I know, Marima already used this picture in her Jets @ Patriots Postgame Thread, but it IS cool, isn't it?
In our matchup with the New York Jets, Wes Welker accounted for 192 yards of Tom Brady's 310 yard performance this past Sunday. You read that right - Wes Welker accounted for 61.94% of Brady's production. With 15 receptions and 192 yards, Wes averaged 12.8 yards per carry and a long of 43.
Fantasy sites have an interesting perspective on Wes; this from The Sportswatchers.com:
Anybody who has had Wes Welker over the past two years has experienced great comfort and great displeasure from having Welker on their team. But despite the ups and downs, you’re probably going to draft him again, aren’t you?
Basically, Wes doesn't give fantasy owners a lot of points (he's not a touchdown machine), but he's consistent. The ball is in Wes's hands A LOT for many reasons, but the most important is this: he produces. That's all that matters, isn't it? Production? And as the best slot receiver in the business today, that means moving the chains. His job has little to do with scoring the actual touchdown. However, he's the guy who sets it up.
So why was a guy like Welker missed during the 2004 draft? Says Belichick:
"We got the wrong guy," Belichick said. "Did a bad job on that. He was definitely on our radar. But you look at him, he doesn’t have great timed speed, he doesn’t have great size. He’s quick, he catches the ball, they ran a lot of tear screens, stuff like that down there at Tech.
"It wasn’t like you saw him running a lot of perimeter routes. Doing what he’s doing here, with what he was doing there, it’s sort of hard to project that."
He doesn't have great timed speed. We've discussed this before on this site - Wes is not fast. He is, however, jack rabbit quick. There's a difference. A guy like Randy Moss needs open space to get the motor running (although he IS improving in the quickness department). Wes? Tight spaces are where he owns the field. Lightning changes in direction are where Welker is at his best. Add to that incredible field awareness (both Brady and Welker seem to adjust to changing conditions with an ESP-like connection) and you have an unstoppable combination.
No, he doesn't score a lot of touchdowns, but in my cross blogging interactions with other sites, I like to ask, "Who's the most dangerous Patriot?" or "Who's the Patriot you'd most like on your team?" If Wes isn't the top answer, he's usually number 2. Most dangerous receiver in the NFL? I think so.
192 yards and 15 receptions in one game. Wow...