An Open Letter to Pats Management Re: Wes Welker's Contract Situation

[ivanvamp]

Then you remember falsely because that drop did NOT kill the Pats. The drop that Caldwell had was against San Diego in the Divisional round and the Pats still won that game. In the AFCCG against the Colts, Caldwall was mauled in the endzone and a flag should have been thrown and it wasn't. Not to mention that the defense couldn't keep the Colts from scoring.

It's amazing how people try and change history ..

No, you're wrong. Go to: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts - Play By Play - January 21, 2007 - ESPN

The Pats had 3rd and 7 on Indy's 10 with 7:50 on the clock, with the score tied at 28. Brady threw to the right to a wide open Caldwell who dropped the ball. On 4th down they kicked the FG that put them up 31-28.

Not saying there wasn't a PI call in the Colt game as well. But Caldwell definitely had a HUGE drop in the AFCCG.

See:

The New England Patriots' 10 Worst Moments in Franchise History | Bleacher Report

Reche Caldwell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006 AFC Championship

 

[blackglass3]

No, you're wrong. Go to: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts - Play By Play - January 21, 2007 - ESPN

The Pats had 3rd and 7 on Indy's 10 with 7:50 on the clock, with the score tied at 28. Brady threw to the right to a wide open Caldwell who dropped the ball. On 4th down they kicked the FG that put them up 31-28.

Not saying there wasn't a PI call in the Colt game as well. But Caldwell definitely had a HUGE drop in the AFCCG.

See:

The New England Patriots' 10 Worst Moments in Franchise History | Bleacher Report

Reche Caldwell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006 AFC Championship

Yes, that's what I remember too. Caldwell waving to Brady because no CB lined up over him, Brady hiking and throwing immediately to him, and Caldwell watching the pass bounce right off his hands. No 'history changing', just facts.

 

[PatsDeb]

No, you're wrong. Go to: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts - Play By Play - January 21, 2007 - ESPN

The Pats had 3rd and 7 on Indy's 10 with 7:50 on the clock, with the score tied at 28. Brady threw to the right to a wide open Caldwell who dropped the ball. On 4th down they kicked the FG that put them up 31-28.

Not saying there wasn't a PI call in the Colt game as well. But Caldwell definitely had a HUGE drop in the AFCCG.

See:

The New England Patriots' 10 Worst Moments in Franchise History | Bleacher Report

Reche Caldwell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006 AFC Championship

Vindication by someone willing to do the research! Thanks!

 

[ivanvamp]

Caldwell dropped the pass but Brady hit Gaffney on that drive along the back edge of the end zone to score a touchdown. Lets not forget that. The drop didn't really lose the team any points.

Except that you're wrong. See my post to DaBruinz. That drop on 3rd and 7 by Caldwell cost the Patriots 4 points. Of course they went on to lose by.....4 points.

 

[SeymourTrophies]

I don't think there will be quite the demand for Welker that some are implying. He would be wasting what is left of his career if he left. He's not going anywhere, and he's not going to command star WR money to re-sign. Nobody else would use him the way we use him aside from perhaps the Saints, and they've got bigger issues.

 

[Patsfan1102]

I think h'll comeback pretty cheap for the stats he puts up...he wouldn't put up those stats anywhere else.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I think h'll comeback pretty cheap for the stats he puts up...he wouldn't put up those stats anywhere else.

He put up 67/687/1 in the putrid 2006 LOLphins offense, so it's really a question of good [2006 LOLphins] v. awesome [2007-2009 Pats] v. OMFG [2011].

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I have a feeling it's not the $$$ so much as the guaranteed money and length of the deal. Welker likely wants 5 years and they are likely trying to offer him 3-4 which impacts guaranteed values. I think the fact that they will tag him come March will underscore that. Teams look at past performance as part of their assessment regarding future performance. Then they look at a lot of other things. Players tend to look at it as having already earned more going forward, and in Welker's case you could certainly understand that perspective. He's putting up HOF #'s consistently. I realize it's fair to assume at his size and given the beating he absorbs it's not going to last forever. But it's also fair for him to assume you shouldn't assume anything where he's concerned since he's been consistently productive in a variety of situations and beyond durable to date and the one time he was catastrophically injured he only missed a game...and you lost it.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I want Welker back but not at top Wr pay which may not sit well with him. He's the best slot receiver in the game and has elevated to more than just that on some of his other routes. I'm all for signing him but not at the expense of not being able to sign Gronkowski when his time comes.

Gronk is a generation X prototype and will be near impossible to replace. And believe me if he continues at his record breaking pace the next few years he will be able to break the bank like one of the top WR's in the league.

