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Welker heats up Patriots offense
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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates
a touchdown with wide receiver Wes Welker during a 59-0
victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday. (AP Photo/
Winslow Townson)
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher probably never saw that coming. Does any head coach in the NFL ever see a 59-point, train-wreck of a loss coming, particularly a 35-point second quarter?
But a quick look into the old hindsight mirror shows the signs may well have been there all along.
Sign #1 – Since the start of the 2006 season, New England has won at home 8 times following a loss. In those wins the Patriots have won by an average of 17.4 points per game – a huge spread in any NFL game.
Sign #2 – Tennessee came into the game winless in their first five games this season.
Sign #3 – The return of slot receiver Wes Welker to New England’s line-up.
Sign #4 – A relatively warm weather team suddenly dodging 1st quarter snowflakes almost as fast as they were avoiding collisions with Patriots.
Out of all those signs, none proved more significant than the return of Welker. The little man has one big presence on the field and it changes both the way the Patriots attack and the way opposing teams defend.
The stats will tell you he has more total receptions over the previous two seasons combined than any other player in the NFL.
Opposing head coaches will echo Baltimore’s John Harbaugh who spoke of Welker earlier this year, “There is only one Wes Welker. He had a bunch of catches against us two years ago in Philadelphia. He’s just a great player.”
But if you really want proof that Welker is so valuable to the Patriots – check out Tom Brady’s quarterback rating both with and without Welker this season.
In the two games this season in which Welker did not play due to a knee injury, Brady had a rating of 53.1 in a loss against the Jets, and a more respectable 87.1 in a win over Atlanta.
But in the other 4 games in which Welker has played, Brady has posted a rating of better than 97 in two games, 100 in a third and a perfect 152.8 in this past Sunday’s game.
Next up for Brady, Welker and Moss: The 27th-ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday in London, the second consecutive winless team on their schedule. But optimist beware, three of the Patriots next five games include a pair of undefeated teams in New Orleans and Indianapolis. Oh, and the New York Jets who have already beaten New England once this season will visit Gillette Stadium during that span.
Welker, who was once fined by the NFL for celebrating a touchdown by making a snow angel in the end zone is probably checking the London forecast for sunday right now. Sorry, Wes - the white stuff has only blanketed London once in the past 76 years.
On the bright side, it was just last October.
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