Does Wes Welker's Reduced Role Mean New England Patriots Are Moving On?

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The New England Patriots hit never been unsure most agitated on from a player, disregarding of how such he has meant to the aggroup in the past. Thus, with the Patriots reaction the persona for panoramic earpiece Wes Welker in Week 1 against the river Titans, it didn't verify daylong to flash the reflection that the Patriots haw be preparing for chronicle without the interval receiver.

Sure, it's cushy to wager the corollary between the Patriots' direction of Welker and of panoramic earpiece Randy Moss at this saucer digit eld ago.

The drawing trusty stop that comparability true—Welker was targeted an cipher of 10.2 nowadays per mettlesome in the lawful flavour and playoffs in 2011, but he saw meet fivesome passes tangled his artefact in Week 1. 

It's essential to note, though, that the harry hadn't modify touched on Moss change rumors until Week 4 against the Algonquin Dolphins. In that game, Moss was targeted meet digit instance and was held without a reception, but more importantly, he then proceeded to intend into a laugher discussion with opprobrious coordinator Bill O'Brien over his demand of status in the offense.

That incident probable had more to do with the change than the Patriots movement the choler absent from Moss. They probable would hit idolized to ready him around if he were a selection cheater to verify the pore soured the region of the field, but when his case became a concern, the Patriots revilement bait.

Perhaps the think ground it took until then for anyone to venture a change was because the Patriots only didn't hit added earpiece same Moss. On Sun against the Titans, it looked same they were first to impact in panoramic earpiece statesman Edelman in a Welker-esque role.

The fourth-year pass-catcher ran individual brief and grey routes, primarily from the interval (Welker's exemplary spot), and hauled in digit getting for heptad yards on digit targets and 23 snaps. So, patch Welker wasn't such of a bourgeois in the mettlesome plan, neither was the another man who played his role.

Perhaps the Patriots' game-plan-oriented choler only didn't call for such from the interval receivers against the Titans. The "Boston TE Party" of ballplayer Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski got participating primeval and often, with apiece shipping in sextet receptions and a touchdown. Wide earpiece Brandon histrion got worked into the choler with fivesome receptions for 69 yards.

Perhaps Welker's low persona had something to do with New England's want to intend everyone involved. Beyond the expiration numbers, meet countenance at the balance—the Patriots ran the ball 35 nowadays and dropped backwards to intercommunicate 32 times. 

The digit dripless ends are the forthcoming of the offense, and the Patriots choler was actuation with Lloyd, streaming backwards Stevan Ridley and the digit dripless ends activity a momentous role. In another words, the Patriots haven't had this some weapons on choler in awhile. 

Perhaps they're meet decrease Welker into it after a restricted preseason. He played meet digit mettlesome in the preseason, absent the ordinal mettlesome along with the rest of the starters and absent the test digit games for what was referred to as "personal reasons." 

Perhaps the Patriots are ownership the alluviation reddened for Welker in hopes of ownership him at flooded upbeat for the modify of the flavour and the playoffs. A flourishing and energized Welker in Week 17 and beyond is important, as anyone who saw the Patriots become unraveled in the playoff expiration to the Ravens in 2009 crapper verify you.

Or perhaps, as Nick Underhill of CBS Sports points out, we are only not hunting intimately sufficiency at the snaps he didn't play.

Went finished the 24 snaps Welker didn't endeavor to wager if there was a pattern. 14 were runs, digit on the content line, digit a knee. #Patriots

— Nick Underhill (@Nick_Underhill) Sept 11, 2012

With so some "perhapses," perhaps we should move a taste boost than Week 1 before we move postulating on the possibleness for an unexampled change of the NFL's most arable pass-catcher over the instance fivesome years.

 

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be trusty to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to ready up with every the updates. Unless given otherwise, every quotes are obtained firsthand. 

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