Michael Irvin: "Wes Welker is the best WR in the NFL. PERIOD!!!!"

[RodThePat]

That is a great comparison. If anyone here has watched Messi play it is very true.

Ahm... Messi is, at 24, one of the top 5 or 10 footballers of all time. He is so above and beyond other current players it isn't even funny. Wes Welker is a very good WR, don't get me wrong, but there is an enormous disparity between him and Messi, regarding what they represent to their respective sports.

 

[Lavictoire]

It was interesting how Irvin brought up the race angle in that some blacks can't respect a white outstanding athlete. He chided Michael Holly a bit (who argued for days against Welker being the top receiver)by recounting the story about how Irvin's brother was a Larry Bird fanatic and caught flak for it in the hood.

 

[NEPatriot]

It was interesting how Irvin brought up the race angle in that some blacks can't respect a white outstanding athlete. He chided Michael Holly a bit (who argued for days against Welker being the top receiver)by recounting the story about how Irvin's brother was a Larry Bird fanatic and caught flak for it in the hood.

Irvin isn't afraid to address difficult subject, even those that some African American athletes prefer not to address. There's a very interesting article in Out Magazine on Irvin and his brother.

 

[Bella*chick]

Irvin isn't afraid to address difficult subject, even those that some African American athletes prefer not to address. There's a very interesting article in Out Magazine on Irvin and his brother.

It's a wonderful article and really made me see Irvin in a new light. I find him an entertaining and engaging analyst and despite what anyone else here might think or what every GM might do, I respect his opinion on the qualities of an elite NFL receiver.

 

[TheSolderKing]

He's also the Lionel Richie of American Football

well the dude does have D Coordinators up "all night long".




I agree

 

[PatsBoy12]

Wes Welker is unstoppable and he has to be the most clutch receiver in the game. I remember that he was the only one in the SB loss that seemed to show some heart offensively. I'd look at him before some of the bigger names without thinking twice.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

Michael irvin has just spoken the truth.

Guess he stopped snorting coke.

 

[Jangles]

Can we just pay this guy already.

I agree with the poster who said if he needed a scoring drive he'd take Welker. I'm not implying he's the best in the league, but the most effective. Fitz, and Megatron are amazing talents, but Wes is insanely consistent.

 

[Ring 6]

I probably agree here. People comparing Wes to those others are not being honest in their assessment. It really is a case of "Apples and Oranges".

But Wes does have one ability none of the others have and it's not even close.

He is a "Moving the chains" machine that makes this O unstoppable.

It is really apples and oranges, in terms of stengths and weaknesses, but it IS apples to apples in production.
If Johnson, Fitzgerald, etc were capable of producing more than Welker they would.
People want to focus on things that others can do that Welker cant (like outjmping DBs) but ignore what he can do much better than those guys.
Getting open is a skill, just as much as running fast or jumping high is. Welker does that better than anyone the league has seen in a very long time.

 

[Deus Irae]

C. Johnson
A. Johnson
L. Fitzgerald



The discussion of where a receiver ranks among his peers starts at the #4 spot. On a related note, there's a rookie in Atlanta who might be contending for that #4 spot very soon.

 

[thenepatsrule]

it was funny watching wilfork say "TAKE THAT REVIS" after he got burned on one of the plays by welker

 

[Ring 6]

Yes he's the most effective slot receiver in the history of the game, but THIS year, he's been just as effective on the outside. He's had several long gains after lining up on the outside. (the Revis catch, he back shoulder catch, etc) Not only that, he's turned into a red zone THREAT. Only Megatron has more WR TDs than Wes

However IMHO, the most interesting stat about Welker is his DURABILITY. Given his size its almost incomprehensible to believe that since 2004 Welker has missed only THREE games due to injury! That's even more amazing given the devastating ACL/MCL he had in 2009. I can't think of a single guy his size who can match that kind of Durability.

The most interesting tidbit Irvin gave, which was surprisingly insightful given the source, was his comment on Welker changing the entire perception of the slot receiver Rather than just being a short yardage, middle of the field, secondary receiver, the Pats and Welker have made the slot receiver, the primary guy.

As to who you would pick if you were starting a WR corp, I don't think you can pick Wes over the likes of Fitzgerald, CJohnson, or AJohnson, not if you are thinking long term. However if you are asking who is the most dominant WR to this point THIS year....then it HAS to be Wes Welker

Other players have the physical skills to outplay Welker, but they don't.
I suppose it depends on your definition of "best" but I cannot think of a better definition of best as it relates to players currently playing as:

Has the most receiving yards in the first 5 games of a season of anyone in NFL history.

