Tag: Wes Welker

Julian Edelman shares how his relationships with Gunner Olszewski and Wes Welker were different

Is Julian Edelman suggesting he didn’t have a strong bond with Wes Welker?

Julian Edelman never shied away from mentoring teammates during his career with the New England Patriots. No matter the player — veteran or rookie, first-rounder or undrafted player — Edelman would do what he could to help out, particularly at the receiver position.

That was true for Gunner Olszewski and Jakobi Meyers, two undrafted free agents who excel in the slot. With Edelman’s career winding down, the receiver might have been less interested in educating the players who were likely to supplant him. But that’s not the route Edelman took, even if Wes Welker didn’t assume a role as mentor for him..

“I was always in Gunner’s corner,” Edelman told the hosts of “Pardon My Take” podcast during a recent interview. “I would always give Gunner all my tips. I would still compete against him. We were in different parts of our careers. I was 12 years in when Gunner got in — or 11 years in. (When I was a rookie), that was when Wes was seven years deep. He had it still going. It was different. We also had a different relationship — me and Wes. And Bill (Belichick) probably saw that.”

Edelman was asked about the moment Belichick famously asked Wes Welker if he’d heard of Wally Pipp, the Yankees first baseman who was essentially forgotten when Lou Gehrig took over. Belichick told the story with Welker one the sideline for a big punt return from Edelman.

The point? Edelman seemed poised to replace Welker, if he wasn’t careful. Apparently not heeding the message, Welker gave up the punt return job to Edelman on the spot. And in short time, Edelman supplanted Welker not just as punt returner but also as slot receiver.

“He probably was digging at him a little to try to make him play his best. That’s what Bill does. He gets the best out of guys,” Edelman said.

Did Belichick ever have that conversation with Edelman?

“No, never,” Edelman said.

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Patriots release All-Dynasty Team, and Deion Branch wasn’t happy to be snubbed

Deion Branch wasn’t happy he missed the cut.

Two decades of dominance for an NFL team can lead to forgotten players and personnel that made a huge impact over that time.

The New England Patriots sustained this dominance over the past 20 seasons with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick running the show. The two legendary figures collected six Super Bowls during nine appearances, along with countless other accolades.

The Patriots released an All-Dynasty Team to acknowledge some of the other players who were instrumental in the run. Names like Tedy Bruschi, Vince Wilfork, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski and Adam Vinatieri made the list.

Deion Branch, who won two Super Bowls and a Super Bowl MVP award, didn’t make the cut. The Patriots listed Moss, Julian Edelman, Wes Welker and Troy Brown as the receivers on the list — they even had Danny Amendola as an honorable mention.

But, no Branch? He simply went to Twitter and let the world know how he felt about the snub.

The original four on the list justifiably made their way onto it, but it’s hard to argue Amendola over Branch. Amendola has a career 230 receptions for 2,383 yards and 12 touchdowns in New England. Branch has 328 receptions, 4,297 yards and 24 touchdowns — that’s not counting the Super Bowl MVP and playoff impact he had.

Branch was upset about his snub, and it was rightfully so.

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Peyton Manning among 9 ex-Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Manning is a lock to enter the Hall of Fame next year.

Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is among nine ex-Denver players who have been nominated for the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as modern-era candidates.

A total of 130 modern-era players were nominated and Manning is among 14 first-year eligible players, joining Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson, among others (view the full list on the Hall of Fame’s website).

Manning won two Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts and one later in his career with the Broncos. He is a lock to be voted into the Hall of Fame this year.

In addition to Manning, former Denver center Tom Nalen, wide receiver Rod Smith, kicker Jason Elam, defensive lineman Neil Smith and safety John Lynch were also nominated. The list of nominated players who spent time with the Broncos also includes receiver Wes Welker, running back Glyn Milburn and defensive lineman Michael Dean Perry.

Denver legend Steve Atwater was set to enter the Hall of Fame this year but the ceremony was pushed back until 2021 because of the coronavirus. Manning will likely join Atwater in Canton next summer.

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Why CB Jon Jones is only getting more valuable to Patriots

Jonathan Jones is one of the more under-appreciated talents for the Patriots.

When the New England Patriots are building a game plan to stop an elite slot receiver, they tend to turn to cornerback Jonathan Jones.

He’s technically the fourth cornerback on the depth chart behind Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty and JC Jackson. But Jones is the No. 1 slot cornerback, which has turned into a starting position in itself. That’s why New England signed him to a three-year extension to start the 2019 season, a year in which he spent time covering receivers like Tyreek Hill.

In 2020, the emphasis of slot receivers — and slot cornerbacks — will likely only continue to climb. NFL teams love using three receivers, including a slot option with rare speed and agility. That means more work for Jones. During a videoconference call on Tuesday, Jones was asked about the increased emphasis on the slot position, both in free agency spending and in-season usage.

“I think the numbers show that offenses are in 11 personnel (with three receivers) the majority of the season, the majority of the game,” Jones said. “So, that third wide receiver is kind of extremely more valuable. Before, he’d kind of be used just on third downs and brought in in that package. Like I said, teams are running sub-offenses for all three downs, so that’s kind of increased the value of it on the offensive side. So, therefore on defense, we kind of have to match that. So, the slot guys and more the nickel guys and the third and fourth corners are kind of increasing their value because, the offenses are using their receivers that much more.”

Chris Godwin (86 catches, 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019) and Cooper Kupp (94 catches, 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns) are a nice example of why the slot position isn’t seen as a limited one. It used to be that NFL agents would impress upon their players that they’re not just slot receivers, which was essentially a marketing tactic to help them ear . Now, with those receivers, like Golden Tate and Adam Humphries, racking up big salaries in free agency, the slot label is almost a badge of honor.

While the slot cornerback market hasn’t quite heated up in the same way, he certainly doesn’t consider himself — or any slot player — limited.

“I wouldn’t say so much. I think, especially in our defense, guys line up outside, inside and a little bit of both,” Jones said. “I think the way football is starting to trend, just being the more you can do within the defense, and like I said, not limiting yourself to just being able to play the slot – being able to play outside and vice versa.”

This upcoming season will be another big year for Jones, whose role in the slot is likely to be just as important.

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Wes Welker reflects upon emotional breakup with the Patriots

“I was still upset about it.”

When looking for examples of Bill Belichick’s ruthless approach to free agency, the coach’s handling of Wes Welker comes to mind.

Welker was the lifeblood of the New England Patriots’ offense for six seasons, with five 100-catch seasons under Belichick. But when Welker hit free agency in 2013, Belichick didn’t bother pursuing when the slot receiver attracted interest from the Denver Broncos. The Patriots were OK to let him go. During an interview with WEEI on Wednesday, Welker was asked whether a weight was lifted when he left New England.

“Maybe a little bit,” he told WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” this week. “I was still upset about it. I did want to be there, but there was part of me — I just like enjoying the game. I like having fun, all those things. Coaching now, you learn a lot from the tactics and different things like that, but at the same time putting your own twist on it and understanding — I tell my guys all the time: ‘As long as we’re giving great effort and we’re on top of our assignments we’re going to be good. Once it’s not where we need to be, that is when we have problems.’

“Kind of being there and there’s a big mental aspect to the game of being prepared, being this, being that, all those different things, but also enjoying yourself and having fun playing the game. I feel like you’re playing your best ball when you’re having fun and enjoying (yourself).

“I think there were some times where I didn’t really feel that at times for different reasons — the guys that we had in the locker room, the camaraderie that we had was better some years than others. We had all these different things and when you’re one of the highest paid players on the team you’re expected to deliver and like a highly paid player. There’s definitely pressure on that and all these different things is tough and it’s hard. Coach Belichick is hard on guys and tries to get the most out of him that he can.”

Welker’s comments are timely in the wake of Tom Brady’s departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s a move that Welker could feel coming, as Belichick treated Brady like every other aging player. It seems the coach and general manager was content to let Brady walk a year too early, rather than a year too late.

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Wes Welker shares why he thinks Tom Brady joined the Buccaneers

“I wouldn’t say I was surprised.”

Wes Welker knows what makes Tom Brady tick.

