run, the improvement the Pats get from adding Welker is larger than the gain the 'lphins get from Satele and Wright, so that the net gap between the teams is ultimately wider, not narrower, than before.

 

[BradyManny]

That wasn't quite my point. My point was that, in the long run, the improvement the Pats get from adding Welker is larger than the gain the 'lphins get from Satele and Wright, so that the net gap between the teams is ultimately wider, not narrower, than before.

Fair enough.

And I would like to add, and backtrack, by saying that the Phins shouldn't have known how much they were going to suck back when the trade was made. Particularly b/c they hadn't yet F'd up their 1st round pick.

 

[spacecrime]

Then this means that the sky is not falling, I can be happy once again.. lah, de dah.. nice post.

Wrong. We're doomed. There are at least half a dozen blueprints out on how to beat the Pats.

 

[patchick]

What amazes me it that the Dolphins didn't put him to better use while he was there.

Welker was their leading receiver with 67 catches last year! They made use of him plenty. The only reason he wasn't a "starter" there but is here is that the Pats "start" 3 WRs.

As for trade vs. sign away, I think it's some of each. By using the mid-round tender the Dolphins essentially said they'd rather have a 2nd-round pick for 4 years than Welker for 1 year. Put that way it's not unreasonable (especially since Satele was a nice pick indeed).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Welker was their leading receiver with 67 catches last year! They made use of him plenty. The only reason he wasn't a "starter" there but is here is that the Pats "start" 3 WRs.

As for trade vs. sign away, I think it's some of each. By using the mid-round tender the Dolphins essentially said they'd rather have a 2nd-round pick for 4 years than Welker for 1 year. Put that way it's not unreasonable (especially since Satele was a nice pick indeed).

That's operating under the assumption that the only option other than releasing Welker was signing him to a tender. They could just as easily have given him, say, $2.5M a year for three or four years.

 

[LaBrady]

Is no one else still amazed that we have a guy named Randy Moss (or Mandy Ross as some refer to him now on out team??? Its like I fell asleep last April and am still dreaming!!!!!

4th round pick for Moss? WTF was the rest of the NFL thinking?!?!?