Hey, Don’t F*$% This Up: The New England Patriots and the Wes Welker Situation – The Triangle Blog – Grantland

When the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, not a single New England receiver caught a pass more than 20 yards downfield. The thought was that if New York could take away Brady’s intermediate options, the pass rush would get to him before Randy Moss came open deep. The plan worked. Moss caught only five passes for 62 yards, and Brady was sacked five times. Against Baltimore, no Patriot other than Welker caught a pass for more than 20 yards, but it had nothing to do with a pass rush. With Moss, it was a matter of figuring out ways to take him away. With these Patriots, there’s no one to take away. Even with a healthy Rob Gronkowski, New England has a glaring need for someone, anyone, to stretch the field, and that’s where the Welker situation becomes interesting.