Have Patriots fans forgiven Wes Welker?

Tears filled his eyes as Wes Welker of the New England Patriots explained to the media that he should have caught the pass from Tom Brady that would have moved them closer to winning Super Bowl XLVI.

A day after the Super Bowl the New England faithful bashed Welker including Tom Brady’s wife.

It was Welker’s first drop with the Patriots that was 10 yards or more down field and only having five drops all season, Welker blamed himself.

Things continued to get worse for Welker and the Patriots. Most are familiar with the story of him and Bill Belichick during the beginning of the season. He was slated for a reduced role until he was forced into action. It’s almost as if the Patriots were aware that he will not be resigning with the team and testing the waters to see if they could go on without him.

While the pass wasn’t perfect from Brady during the Super Bowl it is one that he makes nine out of 10 times.

The Boston Globe reported, “There’s nothing more important in Wes’s life than being a football player and thinking about football and making the big play and running the right route and getting open when it’s most important,” Tom Brady said. “That’s what quarterbacks dream about, too: Having receivers that do that.”

Welker is one of the crucial parts of the Patriots offense and is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Fans may have forgiven Welker, but will the Patriots realize the importance he is to their offense before it’s too late?

Just how good is Welker?

He’s the first player in NFL history with five 100-catch seasons. Only Welker, Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice, and Brandon Marshall have four seasons of at least 100 receptions.

GB Bongiovanni is a syndicated writer and owner of TPF. He can be found on Twitter @GBBongiovanni and Facebook.