The New England Patriots' secret weapon against the New York Giants on Sunday may not be that much of a secret. Or at least it shouldn't be.
Wes Welker led the NFL with an amazing 122 catches for 1569 yards. Yet all the focus this week has been on Patriots' tight end Rob Gronkowski as well as the New York Giants receivers. That's fine by Bill Belichick.
Welker has eaten up the Giants the last three times he has lined up across from them. In the season finale of the 16-0 2007 season against the Giants, Welker had 11 catches for 122 yards. In the Super Bowl that season, Welker hauled in 11 passes for 103 yards. This season, in Week 8, Welker had 9 catches for 136 yards against Tom Coughlin's crew. Oddly enough, he has no touchdown receptions in those three games.
Welker has been the benefactor of having a Randy Moss or a Rob Gronkowski to divert some attention away from him in those games. It will be interesting to see how Gronkowski's ankle injury might have a negative impact on Welker's statistics in this game. If Gronkowski was 100%, I'd expect a similar 10-catch, 100+ yard receiving game from Welker. It's why, if nothing else, Gronkowski's mere presence on the field will be huge for the Patriots.
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