 

[PatsFan2]

The Pats sould be able to iron out reasonable 3 year contract for Wes. Not many WR play lights out after 33, in three years Wes reaches that number. FA 2012 have some young WR's entering, or a few years from the prime or their careers...knowing we cannot evaluate young WR's well, might as well spend Top Dollar on one already proven. We have couple years yet to lock up Gronk long term.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I want Welker back but not at top Wr pay which may not sit well with him. He's the best slot receiver in the game and has elevated to more than just that on some of his other routes. I'm all for signing him but not at the expense of not being able to sign Gronkowski when his time comes.

Gronk is a generation X prototype and will be near impossible to replace. And believe me if he continues at his record breaking pace the next few years he will be able to break the bank like one of the top WR's in the league.

One will have little or nothing to do with the other. And the top dollar for TE's remains exponentially less than that for WR's.

I hate that people still refuse to give Wes his due even after he proved his success wasn't the product of Moss... I bet it's beginning to grate on him, too.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Read between the lines..That is Wes basically saying that he wasn't going to negotiate at the time. And he basically said the same thing prior to the start of the season..

That's certainly possible but it's also possible that he was politely asking for an extension. If the Pats were to resign Moss when he started running his mouth and being a problem they'd essentially be rewarding that behavior and should reasonably expect more of it, good on them for not doing so. OTOH, if they give Welker an extension after he dramatically exceeds expectations (being as productive as he was so quickly after a major injury) and then publicly that said performance wasn't good enough to justify an extension, which is about as Patriot Way as one can get. That's exactly the kind of behavior one should reward.

Keep in mind that when Kraft and TFB were negotiating his record extension he said that 'he was overpaid already', I think one could call that 'negotiating without negotiating'

 

[Snake Eyes]

While Welker is not eloquent, he is not an idiot. The chances of him actually taking a lowball offer based on last year was basically zero.

Moreover, what should scare the Patriots FO is the fact that Welker is more concerned about being useful and winning than he is about making every possible dollar. I can't imagine him going to, say, Seattle just because they offered him an extra $1M-$2M/yr more than the Pats. OTOH, I don't think any of us want to contemplate the possibility of, say, Welker catching passes from Drew Brees next year. :scared:

I'm not suggesting that Welker would have signed for chump change, nor that the FO should have offered that, but I do think a reasonable deal could have been reached and would have been very wise for the Pats to seriously pursue for reasons stated to DaBruinz.

That said, "Brees to Welker" would amazing and horrifying at the same time.

 

[JMarr]

I have no problem with using the franchise tag on Welker. It makes sure he's on the team for '12 and - though expensive - guards against injury/slowing production.

Let's sign him to continue contributing, not as a thank you for past production.

Love his effort, desire, and skill. But I can't fault NE's front office if they aren't comfortable signing Welker for 4-5 years...

Boy I sure could. To value the Welker basically the same way they would value any other productive player in his 30's would be one of the most asinine mistakes in the history of pro sports.

If Bill Belichick could somehow genetically create what in his view would be the ultmate football player, he'd be a carbon copy of Welker.

We're talking about a guy who has given literally everything he has to this organization for over four years now. He has been THE spark plug of this team since he arrived and will someday eclipse guys like Troy Brown and Tedy Bruschi as the second most important player ever to wear a Patriots uniform.

It's almost impossible to place too high a value on him, and the people that think he's a replaceable part of this offense must live on another planet.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

To me, that's the 2nd worse loss in team history (at least recent, I know some may say '76 playoff game) behind the SB42 loss.

It was another SB that should have been ours, and I remember being so incredibly pumped up in the first half. That game was extremely painful and maddening in many ways.

Besides the loss to the NYG, I'm not sure I'll ever get over this one either.

Agreed. I don't think anyone can argue with the worst loss or the second worst loss. I would say the third worst loss was 05 because it killed the dream of the three-peat. Also because, if memory serves, a BS! pass interference and an atrocious Brady interception returned for a, in effect, TD were HUGE difference makers in that game. But it is a distant third because the Patriots were playing uphill in 05. The 06 playoff/SB was ours to lose imho. In this game, the collapse of the second half defense was the overwhelming reason for the loss though BB and staff deserve blame for the second half too.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

You have to love WW not only for the production but also for his work ethic (he is a Patriot kind of player). There is no doubt he is very valuable to the team. However, WW is a 30 year old player of smallish NFL stature who makes his living catching passes in the middle of the field. IMHO, signing him to a longer term, #1 WR money contract has a higher than normal chance of having a negative cap value.

One question is, do you pay a player for his value to the team or his value on the market? I don't think WW can go to another team and be the clear #1 like a few other star WRs can. I believe he is better than very good because he fits very well in the Patriot system (which again brings up, do we pay for his value here or his value on the market).

Keep in mind when you say 'sign him! Whatever it takes sign him' it means another spot on the field gets less money and likely less depth. In the NFL, having depth is very important. The Patriot philosophy has been to not overpay, to have better depth (like it or not, always successful or not). If we give WW the top WR money, is that successful philosophy still in effect?

I greatly hope a deal can be worked out that pays him well. I just hope it isn't for the numbers being talked about in some corners.