YES! The whole reason I posted that was because you were claiming that the offense couldn't move the chains without Welker. Clearly, that isn't the case. Moss is just as important at moving the chains as he is in the redzone.
No, he's not, and he hasn't been throughout his history. That's just inherent in the type of wide receiver he is. 3rd and 10+, you're looking for Moss first almost all the time. 3rd and 3, not so much. Again, it's about roles.
Ok, maybe I should have elaborated on this a little more. Yes, about 2/3 of teams have a WR with 10+ TD in a season, but not many have 15+. ALSO, there are very few WR who consistently get 10+ TDs every season.
Ok, that's not elaborating, that's changing the argument. Moss, himself, has had 15+ only 4 times in his career despite being the best receiver in the NFL for most, if not all, of his career, so I'm not sure why you think this makes your argument any better. I never said the lob pass was easy as pie to execute, just that height is the key factor for receivers and that the key to it succeeding lies mainly in the accuracy of the throw.
Yes, Welker SHOULD catch more passes as a slot receiver, and thats one of the reasons I'm not so amazed with his season COMPARED to Moss. Again, the #1 WR on the team SHOULD be the most important if they do their job. Moss has done his job.
Again, you confuse the role with the level of importance. Plaxico Burress required a lot of double teaming as well, and that Giants team has struggled since he's been gone, but that doesn't mean he's the team's MVP. As I said before, I'd put Cassel, Welker, Faulk and Wilfork above Moss in the team's MVP 'race'.
I shouldn't even comment on this. This is a copout argument. In the Superbowl Moss got open several times downfield, but Brady didn't ever have the time to make an accurate pass. Also, don't forget that it was Moss that caught the go ahead TD with less than 2 minutes to go. It was the defense that couldn't hold the lead.
No, it was the offense that had its lowest output of the season in the biggest game. And, let me make it clear: I don't blame Moss for the loss in any way. However, that has nothing to do with the point I made. This team's won 3 Super Bowls without Moss, and 0 Super Bowls with him.
If he plays well enough to be the best receiver in the league (yes, other WR have had better seasons), how is he not the best receiver on this team?
Since I'm talking about this, I'll also go back to where you mentioned that Brady was the MVP last year and not Moss. I was one of the people who was hoping for both to be named MVP. I don't think it is just coincidence that Brady goes from a career high 28-14 TD/INT ratio and averaging about 3800 yds a season to 50-8 TD/INT ratio and 4800 yds when Moss joins the team. Lets all remember that Moss caught 23 TD passes, plenty of which were just balls chucked up for Moss to make a play on.
The award is not "Best receiver on the team". The award is MVP. As for splitting the MVP, sorry, not going to buy it. The quarterback has to make a play with the ball on every play, barring gadget plays. He is, therefore, the MVP of his team by default unless someone else overwhelms his level of importance. Last season, Brady set the single season touchdown passing mark. To me, that puts him way above Moss.
Yes, I have said all along that both are dangerous. One is more dangerous than the other, though. Welker is the best slot receiver in the game. He is as tough as the come and great for YAC. However, he pales in comparison to arguably the greatest WR to ever play in the NFL.
You're also right that Welker couldn't play Moss' role, but I would argue that Moss could play Welker's role. Actually, I think Moss would be far better slot receiver than Welker, but it would be insanely stupid to use him as a slot rather than a #1. I have seen Moss turn a simple screen into a 60+ yard TD many times throughout his career.
There's no way in hell that Moss could play Welker's role at this point in his career. He doesn't have the quickness, he doesn't have the physical toughness, and he doesn't have the fearlessness. Again.... you keep ignoring the realities of roles, and the importance of fitting into that role. Brady might run for a first down once in a blue moon, but he's not a running back. It's just the way it is. The moment you claimed Moss would be a better slot receiver than Welker, you should have immediately realized that your arguments on this topic haven't been rationally based.
I LOVE Welker, but trying to say that he is more important to a team than the GREATEST WR of all time (Ok, 2nd behind Rice) is just insane. If you don't get it by now, I don't think you ever will.
I get it just fine. Welker has been much more important to this team than Moss has this year, because he's been brilliant in a role that's been so very important to Cassel's success. Frankly, I'm still trying to figure out how anyone could think otherwise given how this team's game has been since Brady went down. Last year, this team had 56 plays of 20+ yards. This year, it's only 37. Because of the loss of Brady, Welker has been the most important receiver on the field for the Patriots. There's a reason that Welker set the NFL record for consecutive games with 6 or more passes to start a season, and it's not because he kept stealing passes thrown to Moss.
