Tag Archives: Wes Welker
Is there a market for Wes Welker outside New England?
Looking at Wes Welker’s numbers, you would expect him to receive a big payday this offseason. Welker has been the New England Patriots’ most productive receiver over the past five years but there are a couple of factors that may determine if he receives that big payday or not.
Welker has caught at least 100 catches or more in four of the five years he has played in New England but how much of that production comes from playing in the Patriots system? The way he is utilized and of course having Tom Brady as your quarterback helps a lot in amassing impressive numbers like Welker’s.
It also doesn’t hurt having all of the other talented receivers around like Deion Branch, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez over the years. Welker usually lines up off the line which helps him avoid getting jammed at the line of scrimmage allowing him to get into his routes seamlessly.
Why is it so important to keep him off the line? Well that’s another one of those factors that teams will look at when deciding how much to pay him. Welker is only 5’9”. While being that short has never been a detriment for the Carolina Panthers’ Steve Smith, most would agree that Smith is a freak of nature possessing insane strength and speed in such a compact body.
Speed and strength are two things that are not usually associated with Welker though. Welker was overlooked by teams in the 2004 draft because of his height and his 4.61 speed. He wasn’t even invited to the draft combine that year.
History is also not on Welker’s side. Wide receivers have not been as productive playing for other teams after leaving the Patriots’ system. Another historical factor is how the Patriots have dealt with some of their free agents. When it came time for Richard Seymour, Deion Branch and Randy Moss to cash in, the Patriots traded them.
If the Patriots don’t think they can afford Welker then he may be gone but there is always the possibility that Welker may sign for something the Patriots feel is more reasonable. Especially if Welker tests the market and no team is willing to bite on his asking price.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and NBA Featured Journalist for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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Wes Welker, done in New England?
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 and the New England faithful are still bashing Welker including Tom Brady’s wife. They might want to hold off bashing a potential free agent that has averaged 111 receptions in the last five years and has been Brady’s most consistent receiver.
It was Welker’s first drop with the Patriots that was 10 yards or more downfield and only having five drops all season, Welker blames himself.
“The ball is right there. I’ve just got to make the play. It’s a play I’ve made a thousand times in practice and everything else. It comes to the biggest moment of my life and don’t come up with it. It’s discouraging,” Welker told reporters.
“It hit me right in the hands. I mean, it’s a play I never drop, I always make. The most critical situation and I let the team down.
“We work on it all the time and try to make plays. It’s one that will take a while to shake off, that’s for sure,” he added.
Welker is one of the crucial parts of the Patriots offense and is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. While the pass wasn’t perfect it is one that he makes nine out of 10 times, but to pin the loss on the guy is insane.
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Current Patriots’ Offense More Potent than the 2007 Version
I know that’s hard to believe right? The New England Patriots went undefeated during the 2007 regular season with Tom Brady and Randy Moss setting a few records along the way. How could an offense that went undefeated during the regular season in 2007 be even more dangerous now, especially after losing a speedster and play-making weapon like Moss from its arsenal?
It’s hard to tell just looking at the numbers. The Patriots were not able to duplicate their undefeated regular season record and Brady’s numbers didn’t quite measure up to some of the statistics he posted in 2007. His completion percentage was down, he threw for less touchdowns and he threw four more interceptions. He did have his best ever year in terms of total passing yardage though.
So how is this offense better when most of Brady’s numbers have declined? One reason is because of a slight change the Patriots made in their offensive philosophy. This change has been the difference in how they have played this year as opposed to how they performed in 2007.
Some teams look for the best players they can find and shape the offense around them but teams like the Patriots find players that fit what they want to do. The Patriots had Moss back in 2007 when they were breaking all of the passing and receiving touchdown records. That was great during the regular season because Moss could stretch defenses with his speed and draw multiple defenders to him in coverage which opened things up for other players.
Using Moss to stretch defenses had its drawbacks though. The Patriots want home-field advantage in the playoffs which can mean adverse weather conditions. Conditions that don’t usually mesh very well with a vertical passing game.
As the weather conditions got worse in Foxborough, Moss was less and less of a threat. There were swirling winds and even snowfall in a couple of games that season. What hurt even worse was the fact that Moss was reluctant to catch passes over the middle. So after catching 98 passes and scoring 23 touchdowns during the 2007 regular season, Moss only caught two passes for 32 yards and no scores during their two home games in the playoffs.