And we know the quesiton is "Who is Wes Welker, Alex"

Sure you can argue the guy who sounds more polished but got a 90 on the test is smarter than the guy who got a 100, but that ignoring fact in favor of opinion.

 

[Ring 6]

C. Johnson
A. Johnson
L. Fitzgerald



The discussion of where a receiver ranks among his peers starts at the #4 spot. On a related note, there's a rookie in Atlanta who might be contending for that #4 spot very soon.

The discussion should start in week 6 of the NFL season with the guy who has more receiving yards in the first 5 games than anyone ever has in NFL history.
Don't let your ignorance of the full skillset of a WR fool you into thinking the ones that get you on a highlight film are the only ones that matter.

I guess you are saying those guys teams don't want them to prodcue as much as Welker does, for some unknown reason, one I'm sure you will make up shortly.

 

[patchick]

He's also the Lionel Richie of American Football

I see more Lionel Train. Go little train, go!

 

[VJCPatriot]

In terms of physical talent only, yes I'd take them over Welker. But nobody fits our system better or has a better 'mind meld' with Brady right now than Welker. Those two together are the reason behind the incredible production. Since Megatron ain't walking through the door, I'm more than happy to have the 'white warrior of touchdown goodness' on our team! And right now, like Irvin said, NOBODY is playing better wide receiver in the NFL. Wes Welker is revolutionizing the slot WR position the way LT revolutionized the OLB position in the NFL.

Wes is playing out of his mind right now, but come now, every GM in the league (including our own) would take both Johnsons and Fitzgerald over Welker in a heartbeat, even without taking age into account. Welker is probably the best slot receiver of his generation, but I think we're getting a little carried away here. And we can we stop suggesting that he "burned" Revis on the long pass--Revis clearly passed him off to the safety once Welker went inside.

I would be wary about adopting any opinion espoused by Michael Irvin.

Exactly so, Ken. People talk about Welker as being a 'slot receiver' and fail to understand that he is a #1 receiver playing in the slot position. Wes Welker and the Pats have turned conventional thinking on its head in regards to the slot position. You can have a primary receiver operating from the slot, but he needs to be a special talent like Welker for it to work. And boy does it work! The production speaks for itself.

The most interesting tidbit Irvin gave, which was surprisingly insightful given the source, was his comment on Welker changing the entire perception of the slot receiver Rather than just being a short yardage, middle of the field, secondary receiver, the Pats and Welker have made the slot receiver, the primary guy.

As to who you would pick if you were starting a WR corp, I don't think you can pick Wes over the likes of Fitzgerald, CJohnson, or AJohnson, not if you are thinking long term. However if you are asking who is the most dominant WR to this point THIS year....then it HAS to be Wes Welker

 

[Ring 6]

In terms of physical talent, yes I'd take them over Welker. But nobody fits our system better or has a better 'mind meld' with Brady right now than Welker. Those two together are the reason behind the incredible production. Since Megatron ain't walking through the door, I'm more than happy to have the 'white warrior of touchdown goodness' on our team! And right now, like Irvin said, NOBODY is playing better wide receiver in the NFL. Wes Welker is revolutionizing the slot WR position the way LT revolutionized the OLB position in the NFL.

A few minor quibbles.
1) We run so much 2 TE that Welker is getting a lot of his prodcution as an outside receiver not a slot reciever.
2) I know what you mean by physical talent, but quickness in and out of cuts, change of direction, and selling a route on a fake are also physical skills that Welker has no equal in.

 

[jcdavey]

sounds like the cocaine talkin

 

[Deus Irae]

sounds like the cocaine talkin

To be fair, there are probably Chargers fans who consider Rivers, Jackson and Gates the best in the NFL at their positions.

 

[FCB02062]

Hehehe, nice one; good to know that there are many people here who get the comparison. We will never get the chance to know, but yeah, his play for Argentina vs. Barcelona are worlds apart. You can't argue, though, against the fact that the Messi that plays for Barcelona is truly extraordinary.

Top footballers perform for club AND country, and Messi has yet to do the latter. When Messi scores and important goal in an international tournament other than a qualifying game for Copa America, then I'll talk about him being an all time great. Zidane, Charlton, Beckenbauer, Figo, and all the greats of days gone by excelled for both their clubs and their homelands; and today, players like Xavi (even though I detest him), Forlan, my boy Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sneijder all shine at major international tournaments and on the club stage. Messi has yet to do what those guys have done on BOTH stages....OK, sorry for the footy rant...
GO PATS!

 

[Ring 6]

To be fair, there are probably Chargers fans who consider Rivers, Jackson and Gates the best in the NFL at their positions.

Yet none of those guys have the facts on their side as the MOST PRODUCTIVE player at their position this season, and in fact of the first 5 games, EVER.