I confidently believe, without bias, that Edelman now is better than Welker ever was

[Bobsyouruncle]

Edelman fires up the offense with his energy.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

I disagree but understand and respect your stance. Can't go wrong with either of these guys. Well,......



You know what i mean.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Of course if horses had wings they could fly too. Keep in mind that WW had his greatest years when he was the primary if not the only real receiver for the Pats after Moss left. Edekman has to share the catches with the Greatest tight end of all time. WW played small in big games. To be honest, in a big game, I would rather have Troy Brown than Welker.

But he didn't! But that has nada to do with why Edelman is better.

 

[bbobbo]

one thing edelman definitely has over welker is that he embraces the patriots philosophy more. or maybe more specifically belichick's coaching style. maybe he's a better teammate, even. for instance:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...777916/super-bowl-nuggets-from-inside-the-nfl

Edelman, Amendola exchange. One could feel the emotion in the huddle on the Patriots’ go-ahead drive. Danny Amendola turned to Julian Edelman and said, “Hey, you gotta believe, bro.” Edelman’s response, “You got to believe. I love you buddy.” Then Edelman went up to the offensive linemen and told them he loved them before saying, “Let’s go!” Later, Edelman said to coach Bill Belichick, "You gave me the best year of my life. I'd do anything for you." Belichick turned it back to Edelman, saying, "You guys went out and won it. It's a player's game."

contrast that to welker:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9...k-chided-front-new-england-patriots-teammates

Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker told Sports Illustrated that Bill Belichick was hard on him toward the end of his six-year run in New England, chiding him in front of teammates in a way the coach hadn't done previously.

"It was just kind of hard," Welker told the magazine in a story that appears in this week's edition, "one of those deals where you have to endure him, put up with him. ... But he does it to everybody. It's the way he is."

...

Belichick disciplined Welker in early 2011, benching him for the first series of a playoff game against the New York Jets after the receiver made foot-related comments in a subtle dig at Jets coach Rex Ryan. Welker later said he regretted his comments.

Earlier this summer, Welker said he felt like he could be himself more with the Broncos than he did in New England, where Belichick instructs his players to say little to the media. Still, Welker acknowledged that even now in Denver he still thinks about his former coach when talking to reporters.

"When I'm answering questions from the Denver media, I'm not worried about what the Broncos' people are going to think," Welker told SI. "I'm worried about what Belichick will think. Isn't that crazy?"

i don't think edelman worries about what belichick will think because he buys into belichick's philosophy. and if i were on JE's team, i'm pretty sure he'd have my back. not so sure about WW.

 

[PATS16N0]

Plus he has a way better youtube channel.

 

[Cantabrigian]

I think both JE and WW are fantastic players and the NE Patriots are fortunate to have such players dressing. It makes up for the below-par drafting of WRs in NE.

Both JE and WW will make be highly valuable assets in their primes. Here is how I will break the tie between them: Contributions to the team.

Imagine that there is only a single roster spot left for either WW or JE (because we need 10 safeties from Rutgers d%#*!@t). Who would you pick? My pick is JE.

My rationale:

A. JE brings more to the team in his versatility. He is a much better punt returner and in a pinch, he can play as a DB. He also brings his QB experience and so the double pass and other options open up for the coaching staff. WW brings less to the table.

B. JE can do more with less of a supporting cast. I believe that WW benefited greatly in the slot by having the vertical threat of Moss stretching the defence and clearing the middle of the field. While Gronk is also a beast like Moss, he is not doing so by running deep post routes and NE has not fielded a legit deep threat since Moss' angry departure. So, even with opposing secondaries knowing NE is going to be limited to the middle of the field more, JE is still making things happen. If I am going to be building a roster and I know that I could lose some pieces which makes my offence more one dimensional, I will prefer to have JE.

C. He is more handsome. I kid I kid. haha. But he does have more athletic ability, esp in his straight line speed. Now, if I am going to be depending on my WRs getting lots of YAC, I want speed as well as shiftiness. I was always disappointed that WW could not turn on the jets. I recall in week 5, 2011 season vs the jets (see what I did there?), WW had a 73 catch and run but was caught by Revis. JE will NOT be caught by Revis.

D. Other intangibles? He seems to toe the line and support the coach and not put his foot in his mouth about other coaches (tee hee). He also seems to be more media savvy and opposing fans seem to respect him. It helps for an organisation like NE, which is hated nation-wide outside of NE (minus CT).

E. Attitude. JE saw a threat to his job (DA coming in) and worked even harder to secure his spot as the number one receiver. WW saw JE coming in, but missed the references to Wally Pipp and ultimately made himself expendable but not making more of an effort to get better. Had he done so, NE would have fought harder for his services.

In summary - it's JE tyme people!

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

I think both JE and WW are fantastic players and the NE Patriots are fortunate to have such players dressing. It makes up for the below-par drafting of WRs in NE.

Both JE and WW will make be highly valuable assets in their primes. Here is how I will break the tie between them: Contributions to the team.

Imagine that there is only a single roster spot left for either WW or JE (because we need 10 safeties from Rutgers d%#*!@t). Who would you pick? My pick is JE.

My rationale:

A. JE brings more to the team in his versatility. He is a much better punt returner and in a pinch, he can play as a DB. He also brings his QB experience and so the double pass and other options open up for the coaching staff. WW brings less to the table.

B. JE can do more with less of a supporting cast. I believe that WW benefited greatly in the slot by having the vertical threat of Moss stretching the defence and clearing the middle of the field. While Gronk is also a beast like Moss, he is not doing so by running deep post routes and NE has not fielded a legit deep threat since Moss' angry departure. So, even with opposing secondaries knowing NE is going to be limited to the middle of the field more, JE is still making things happen. If I am going to be building a roster and I know that I could lose some pieces which makes my offence more one dimensional, I will prefer to have JE.