A shorter passing game that forces defenses to play sideline-to-sideline as opposed to spreading them vertically has proven to be a better fit for the Patriots during the post season. During the 2007 playoffs Wes Welker was Tom Brady’s most consistent target. Who caught the most passes after Welker? Running back Kevin Faulk.
Welker has also been a pretty consistent receiver this year with 122 catches during the regular season and 12 catches so far during the post season. The difference between this post season and the Patriots last playoff run to the Super Bowl is that Welker has a little help this time around.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski has become Brady’s new play-maker catching 90 passes during the regular season and leading the team with 15 catches so far in the playoffs. Gronkowski has not only been a consistent pass-catcher he has been Brady’s most consistent redzone target leading the team with 17 touchdowns in the regular season and three touchdowns in the Patriots’ two playoff games.
The Patriots usually play out of a two tight end formation and their other tight end Aaron Hernandez also had a big season catching 79 passes for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. He is also their third leading receiver in the post season with 11 receptions and a score.
None of those guys has the blazing speed that Moss brought to the team but they put a lot of pressure on defenses running short and intermediate routes all over the field. It also makes things easier on Brady when he is not forced to have to air it out as often as he did when Moss was there.
Now they do still have Deion Branch who can stretch the field but it helps to have so many possession receivers when the weather conditions get bad at Gillette Stadium. It was especially important considering they weren’t able to get the same level of production from their running game they got back in the 2007 playoffs.
Laurence Maroney had 100-yard rushing performances in both of the Patriots’ home playoff games to help catapult them into the Super Bowl but the New York Giants would hold him to 36 yards rushing in that Super Bowl loss. The Patriots’ leading rusher in this year’s playoffs doesn’t even have 100 total yards rushing yet putting even more pressure on the passing game.
Better production in the passing game is the reason why the Patriots are finally headed back to the Super Bowl after a couple years of early exits in the playoffs. The Patriots did struggle to score against the Baltimore Ravens who did not allow New England to score a single passing touchdown in the AFC Conference championship game but fortunately they were able to muster just enough offense (coupled with a little bit of luck) to pull out the win.
And now they have to face off against a ferocious Giants’ defense that helped Eli Manning beat them during their Week 9 matchup earlier this year. The Patriots have improved enough to make it back to the big show but have they improved enough to come away with their first Super Bowl win since the 2004 season? We will know for sure come Sunday.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and NBA Featured Journalist for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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2012 NFL Free Agency: 10 WR’s That Could Make a Difference
As we inch closer to NFL free agency teams will now decide what to do with some of their top players and difference makers. There are a number of high-caliber wide receivers that could land with new teams including DeSean Jackson, Wes Welker and Stevie Johnson but also some other veteran names such as Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson and Plaxico Burress that could search for new teams. Here are the top 10 choices for wide receiver in 2012 free agency.
1. DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles)
Is DeSean Jackson more trouble than he is worth? The jury still may be out but after causing a fiasco with the Eagles last season it could be the end of the road in Philly. The problem for the Eagles is that they don’t have anyone else to take his place. For a number of years the Eagles struggled at the WR position and now that they finally have someone worth something are they going to turn around and let that go? Jackson’s vertical ability has a great impact on the way defenses approach the Eagles’ offense and Michael Vick. Losing him would do more damage than just paying him the high salary he demands.
2. Wes Welker (New England Patriots)
If your name is not Tom Brady then chances of you obtaining a lucrative contract from the Patriots is very unlikely. Welker continues to set NFL records and could end his career with the Brady-led Patriots. At least that would be the smart thing to do. Previously with the Miami Dolphins Welker never produced the type of offense he does now. Is it the person throwing him the ball, or is it the system that he fits in. Welker is virtually impossible to cover out of the slot due to his quickness, intelligence, and hands. It would be hard to imagine that Welker looked elsewhere and Brady didn’t push for him to come back.
3. Stevie Johnson (Buffalo Bills)
Ryan Fitzpatrick has all but lifted up his shirt asking for Stevie Johnson to come back to the Bills but head coach Chan Gailey named a few conditions if he is to come back. There is no doubt he has talent but his actions, while funny, are hurting his team. The Bills need a flamboyant and exciting player. It is something they have not had in a good amount of time, but there is point in time to do it and Stevie doesn’t know that.
4. Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City Chiefs)
Dwayne Bow is a number one receiver that a team like the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos could use. Let’s not forget so can the Chiefs. His large stature, catching radius and work around the goal line make him a complete mismatch. He has also shown the propensity to make acrobatic catches on the fade and back shoulder passes.
5. Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers)
The Chargers have avoided a long-term extension with Jackson and even let him hold out with no response. Philip Rivers needs a go-to receiver and right now Jackson is the best option. Jackson turns 29 this winter and could be slapped with the franchise tag. Selected to only one Pro-Bowl during his career he also finished in the top fifteen and top ten in the NFL for receiving yards during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. After career-low numbers in 2010 he bounced back in 2011 with 1,106 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
6. Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts)
There has been talk of Reggie thinking this may be his last season in Indy, but odds are that also lies if Peyton is coming back. Hard to imagine the Colts would leave Manning without his number one target. One of the most interesting quotes from Wayne, is that he feels younger due to the lack of quarterback for the Colts. In fact, he thinks he bought himself a few more years. Reggie Wayne put on his hard hat for 11 seasons for the Colts, but the packed boxes in the locker room indicate he’s moving on.
7. Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints)
When healthy Colston is a nightmare match-up for a corner, but the Saints have proved they can win without him. Picking up Colston could be a risk with his injury history. In his sixth NFL Season in four of his. This is Colston’s sixth NFL season. In five of those years he’s gone over 1,000 yards. Teammate Roman Harper stated, “He doesn’t draw a lot of attention to himself; he goes out there and he makes the hard catches. Goes across the middle, takes the hard hits, and doesn’t complain. He makes plays for us, and he doesn’t ever cause trouble. It’s simple: If you get more players like Colston, you have a great team.”
8. Pierre Garcon (Indianapolis Colts)
Drafted in the 6th round in the 2008 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Garcon has shown flashes of brilliance but could lack the overall number one ability. Targeted a team high 134 times in 2011 Garcon fell just short of reaching 1,000 yards.
9. Brandon Lloyd (St. Louis Rams)
Lloyd is a bit of a mystery playing for five different teams in his brief NFL career, but drafted in 2003 and traded by the Denver Broncos to the St. Louis Rams expectations were high. Lloyd was one of the few bright surprises for the Rams this season finishing with 51 receptions for 683 yards and five touchdowns since coming over from the Broncos in Week 5. What makes Lloyd’s numbers even more impressive is that starting QB Sam Bradford was injured for a large part of that 11 game stretch.
10. Plaxico Burress (New York Jets)
Burress only secured 45 of 95 targets this year, gaining 612 yards on those receptions. His eight touchdowns bailed his season out somewhat, but it’s hard to expect a repeat of that next year, given that he turns 35 in August. Someone will still take a chance on the veteran due to his size and red zone threat.
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Jerod Mayo got an Extension, What about Welker?
Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots star middle linebacker is now destined to be a Patriot after they signed him to a five-year deal, which he certainly deserves. He is a tackle machine, totaling almost 200 tackles last year. This year he does not have as many tackles, but he has developed a much more rounded game that includes two interceptions and a forced fumble.
The question then becomes what happens to Welker? The leading receiver in the NFL is due to become a free agent at the end of the season. With this extension to Mayo, the Patriots have seemingly signaled that they are not going to sign Welker to an extension, or that Welker is looking for more than the Kraft family is willing to give.
Either way, it seems that Welker will become a free agent. The question now becomes how will he behave? With the knowledge that one of his fellow players has gotten an extension that many argue Welker should have received too, will Welker still play hard, knowing that any injury could truly hurt his chances in the off-season.
Some will argue that most of Welker’s phenomenal stats are produced by the system in which he plays, but he still makes the most of his plays, averaging a 5.76 yard after catch (YAC) since 2009. He leads all players in YAC this year.
Others will argue that he is getting old and, with that knee injury, he won’t maintain his production. However, two seasons after the injury, he has shown his toughness, still going into tough situations to get the ball. He has been decked more than a few times this season. But now will he still have that drive, knowing there is a good chance he will probably become a free-agent?
There is still a possibility that he gets an extension by why would the Patriots sign one of their big players without signing another. Isn’t that a big slap in the face to Welker telling him who is most important to the team.
The Patriots play the Broncos tomorrow and Welker is still one of the most integral parts of this offense, even if Rob Gronkowski gets all the headlines. How will Welker react? Hopefully the same great way he has throughout his career when faced with adversity.
Good luck, Wes.
Dashiell Davis is an NFL writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at ddavis@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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