Tag: Wes Welker

Julian Edelman took issue with Wes Welker’s comments on Bill Belichick

Julian Edelman called out his former teammate, Wes Welker, for Bill Belichick comments

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman took issue with his former teammate Wes Welker’s comments in “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” docuseries.

Edelman and Welker were teammates from 2009-2012. Welker had an incredible run in New England, recording 672 receptions for 7,459 yards and 37 touchdowns. Edelman took over Welker’s role when he left for the Denver Broncos in 2013.

He made it clear on his “Games with Names” podcast on Tuesday that he still has love for Welker. However, he did have an issue with how Welker painted Bill Belichick, particularly in his suggestions of favoritism towards Aaron Hernandez, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Greg Dudek.

“Welker’s out here saying like Aaron Hernandez got away with murder — figurately speaking — at practice, that’s not even true,” Edelman said. “Welker painted the picture he was like the king, like he got to do anything. I remember Bill (expletive) Aaron all the time. Come on, Welk. Trying to make up stories. We know you don’t like Bill.”

The docuseries itself has certainly generated a lot of buzz and received plenty of backlash from several Patriots legends ever since its release. However, it seems for every criticism of Belichick, other Patriots players are standing up for the legendary coach.

3 Dolphins coaches who could be promoted to OC if Frank Smith leaves

If Miami needs to find a new OC, who could get a promotion?

With just one week left in January, there are still plenty of job openings around the NFL, including two that Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith is up for – the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.

So, while it’s not a guarantee that Smith will leave the team in the coming weeks, the Dolphins would be smart to plan for who takes over his current role if he does.

Head coach Mike McDaniel may look outside of the building, but here are a few internal candidates who might get a look:

Wes Welker claiming Tyreek Hill is a better WR than Randy Moss shows he’s a prisoner of the moment

Wes Welker is a victim of recency bias if he really thinks Tyreek Hill is better than Randy Moss.

There’s no need to mince words. Tyreek Hill is having one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history. If he continues his current pace, the Miami Dolphins superstar will become the first-ever flanker to record at least 2,000 yards in a single year. Oh, and he might become the first receiver ever to win MVP, too. The future Hall of Famer clearly deserves his flowers for this remarkably consistent performance week to week.

But that doesn’t make him better than Randy Moss. Not even close. Former New England Patriots slot weapon and current Dolphins receivers coach Wes Welker seems to disagree.

On Thursday, Welker paid serious compliments to his top playmaker. He first invoked Moss, calling him the best deep threat in league history. But he stopped short there. Welker then claimed that Hill is a more complete receiver than Moss ever was because he runs a “full route tree.” And when I hear assessments like this, it makes me wonder if Welker — who was teammates with Moss for four seasons from 2007 to 2010 — actually watched him play.

The opinion is that silly:

Here’s a video of Welker’s Moss to Hill comparison:

Admittedly, I can understand why Welker thinks Moss is a one-trick pony compared to Hill. By the time Moss came to the Patriots, he remained an elite player but probably did run fewer routes over the middle than in the early stages of his career. However, that erases all the incredible work Moss achieved with the Minnesota Vikings, where he victimized defensive backs in every possible way all over the field for seven seasons. Moss during his prime might have been the most unstoppable football player in history.

Welker’s fallacious argument ignores the statistical juxtaposition, too.

From an all-time perspective, Moss is fourth all-time in receiving yards (15,292), second in touchdowns only to Jerry Rice (156), and 15th in receptions (982). Hill, as it stands, has a career 686 catches, 9,664 receiving yards, and 73 touchdowns. Based on his year-to-year average of roughly 85 catches, 1,208 yards, and nine touchdowns, Hill wouldn’t chase down Moss on:

  • Receptions until he was approximately 33
  • Receiving yards until he was approximately 34
  • Touchdowns until he was nearly 40 years old

And this is all only possible IF Hill maintains this same form as he ages and IF he doesn’t follow through on his threats of an “early” retirement.

Hill is one of pro football’s all-time speedsters and is a no-doubt First Ballot Hall of Famer. But the fact is he doesn’t remotely compare to Moss, perhaps the most gifted receiver ever to put on shoulder pads and a helmet.

14 former Dolphins left off list of 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame trimmed down their list of 173 nominees to 25 semifinalists.

Back in September, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released their list of 173 Modern-Era nominees for the 2024 class, which included 14 players who spent time with the Miami Dolphins.

On that list were Ricky Williams, Antonio Freeman, Irving Fryar, Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker, Josh Sitton, Richmond Webb, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Karlos Dansby, Larry Izzo, Joey Porter, Troy Vincent and Matt Turk.

On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame trimmed the nominees down to 25 semifinalists, and unfortunately, none were former Dolphins.

The list of nominees includes Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Tiki Barber, Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, Dwight Freeney, Antonio Gates, Eddie Geroge, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Robert Mathis, Julius Peppers, Smith Sr., Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, Patrick Willis and Darren Woodson.

