Karen Guregian catches up with Wes Welker in the San Francisco airport, on his way to the Pro Bowl, as he talks about his ill-advised but light-hearted attempt at sticking up for his teammate.
"I’m not going to get into any details about it, but I don’t think it’s worth putting coach (Belichick) in that situation," he said. "So in a sense, I do regret it. ... As much as you might want to get enticed into that stuff, at the end of the day, it’s just not worth it."
"You know what, I think the best way to stick up for your teammate is on the field," Welker said. "I like the fact we don’t get caught up in all that stuff. At the end of the day, it’s about football. That’s what it’s supposed to be about. That’s all that matters. It’s concentrating on your job and what you do, and not concentrating on the riff-raff that goes with all that other stuff. It’s about the team and going out there and playing good football. And not getting caught up in all the media hype. It’s just not worth it."
"It’s not always easy to keep a lid on it," Welker continued, "but at the same time, there’s a greater goal, and that’s winning the game and playing good football. That’s what matters. All that other stuff doesn’t matter at the end of the day."
When asked if he was glad the Jets didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, Welker carefully chose his answer."I think if you’re a Patriot fan, a little bit," he said with a smile.
Ian Rapoport spoke with Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis at the North team's practice at the Senior Bowl.
Me: I have a question about Chad [Ochocinco], though I know you’ve been asked a bunch of those questions…
Lewis: "Who? Is he in this game? Then I don’t worry about that."
Me: Not quite in this game, but he did send me a message recently about possibly playing with the Patriots. That surprised me…
Lewis: "Belichick’s smarter than that." (Laughs)
TEAM TALK
- Andy Hart reports Tom Brady earned unanimous recognition as the NFL's top QB.
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PFW TV - Wrapping up the Patriots 14-2 season, breaking down the loss to the Jets, a look at the team's needs for the 2011season and possible lockout. (22.20 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Monique Walker reports Tom Brady's regular season performance continues to earn him honors, as yesterday he was a unanimous selection for the AP 2010 NFL All-Pro team.
- Mike Reiss notes Sebastian Vollmer, Devin McCourty and Vince Wilfork were named to the second-team All-Pro in the vote from 50 media members from around the country.
- Bill Reynolds reports that despite its sour ending, the Pats' season had it's moments.
- Bob Ryan says he can live with this Super Bowl matchup, especially now that the Rexies have been defeated.
- Greg A. Bedard says it seems like destiny that the Packers and Steelers will meet in Super Bowl XLV a week from Sunday. Eh.
- Tom E. Curran offers his thoughts on Jay Cutler and Chad Ochocinco.
- Gerry Callahan asserts Ben Roethlisberger is a zero, not a hero.
- Christopher Price talks about the offseason questions facing the Patriots.
- Mike Reiss focuses on the future of each position: Quarterbacks.
- Mike Reiss offers this report from Steve Muench (Scouts Inc) on DE/OLB Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue) who caught his eye from a Patriots perspective.
- WEEI NFL Draft's potential Patriots: DE Cameron Jordan (Cal)
- ESPNBoston keeps an eye on the Senior Bowl with some of Todd McShay's position and player spotlights that might interest New Englanders.
- Ian Rapoport talks about what the Senior Bowl practices are like.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Tom Brady headlines 2010 All-Pro squad.
- USA Today AP All-Pro team: Patriots QB Tom Brady a unanimous choice.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL Network to broadcast AP awards, MVP named Super Bowl Sunday.
- Patrick Hruby (ESPN) Which NFL teams get the biggest bang for the buck out of their payroll?
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Bang for the buck: What AFC East spent.
- Peter Schrager (Fox Sports) Super Bowl preview: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Jim Caple (ESPN) Football is much better in cold weather.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Lockout will unlock a new universe of cheating.
- Dan Shaughnessy (SI) With Big Ben it isn't always pretty, but he finds a way to win.
- Greg Hardy (ESPN) Page 2's Power Rankings are the ultimate metric to rate pop culture.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Zambian children think the Jets are in the Super Bowl.
- Jason Whitlock (Fox Sports) Why Cutler burns us up.
- Kevin Seifert (ESPN) Cutler drama: A high school catfight.
- Paul Daugherty (SI) Cutler case proves perception of injuries hasn't evolved with game.
- Toni Monkovic (NY Times) Mike Mayock's top 5 draft prospects at each position.
- Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Senior Bowl notebook.
- Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) Senior Bowl practice notes: Day 1.
- Cecil Lammey and Matt Waldman (NY Times) Day 1 of NFL's unofficial convention: The Senior Bowl.