C. He is more handsome. I kid I kid. haha. But he does have more athletic ability, esp in his straight line speed. Now, if I am going to be depending on my WRs getting lots of YAC, I want speed as well as shiftiness. I was always disappointed that WW could not turn on the jets. I recall in week 5, 2011 season vs the jets (see what I did there?), WW had a 73 catch and run but was caught by Revis. JE will NOT be caught by Revis.

D. Other intangibles? He seems to toe the line and support the coach and not put his foot in his mouth about other coaches (tee hee). He also seems to be more media savvy and opposing fans seem to respect him. It helps for an organisation like NE, which is hated nation-wide outside of NE (minus CT).

E. Attitude. JE saw a threat to his job (DA coming in) and worked even harder to secure his spot as the number one receiver. WW saw JE coming in, but missed the references to Wally Pipp and ultimately made himself expendable but not making more of an effort to get better. Had he done so, NE would have fought harder for his services.

In summary - it's JE tyme people!

Amazing how we found someone to replace Welker

Now if we could just find someone to replace Moss

 

[Danger Zone]

Lets all be honest with ourselves, Welker would be a much better car salesman than Edelman.

 

[AzorianPats]

Amazing how we found someone to replace Welker

Now if we could just find someone to replace Moss

Different positions but Gronk>Moss

 

[obgod3]

Is like how JE knows how to avoid the crushing hits in most cases, welker is what he is today because he couldn't figure that part out. I feel bad for welker in this case. I always though JE would be rally good, more versatile etc.

 

[pherein]

Different positions but Gronk>Moss

In UFC Gronk would rip Moss's spine out, lol
In football, I think you have to wait till Gronk retires.

 

[Bradyking12]

Amazing how we found someone to replace Welker

Now if we could just find someone to replace Moss

If Dobson ever has a breakout year hehehe

 

[deters]

All I know is Julian Edelman makes "that" catch...

JE is a better athlete and imo a superior player. If building a team and you were promised both in their prime, I'm taking JE11 baby!

 

[Bradyking12]

I really wish Brady had a deep threat, that's like the only thing Brady is missing. He Has everything except for that and every time i mean every time he bombs a ball down the field it fails but we still win games/championship regardless of that defect but if we did have a legit deep threat considering where we are at offensively and that's not including the possibility's with the tight ends now and the versatility of our receiver's being able to rotate, Edleman-Amendola, Gronk-Chandler, Lafell-Dobson (Hopefully) not to mention Lewis (better than Vereen imo already) and to add a legit deep threat would be the cherry on top for this offense.

 

[EatSleepWinRepeat]

FWIW, the degree of difficulty on those two catches wasn't really comparable. That was a tough catch for Welker--granted, at least in part because he had a small catch radius--and unfortunately he couldn't haul it in.

For Edelman's, the route itself was the difficult part of that play, and it worked so well that the resulting catch was pretty easy.

Oldest addage in football, "if you can get a hand on the ball, you make the catch." They teach you that in Pee Wee football. Welker had TWO hands on the ball.

Winning is built on making plays, not excuses...

 

[Joker]

Congratulations Ice!!!

It finally dawned on you, eh?

 

[pheenix11]

Here's the only stat that matters, because as Belichick says, stats are for losers.

Edelman 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 game winning TD catch

Wes Welker 0 Super Bowl Wins, 1 game losing drop

(Drops mic)

 

[BradyFTW!]

Oldest addage in football, "if you can get a hand on the ball, you make the catch." They teach you that in Pee Wee football. Welker had TWO hands on the ball.

Winning is built on making plays, not excuses...

None of which changes the simple fact that the degree of difficulty on the pass to Welker was way higher. I can think of a LOT of passes where a receiver got a hand on the ball but couldn't reasonably be expected to catch it.

I agree that Welker probably should have caught that ball, but that wasn't the point of my post. And either way, acting like it was a massive choke and should've been an easy catch is just wrong.

 

[rookBoston]

To me the whole "who would I rather have on my team" exercise is pointless. Different players from different eras. Troy, Patten, Branch, Wes, Jules... They're our franchise's legacy of iron smurfs. I love them all and see no reason to have to pick between them.

I am deeply skeptical that most fans can evaluate Wes fairly, without bias, especially in a side by side with Edelman who is our current roster hero. Give it 10 years.

Too easy to forget how indefensible Welker was for so many years. Teams would scheme to stop him, and just couldn't. Too easy to say Edelman is a winner and Wes a loser... summarize a guy's entire career in a single dropped pass. If Welker had been playing with the 2014 D, he wouldn't have been put in a spot where he needed to make that desperate catch. Edelman's SB TD was a quick cut and easy 5 yard catch, Welker was 20 yards downfield twisting at full speed to a ball thrown off the spot. Welker would easily have made the Edelman TD too, (and remember Jules dropped that pass when they ran it the first time... Brady missed the throw, but maybe Wes would have squeezed it anyway... who can know). And no way to know if Edelman would have pulled in the famous Wes dropped ball either.

Final thought: Welker broke the mold for WRs, and for years draftnik described young college players as "the next Welker", including Edelman. Edelman had the benefit to apprentice under Welker, learn from him, study his success. Without Welker as a role model, Edelman might never have broken through at all.

 

[thecore762]

I liked both guys, I still love WW to death, he is one of my favorite Patriots of all times.
Wes played well for us, other than few key drops in certain games he was solid for us for several years. I still wish we could pick him back up...I think he can still play at a high level.