15 finalists will be announced at a later date.

Rod Smith among 16 former Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Five players who won Super Bowls with the Broncos have been nominated for the Hall of Fame, including wide receiver Rod Smith.

Rod Smith headlines the list of former Denver Broncos players who have been nominated for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall of Fame announced 173 modern-era nominees on Tuesday, including 16 players who spent time with the Broncos.

Smith might have the strongest case. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Smith’s numbers (849 receptions for 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns) are similar to those of Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irving (750/11,904/65). Smith is also the NFL’s all-time leading receiver among undrafted wide receivers.

Four other Broncos Super Bowl winners were also nominated — center Tom Nalen, guard Mark Schlereth, defensive lineman Neil Smith and kicker Jason Elam. Those four players and Smith helped the team win back-to-back championships in the late 1990s.

Two more recent wide receivers — Brandon Marshall and Wes Welker — were also nominated, as was hard-hitting inside linebacker Al Wilson.

Here’s a quick look at the 16 former Denver players who have been nominated for the Hall of Fame.

Patriots’ history with the franchise tag under Bill Belichick

Here’s a look at the Patriots’ franchise tag history under Bill Belichick.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick rarely leans on the franchise tag in present-day negotiations with pending free agents. There was a time when he used it frequently as a negotiating tactic, but in the last eight years, only one player has been franchise tagged by the Patriots.

That run of not tagging players will likely continue in 2023 with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and cornerback Jonathan Jones being the only legitimate tag candidates on the roster.

That isn’t to suggest both players don’t deserve pay raises. But it’s hard envisioning Belichick and the Patriots footing the bill for a rising price tag at positions they can address through free agency and the draft.

Still, for fun, let’s take a look at all of the Patriots players that have been franchise tagged over the years by Belichick.

7 Dolphins nominated for 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

129 nominees were announced on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released their list of 129 Modern-Era nominees.

From there, the list will be cut down to 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists come January.

The Miami Dolphins had seven former players nominated for the class of 2023. Some donned the aqua and orange for longer than others, but all seven of them had some great careers.

These are the Dolphins’ Modern-Era nominees for next year’s class:

The best players in pro football history released by other teams

If you were released by an NFL team today, your career may not be over! Several pro football Hall of Famers were once cut by other teams.

On the annual occasion of the NFL’s cruel necessity to trim its rosters down to the mandated 53 players, it’s important to remember that for the hundreds of players who heard the worst possible professional news on Tuesday, August 30, that there is hope after getting cut by one team. If you’ve put good tape out there, other teams will see it, and you might get another shot that way. Perhaps a coach or executive you’ve worked with before is on another team, and that person wants you where they are now. Or maybe a team that’s wafer-thin at your position will roll the dice.

Given the sheer numbers, it makes sense that players cut by one team would find success elsewhere. In rare occasions, players who have been jettisoned, unwanted, have rolled up to other places and played at levels that landed them (at the very least) in a Ring of Honor somewhere, and (at the very most) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Not everybody releasing players this week is right. And not every player released this week is wrong. It’s important for all of those players to remember that, and perhaps to be inspired by this list of the best players in pro football history to find themselves released by one team, only to succeed beyond anybody’s wildest expectations somewhere else.

Ex-Broncos WR Wes Welker unhappy with NFL’s ‘bush league’ treatment of retired players

Former Broncos WR Wes Welker is unhappy with the NFL’s ‘bush league’ treatment of retired players.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker is unhappy with the NFL’s treatment of retired players seeking medical assistance.

Welker recently applied for line-of-duty disability from the NFL and the league wrote a letter back to the ex-receiver informing him that “there were no records reflecting that the surgeries were performed as a result of injuries sustained while playing in the NFL.”

The league asked Welker to provide records proving the surgeries were related to NFL injuries, but it’s clear that he wasn’t happy with that request.

“@NFL I don’t have the time or patience for this,” Welker wrote on his Twitter page. “Been an employee of the NFL for 18 years and still going. This is bush league stuff!”

Welker, 41, played for five teams during a 12-year career in the NFL, including a two-year stint with the Broncos from 2013-2014. He now serves as a wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins.

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Dolphins WR coach takes a shot at NFL on social media

The former wide receiver is not happy with the league.

During Miami Dolphins wide receiver coach Wes Welker’s playing days, he was one of the most physical players in the game.

In over 11 seasons with the Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, Welker was constantly taking big hits from defenders and moving the chains for his offenses.

Now that his playing career is over, the former Texas Tech Red Raider has applied for “line-of-duty disability” with the league. Upon hearing that their decision was tabled, Welker took to social media to voice his displeasure with the NFL, calling them “bush league.”

According to the NFL’s player benefits and disability plan, the league is supposed to offer compensation for players who have reached a certain number of documented spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle or foot injuries or surgeries. This also includes permanent disablement or severe hearing/vision loss.

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