Report: Welker may be cleared for camp

Don't push it too hard, Welker. The Pats need you back, but not that badly.

C'mon, get a picture of a HEALTHY Wes Welker. I'd like that even more than another Giselle shot.

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 07:43 AM ET  07.07 by Debbie Does

C'mon, get a picture of a HEALTHY Wes Welker. I'd like that even more than another Giselle shot.

One hell of a lot more important to the well being of your heroes, DD!

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 07:43 AM ET  07.07 by Debbie Does

C'mon, get a picture of a HEALTHY Wes Welker. I'd like that even more than another Giselle shot.

I prefer the Giselle shots, but to each his own.

Working out in a training facility is a hell of a lot different than cutting on a dime on the playing field. I wish Welker the best, but I still don't think he'll be 100% until midseason.

his rehab progress has ridiculously quick; hope he holds up, NE needs him!

Maybe this is why Brady is taking a wait and see approach. Welker is his security blanket, it was not pretty when they played without him. Not pretty at all.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 09:27 AM ET  07.07 by 50yearfan

Maybe this is why Brady is taking a wait and see approach. Welker is his security blanket, it was not pretty when they played without him. Not pretty at all.

The Patriots were 3/12 on third down tries in that play off game vs. the Ravens without Welker and could gain only 154 yards passing on 43 attempts. Not pretty at all.

Yeah Wes! He can do anything! Can he help heal the Sox and negotiate Brady's contract? Can he bring labor peace? Can he do my taxes?

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 09:31 AM ET  07.07 by 50yearfan

The Patriots were 3/12 on third down tries in that play off game vs. the Ravens without Welker and could gain only 154 yards passing on 43 attempts. Not pretty at all.

Amen. I went to 10 games last year (including in Miami and NY) and he looked for Welker on every pass play.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 09:46 AM ET  07.07 by Archie Bunker

Yeah Wes! He can do anything! Can he help heal the Sox and negotiate Brady's contract? Can he bring labor peace? Can he do my taxes?

I know that he did wonders for my fantasy team! DAMN I MISS FOOTBALL!

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 09:48 AM ET  07.07 by Archie Bunker

Amen. I went to 10 games last year (including in Miami and NY) and he looked for Welker on every pass play.

Even though I'm a Colts fan and I am supposed to hate the Pats (I think it's an Indiana law or something), I really enjoy watching Welker. The dude is tough and works damn hard. However, I am very pessimistic about his chances this year. He'll be on the field, but he won't have those incredible stats he had last year.

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 10:12 AM ET  07.07 by Stuart MacDougal

Even though I'm a Colts fan and I am supposed to hate the Pats (I think it's an Indiana law or something), I really enjoy watching Welker. The dude is tough and works damn hard. However, I am very pessimistic about his chances this year. He'll be on the field, but he won't have those incredible stats he had last year.

I understand...same way I have tons of respect for Wayne, Manning, etc. Hard work is tough to hate.

Welker has been cutting and running for a few months now. If he really is that strong there is no reason to believe he won't be great again. Not jumping the gun - nobody knows until he suits up for the real thing - but I do think he will be a big contributor at the very least. Remember, the extent of his injury was greatly exaggerated and as we all know, the Pats do very little to dispel those rumors.

QUOTE:

Originally posted by

skip camp

I doubt they would have him do much at camp. Not a Pats fan, but i hope he comes back 100%. There is nothing not to like about the guy.

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 09:48 AM ET  07.07 by Archie Bunker

Amen. I went to 10 games last year (including in Miami and NY) and he looked for Welker on every pass play.

The Pats only had 2 reliable receivers last year. This year will be different. I'm interested in the running game. Because keeping Tom upright this year is important. They need to get tougher up front.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 11:05 AM ET  07.07 by Perfectpats

The Pats only had 2 reliable receivers last year. This year will be different. I'm interested in the running game. Because keeping Tom upright this year is important. They need to get tougher up front.

Running game? The Pats?

By the third week of the regular season, the number 1 guy has an injury that keeps him out for 6-8 weeks. Not bad enough for IR, so not only are they down a guy, they're also down a roster slot. Then the number 2 guy does something so he's only about 75% the rest of the season. By game 9, they're using Faulk on first down because he's all they've got, they've got a no-name in to block, and they can't send the tight end on passing plays, ever, because they need him for protection too. The number 1 guy comes back in November, but it's too early and he's ineffective for the rest of the year.

I didn't use names, because you can go back 20 years, put in different guys and it's always the same. The Pats have no effective running game. When they can't pass, they can't move the ball. End of story.

QUOTE:

Originally posted by

He should just skip cant and heal as much as possible before the regular season. Wes doesnt need camp.

I think we are all getting sucked into the "how far medical treatment has advanced" argument and that's not a good thing. He shouldn't even be going half-speed with that injury and Welker and the team may be risking a career-ending injury during camp. I'm a Pat's fan to the bone and we need him on the field but I don't like how this one may play out.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 09:31 AM ET  07.07 by 50yearfan

The Patriots were 3/12 on third down tries in that play off game vs. the Ravens without Welker and could gain only 154 yards passing on 43 attempts. Not pretty at all.

Agreed. Though Edelman caught 2 TDs, Welker could have had more.

QUOTE(#21):

Originally posted 12:01 PM ET  07.07 by RunItUp

Agreed. Though Edelman caught 2 TDs, Welker could have had more.

Edleman scares nobody. Welker ? You build your game plan to hold him down first, and go from there. More than Moss or anybody on that team. He is that good.

QUOTE(#22):

Originally posted 12:06 PM ET  07.07 by 50yearfan

Edleman scares nobody. Welker ? You build your game plan to hold him down first, and go from there. More than Moss or anybody on that team. He is that good.

It's funny, we all know that Welker is a beast. Arguably the best receiver on that team. When he went down, everyone (fans AND media) tried selling Edleman as Welker II. And that's clearly not the case. Edleman scares no one.....Welker on the other hand, (as you said) forces a team to game plan around him.

Should be interesting to see how he trusts that knee on his cuts this season....especially on grass and fields that use the tray system (like Houston). Sometimes the mental aspect is tougher to overcome than the physical.