Pick One: a 27 year old Wes Welker, or a 27 year old Troy Brown

[Patradomous]

I can name 4 or 5 super clutch plays that Troy Brown made in huge games that Welker has never made in any huge game.

As a matter of fact outside of maybe Brady since 07' where have all the big memorable plays from offense and defense gone in the playoffs?

maybe we just don't have those guys anymore.

Vince against the Ravens two years ago,I guess.

But where are the Ty Laws Rodney harrison Will McGinest Teddy B. David Givens Antwone Smith,Dillion even Wiggens.

Theres not a player on these teams of the last 4 years to make any plays like these guys.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Troy held on to the ball when it really mattered ..........

 

[Danger Zone]

Troy held on to the ball when it really mattered ..........

Wes Welker is obviously the better receiver but also benefiting from a more experienced and better Tom Brady.

I'd have loved to see a 27 year old Troy Brown catch passes from the modern Tom Brady.

And if the Patriots ever tried to decentralize their focus on throwing to Troy Brown, his response would have been: Yes coach. Just tell me what you want me to do.

.. I'll also cheat a little and say I'd have loved to see BOTH on the same team at the same time. We'd have had another two Superbowl trophies and 253,000 Jet fans would have died from sudden and massive embolisms.

 

[Brady6]

Who would you rather see on the Patriots right now?
...a 27 year old Wes Welker or a 27 year old Troy Brown.

This question has been bugging me for a few days and I can't decide.

Isn't the goal of a player to win a championship? Is championships what we define greatness by? For years I have heard people say Peyton Manning is overrated he doesn't do it when it matters? Same story for Lebron James in the NBA up till last year finally winning.

But day after day I have to read this stupid posts about the greatness of Wes Welker. I'm not a hypocrite if everyone else 'sucks' or is 'overrated' because they don't win championships then I feel the same way about Welker.

Welker spent 7 years here never won a single Super Bowl, all he did was put up stats meaningless stats. He was not a difference maker he was the player teams always preferred be targeted over Moss, Gronkowski and even Hernandez. Great he caught some balls and had some stats but we had won 3 SB in 5 years before him and his meaningless catches and 10 yards per catch average and 4 touchdowns a year arrived.

Troy Brown won championship made catches when it mattered, played DB sacrificed his stats for wins.. He is everything Welker wasn't he is a winner.

 

[IllegalContact]

I fricking love troy brown.........



It's cool that our team won 3 superbowls........it's so much cooler that my kids admired guys like brown and bruschi during that time.......

and brown has a really cool red jacket

 

[Nunchucks]

So many years we uttered the mantra that stats are for losers, then when Tom Brady and the Patriots turned into the early to mid 2000 Colts, we fall in love with lofty passing numbers and receptions...the difference?

No Superbowl wins.

 

[Bruins29]

The only people on here whining about WW are Madden Fantasy Football stat f a g g o t s.

Even the coach they worship tells them they are losers.

Comedy.

 

[captain insano]

easy question. troy brown all day long.

 

[Brady_12]

Easy, Troy Brown. He's as clutch as it comes... I'll never forget the San diego game in I think '06... lots had to happen after but if he doesn't cause that fumble... also the punt return vs. the Steelers back in the day... and probably 30 other plays that escape me right now. I love Wes, but this is no decision at all...

 

[realtime]

I was one of the few advocating going out and getting Welker back in 07:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/51535-welker-tendered-2nd-round.html

LMAO at the folks calling for DJ Hackett in that thread instead of Welker.

 

[FourierSeries]

Troy Brown without question. This should have been a poll thread.

 

[condon84]

I would go with Brown just because he was more clutch in big games.

It's the same argument we all used back when Brady wasn't putting up the numbers he is now while Manning lit it up but we all still would have taken Brady over Manning anyways because Brady was just more clutch in big games.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I was one of the few advocating going out and getting Welker back in 07:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/51535-welker-tendered-2nd-round.html

and he is in my list of all-time favorite Patriots. But I would have to go with Troy. I think people forget how easily he would break tackles and slip by defenders while he was in his prime (pre-Brady). He was clutch.

Excellent!

:clap2:

PatsWikkedPissah and KonrradictioN can also take a bow!

:youtheman:

 

[Ring 6]

It's a really interesting question. The receiving numbers certainly say Wes Welker. Here are their average season receiving stats from ages 27-31:

Welker: 112 rec, 1,257 yds, 11.2 ypc, 6 td
Brown: 68 rec, 770 yds, 11.3 ypc, 3 td

So it doesn't appear to be particularly close. However, a couple of things to consider as caveats.

First, you have to consider the era each guy played in. The rules changed in 2004 and Brady's passing numbers have gone off the charts since then. But passing around the league has gone off the charts as well - it's not just the Patriots. So Welker's numbers aren't truly comparable on a 1:1 basis with Brown's.

Second, Brown did more things. He returned more punts, more effectively, than Welker did. During that same 5-year stretch, Welker averaged 18 punt returns for 187 yds (10.5 avg) and 0 td. Brown averaged 29 punt returns for 344 yds (11.7 avg) and 1 td. And Brown ended up playing a reasonably effective cornerback as well later on in his career - something none of us can envision Welker doing.

So a case can be made for Brown, which is why it's an interesting question, but at the end of the day, a stronger case can be made for Welker, so he's the right call.

Can we please leave 100 snaps that Brown filled in at cornerback out of the discussion of who is a better WR? Its silly.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Troy Brown won the hearts of Patriots fans, but Wes Welker redefined the position.

That's an overstatement, IMO. He was more productive than any slot receiver we've ever seen, but redefining the position entails doing things that we've never seen before, not doing things that we have seen before but in greater numbers. You could make a case that Gronk is redefining TE, for example.

That said, re: the original question, I'd take Welker in a heartbeat.

 

[ivanvamp]

Can we please leave 100 snaps that Brown filled in at cornerback out of the discussion of who is a better WR? Its silly.

Here is the OP, quoted in its entirety:

Who would you rather see on the Patriots right now?
...a 27 year old Wes Welker or a 27 year old Troy Brown.

This question has been bugging me for a few days and I can't decide.

I am responding to that question, not a question of who would you rather have as a WR.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Can we please leave 100 snaps that Brown filled in at cornerback out of the discussion of who is a better WR? Its silly.

I agree. Everyone knows that Belichick doesn't value versatility.

 

[Sicilian]

Can we please leave 100 snaps that Brown filled in at cornerback out of the discussion of who is a better WR? Its silly.

The question was who you would rather have on your team, not who was the better WR. And while his brief stint at corner wasn't a large part of his career, the fact that he played it effectively and was willing to forego snaps at a more glamorous position to help the team is something that absolutely has to be added to his value. It really summed up the kind of player that Brown was.

 

[mb6592]

Maybe some posters didn't really watch Troy Brown all that much in his prime? New generation and all..

That must be it in a nutshell. It's like debating whose a better home run hitter Mark McGuire or Harmon Killebrew - not even worth discussing if only because you're dealing with apple and oranges. Brown never got a whiff of the new NFL in his career and put up 100 catches with Brady (Ty Law rule started in 2005 - Brown was already 34). Hell, when Brown finally played with Brady, he had 101 reception (age 30) and 97 catches (age 31) - when you could still mug receivers. AND HE WAS CLUTCH. If you don't believe in intangibles and you believe that Brown's clutchness is a made up fantasy and you believe that Welker's two drops are nothing more than just bad luck, then, I guess it's debatable. I still think Brown was the better athlete - AND HE WAS CLUTCH.

 

[mb6592]

Troy Brown at 27 had 23 catches for 346 yards and didnt really turn my head in 1998. So Welker by far.

Well if your looking at it that way, for the one year, I agree. I thought it was more of a, "who would you sign today, a 27 year old welker or a 27 year old Brown."