Tom Brady and the Patriots Need A Wes Welker Back This Season

Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense has remained one of the best in the league for the last couple of years due to a solid offensive line, decent running backs, and great wide receivers.  No player has meant more to their offense than Wes Welker has for the last three seasons playing in New England. As we all know, Tom Brady injured his knee but Matt Cassel was able to step in and guide the team to an 11-5 record.  Cassel was able to do so because Welker carried the load with one-hundred and eleven receptions and 1,165 yards.  Welker is like a QB’s tightend in the sense that he is their escape valve when they get into trouble and can count on him to be open.

In fact, for the last three seasons he has been open the whole time.  I don’t think anyone has covered him since he joined the Patriots.  Once again, this past season he eclipsed one-hundred and twenty-three receptions, thus making him the only receiver in NFL history to record at least 110 receptions in three consecutive seasons.  But unfortunately, in the last game of the season against the Texans he blew out his knee and has spent this whole offseason trying to rehab.  There hasn’t been a timetable set for his return but Welker seems to be ahead of schedule and that bodes well for the Patriots. Wes Welker joined Fox Sports Radio with Hartman and Friends to talk about whether he could have imagined the kind of success that he has had with the Patriots, how healthy his knee is, and what his thoughts are on Terrell Owens possibly joining the Patriots.

Whether he could have imagined the kind of success that he has had with the Patriots:

“You know what, I knew that it was going to be better but I didn’t know that it was going to be to this extent.  It has definitely been a great deal for me and for both sides.  We have been able to accomplish some things but we still have a long ways to go.”

How healthy his knee is:

“It is doing well kind of plugging along getting in more of a training mode than a rehab mode.  It has been going good so far, taking it a day at a time.”

How he came from being an undrafted rookie out of Texas Tech to what he is doing now:

“I don’t know I guess I never really thought about it.  Really I just wanted a job.  Just wanted to do anything to have a job making minimum and I would have been happy with that.  As it kind of just went on it is kind of become what it is and it is just steadily working hard, taking it a day at a time kind of busting your butt and getting after it and just continuing to do that on a regular basis because I know what it feels like to be cut and I definitely don’t want to go down that road again.”

What his thoughts are on Terrell Owens possibly joining the Patriots:

“He is obviously a great talent and a great player and personally I think the guys that we have at receiver, we brought in some guys.  Whatever coach thinks, he is going to do what is best for the team and if that is what it is we are all for it and looking to move ahead.  At the end of the day it comes down to the coach’s decision.  I am really happy with the guys that we have got.  I think we really have a good group of wideouts that are going to work hard and give everything we have got for each other and that is the way that we need to be.”