If the receiver didn’t, he wouldn’t have caught 815 passes from the quarterback. They had an almost-telepathic connection. So perhaps Welker had some insight on why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appealed to Brady in ways that the New England Patriots did not.

“I think he’s just excited to play football,” he said on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” this week. “Tom wants to play ball. I think for him he’s excited — he has some weapons down there in Tampa. I think he’s excited to get out there and play ball. It’s another challenge for him in his mind, I’m sure, of proving people wrong — that he doesn’t have to be in New England to be great.

“He will take on that challenge, and I guaranteed you he will be full steam ahead with it.”

Was Welker surprised to see Brady leave?

“Not necessarily,” Welker told WEEI. “You hate to see it just because he’s been there for so long and it is going to be strange to see him in a different uniform and all those different things, but I wouldn’t say I was surprised.”

Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots, and decided to join the Buccaneers a few days later. While New England boasted just Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu and N’Keal Harry, Tampa had a much more talented group of offensive players, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. Surely that group — and coach Bruce Arians — played a big part in luring Brady to the Bucs.

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Tom Brady set the league on fire the last time he had two superstar WRs

In 2007, the New England Patriots fell a David Tyree miracle catch short of an undefeated season. Along the way, the Patriots scored the most points in a single season in NFL history with 589 points. That team was led by quarterback Tom Brady and …

In 2007, the New England Patriots fell a David Tyree miracle catch short of an undefeated season. Along the way, the Patriots scored the most points in a single season in NFL history with 589 points. That team was led by quarterback Tom Brady and superstar wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

During that season, Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and an NFL-record 23 touchdowns, while Welker totaled 1,175 yards, and eight touchdowns on 112 receptions. Sure, that was 13 years ago, but Brady hasn’t had playmakers even close to that of Moss and Welker, that is, until he became a Buccaneer.

Buccaneers receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards even with their respective seasons ending early with hamstring injuries. Godwin played in 14 games in 2019, and finished his outing with 86 catches to go along with 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, career highs across the board. Evans saw action in 13 games and stamped his stat line with 67 receptions, 1157 yards and eight touchdowns.

As noted by Pro Football Focus, Godwin and Evans are one of five receiving duo’s to be graded 85.0+ since 2006, as were Moss and Welker. Brady might be slower than he was in his 2007 season where he lit the NFL on fire with 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, but his arm strength and IQ are still fully intact.

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The 28 players who caught postseason TD passes from Tom Brady

The players who caught postseason TD passes from Tom Brady are impressive.


 Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady is a postseason warrior. His best games came with the stakes at their highest. Here’s a look at the players who caught playoff scores from the G.O.A.T. as he prepares to move on from New England.

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Wes Welker is now 0-4 in the Super Bowl

Wes Welker has reached four Super Bowls with three different teams, losing all of them.

Fifth time’s the charm?

Following the 49ers’ 31-20 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, Wes Welker‘s record in Super Bowls dropped to 0-4.

After unremarkable stints with the Chargers and Dolphins to begin his career, Welker landed with the Patriots in 2007 and quickly emerged as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. New England reached Super Bowl XLII that season and Welker caught 11 passes for 103 yards in the title game.

The Giants shocked the Patriots, handing them a 17-14 defeat. 0-1.

Four years later, Welker returned to the Super Bowl with New England. He caught seven passes for 60 yards and rushed twice for 21 yards in Super Bowl XLVI. New York knocked off the Patriots again, 21-17. 0-2.

Two years later, after signing with the Broncos, Welker returned to the Super Bowl a third time. He caught eight passes for 84 yards and scored on a two-point conversion attempt. The Seahawks smashed Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. 0-3.

After leading the league in receptions three times and earning five Pro Bowl nods, Welker hung up his cleats in 2016. He didn’t walk away from football, though. Welker was hired by the Texans as an offensive assistant and special teams assistant in 2017.

After two years in Houston, Welker joined San Francisco’s staff as their wide receivers coach before the start of the 2019 season. Welker returned to the Super Bowl yet again with the 49ers, only to lose again. 0-4.

He’s bound to win one at some point, right?

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