So far there has been a lot of defensive and special teams candidates. Today I bring you an offensive player who many think Belichick let go of too soon, Wes Welker.
FIRST DOWN MACHINE- Wes Welker put up some big numbers when playing for the Patriots. The statistic which most impresses me is his first downs. In his six seasons in New England Welker had a total of 388 first downs. These 388 first downs came over the course of 93 games, so an average of 4.17 per game. To put this into perspective, Gronk has had 406 first downs over 115 games for an average of 3.5 per game.
YEAR BY YEAR- To remind you how great Welker was while playing in a Patriots uniform, here are some highlights by year:
- 2007- Set record for most receptions by a Patriot with 112. Had 27 receptions in 3 playoff games.
- 2008- First Patriot to have back to back 100 reception seasons (111 receptions). Pro Bowl
- 2009- Missed 2 games yet finished with 123 receptions for second highest in NFL history. Missed playoffs with torn MCL and ACL. Pro Bowl
- 2010- Started game 1 of the season after having off-season knee surgery. Kicked a PAT when Gostkowski was injured. Made the Rex foot reference before getting booted out of playoffs. Pro Bowl
- 2011- Had 16 receptions in one game. 4th time of having at least 100 receptions (122). Pro Bowl. The drop.
- 2012- Another 118 receptions and a Pro Bowl.
REASONING- In part 4, I denied Adam Vinatieri the honor of being on the list of players who Belichick let go to soon largely due to the fact that the year he left, the Patriots got Stephen Gostkowski. Welker is not getting knocked off the list for the exact same reason, but it's pretty close.
AMENDOLA- Welker's last season in New England was a pricey one as he was on the franchise tag to the tune of $9.5 million. The Patriots and Welker didn't end up coming to an agreement and Wes ended up signing with the Peyton Manning led Broncos. It appeared to most fans that Josh McDaniels had a big hand in bringing in Welker's supposed replacement, Danny Amendola.
EDELMAN- The fact that Amendola was more expensive and less productive than Welker could have really bit Belichick and the Patriots in the butt for both the short and long-term. Of course, as usual there was already someone on the roster who was ready to fill Wes' shoes, Julian Edelman. In Edelman's first season without Welker around, Jules had 105 receptions, 54 first downs, and 6 touchdowns.
AMENDOLA- Welker's last season in New England was a pricey one as he was on the franchise tag to the tune of $9.5 million. The Patriots and Welker didn't end up coming to an agreement and Wes ended up signing with the Peyton Manning led Broncos. It appeared to most fans that Josh McDaniels had a big hand in bringing in Welker's supposed replacement, Danny Amendola.
EDELMAN- The fact that Amendola was more expensive and less productive than Welker could have really bit Belichick and the Patriots in the butt for both the short and long-term. Of course, as usual there was already someone on the roster who was ready to fill Wes' shoes, Julian Edelman. In Edelman's first season without Welker around, Jules had 105 receptions, 54 first downs, and 6 touchdowns.
VERDICT- Sorry, while I was definitely sad to see Welker go at the time, Belichick is coming up roses again. Had Welker not left for Colorado in 2013, there's a good chance we would never have fully released Julian Edelman on opposing defenses. The fact that we've had Julian Edelman for the past 7 seasons wipes out letting Welker go to free agency in 2013. Couple that with the fact that Amendola is another popular candidate for a player Belichick let go of too early, and Welker just can't make the cut.
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