Are you implying that WW will still get open when hes 36 when pretty much every WR who ever played is either hanging on by a thread or out of the league? There is a ton of data that shows WRs starting to show their age at 32 years old. 33 even moreso.
Here's what I'm implying...
1. Welker's skill set dictates that the only thing that might slow down is his Shiftyness in the open field. Even *if* that happens, as there are no signs that it will anytime soon, in the next three years, the other intangibles that make Welker such a great player will still make him an ultra valuable member of this unit, ala Branch.
2. There is no exact science to determining when a WR will slow down and attempting to point to past receivers to make an argument that Welker isnt worth an extension because other guys did further nullifies any argument that you could possibly make.
3. Welker is coming off of a career year and has shown absolutely no sign whatsoever of a slow down in shiftiness.
Proehl was an exception rather than a rule. To say that guys like Pat Tilley or Derrick Mason wern't on the same page as Neil Lomax or McNair is rubbish.
You'll notice that I didn't infer that. What I did infer that Welker's connection with Brady based on the system that both operate in is of great importance. The option routes in mid-play that have to be understood and recognized, both by the QB and the receiver, are both one of the greatest gifts and the greatest curses of the Ehrhardt-Perkins system. It's the reason why Branch can still get open in spite of multiple knee surgeries and it's also the reason why more talented guys like Chad Johnson can come in and fall flat on his face.
Welker has that relationship with Brady. Like Branch, all he has to do is look at Brady and know where to go. Coupled with the fact that he's the finest slot receiver in the league and showed that even prior to joining the Pats, it would seem that resigning him would be a no brainier.
We'll disagree here, Kontra. I'd contend In 3 years if Gronk's stats go down it'll likely be due to a limiting injuries, triple teams and a decline in Brady's ability.
This statement alone should raise another red flag for you. Gronk is one of two of Brady's safety valves. The other is Welker. Take a guy like Welker away and not only do you make Brady's life needlessly harder, but you also do the same to Gronk.
If WW's #s go down it'll be him slowing down because he can't bounce back from injury as well as he could when he was 28 or he is just slowing down.
Again, you're tanking your own argument. Welker has already bounced back from a hideous knee injury. He did so to have a career year and play a bigger part than anybody on the offense in helping Brady accomplish the same. The minute that this team stops paying its players what they damn well earned based on some fear mongering phantom injury that said player could occur is the minute that this franchise fails.
So far, my arguments are substantiated. They are fact based. Your arguments are based on hypothetical situations which have not occurred and may never occur. At this time, you should step back and look at the differences, Robert.
