I
haven’t even wanted to talk about it. As if saying out loud would make it real.
Wes Welker may have caught his last pass from Tom Brady. Or did he catch the
last pass Tom Brady threw his way?
Sorry,
couldn’t help my shriveled, bitter soul from getting the better of me there.
Welker will test
the market.
There,
I’ve said it.
I’ve
seen this movie before. The Patriots have made their best offer. Some other team
will offer Welker more. Will the difference in money be enough? Will Welker
value his chances of having a bust in Canton enough that he will stay with
Brady, a situation that almost guarantees Welker will continue to put up numbers
of historical proportion?
What
if the Bengals (despite the cautionary tale that is BenJarvus Green-Ellis)
throw an obscene amount of money at Welker? Andy Dalton gets 27% better
immediately. Pencil A.J. Green in for 14+ TD catches. It’s got to help Mohammed
Sanu get open, too. They’ve got plenty of cap space. If you’re Wes Welker and its
more money than you can even imagine, don’t you talk yourself into believing
the Bengals are a Super Bowl contender?
It
doesn’t sound that farfetched, does it? I mean, except for the Bengals being
Super Bowl contenders. That’s just crazy talk.
Maybe
I’m just being moody-like. Maybe I’m working a reverse jinx. No, I only wish
that was true. (Maybe Welker is the jinx! They haven’t won a Super Bowl since
he’s been here, have they?) Maybe I’m just planning for the worst. Maybe once
you’ve heard the millionth variation on “they’re
better together” you start to think, “Really? Is that true? Why do they
keep saying that? Who are they trying to convince?”
Will
the Patriots be okay
without Wes Welker? Depends on what you mean by “okay.” The Patriots should
win the AFC East and make the playoffs without Welker. If Gronkowski is healthy
for the playoffs I like their chances. Let’s face it, one and done in the
playoffs would be seen as a big disappointment for the Patriots with or without
Wes Welker.
I
do like their chances better with Welker.
And
it would be more emotionally satisfying to see Wes on the grandstand, covered
in confetti, hoisting the Lombardi with Tom Terrific.
I
hope it happens, really I do.
They
are better together, after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment