PatsPropaganda

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wes welker

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It has to be mighty tempting for Belichick to think about putting the balance of Welker’s $9.515 million ($559,706 each week) back onto the team’s approximately $8 million remaining in cap space. With that kind of savings, Belichick might not even want that high of a pick in return. The problem is, there really are only four teams that have the cap space to think about such a trade: the Titans, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Eagles. And they’d probably like to have some knowledge that Welker would be open to a contract extension, and wouldn’t just leave in free agency (perhaps a conditional pick).

Steve Sabol captured Patriots for posterity – Sports – The Boston Globe

https://www.patspropaganda.com/welker-belichick-patriots-trade/

What is going on with the New England Patriots and Wes Welker? Well… – NFL.com

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What is going on with the New England Patriots and Wes Welker? Well… – NFL.com

Of all the numerous Welker takes this one from Ian Rapoport seems to hold the most water for me.

The Patriots, because they are good, have the luxury of experimenting. They can tinker. Last year, my view on the ever-changing secondary — bringing guys in off the street, using receivers — was that it was all about finding the right mix for the players. They needed to know if Devin McCourty could play safety, for instance, and whether Sterling Moore could really play (he could). The Patriots could do all of that, knowing their offense would provide a cushion and they could still win. That’s exactly what happened. That’s how I see the Patriots doing things right now. Trying to find out if really, once and for all, Edelman can be Welker. Because they know what they have in Welker. And if they don’t see what they are looking for in Edelman, it’s easy to slide Welker back in there. But it’s Year 4 and they have no idea if Edelman can take the mantle. It’s time to find out.

Is it plausible the Pats are saving Welker?

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One of the theories floating around out there about Wes Welker is that the Pats are simply trying to preserve a valuable asset and make sure he’s still deadly for the playoffs. I’m not sure even a overly-optimistic homer like myself believes that’s the case but let’s take a look at why it might make sense.

The first question that must be analyzed is why is Julian Edelman playing in 2-WR sets over Welker? There have been reports that Edelman outplayed Welker in training camp, so why not find out once and for all, if given the chance, can Edelman be a legitimate Z-WR in the Patriots offense. With Welker likely gone next year finding out if Edelman can take over for him now is in the long-term interest of the team.

There’s no question Tom Brady has been over-reliant on Welker at times over the past few years, and the quick decline of slot receivers like TJ Houshmanzadeh and Wayne Chrebet has been well documented. If Welker is on board with it there’s no question cutting his snaps a bit early in the year could pay dividends down the road.

However this goes directly against what we’ve come to know about Bill Belichick. Risk of injury rarely ever plays into his thinking. Could this signify a change in Belichick’s thinking?

With or without Welker on the field the Pats were planning on being a two tight end team. Could this also be a sign of them wanting to move more towards a power game than a move-quick spread one? An evolution that could possibly relegate Welker back to a simple “slot receiver”?

The book on the Pats offense with Welker, Gronk and Hernando as the center pieces is out, and we saw a game plan from the Cardinals from that book: Man coverage, flood the middle of the field. But by holding back on Welker it takes away arguably the biggest key for that version of the Pats offense. It also forces Tom Brady out of his Welker comfort zone and to adjust to some new weapons like Edelman and Brandon Lloyd.

It’s hard to fully believe the Pats are holding back on Welker to save him for the end of the season. There are some undoubted benefits in the long-term for the Patriots by doing so, but it seems very much out of the ordinary from what we know about Belichick. Usually “the best players play” and he throws caution to the wind when it comes to injuries.

What bears more research is how much Welker has declined over the course of the past few seasons? We know some obvious plays that he didn’t make, but what about his overall explosion? Or better yet, just how dinged up has he been in January and February? We’ll probably never know that for sure.

Regardless this is an interesting development for the Patriots and one that we’ll probably have to close the book on until Aaron Hernandez is healthy again. Whenever that may be…

What Belichick’s History Tells Us About Wes Welker’s Situation — Boston Sports Media Watch

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What Belichick’s History Tells Us About Wes Welker’s Situation — Boston Sports Media Watch

I’m quickly getting burned out on all the Welker stuff today, but here’s a good take from Bruce Allen.

But trust me, the people inside that building generally know more than you or the media do. Whatever the reason that Wes Welker’s workload has changed in the early part of this season, they have a damn good reason for it. They’re just not going to tell you. Nor should they. In mind, it comes down to one of two things: Either the Patriots offense is changing to be less reliant on what Welker brings to it (either for strategic reasons or in anticipation of losing him), or, the Patriots feel that Julian Edelman is more deserving to be on the field at this time.

Role of Patriots’ Welker further in doubt – Patriots – Boston.com

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Role of Patriots’ Welker further in doubt – Patriots – Boston.com

For all those asking what’s going on with Wes Welker this article breaks it all down nicely. No one can know for sure but Bedard lays it all out. 

Not only did Edelman start the game (the only time Welker didn’t start last season was against Dallas when Deion Branch got the nod) with the opening personnel grouping of Stevan Ridley, Rob Gron­kowski, Hernandez, and Lloyd, Welker didn’t enter the game until the fourth play — after Hernandez was injured. And the first two passes of the game (Tom Brady’s interception, and a bubble screen) were plays that targeted Edelman. And the most irrefutable evidence about the Patriots’ plans for Welker came in the “12” personnel of one back, two tight ends, and two receivers. As long as Gronkowski and Hernandez are healthy, this is the Patriots’ base personnel grouping. The Patriots played 15 snaps of “12” personnel. Edelman played 13 of them as the No. 2 receiver. Welker played two. It used to be the other way around. The four other plays Edelman came off the field for had two-back, two-tight end sets. If Hernandez was not injured, you really have to wonder how much Welker would have played in the game. He clearly was not part of the game plan going in.