This is the second chapter from yesterday's column, the 2013-2014
New England Patriot's epitaph.
Bill Belichick obviously hates Wes Welker
DENVER — A day later, some clarity.
We know for sure now that Bill Belichick hates Wes Welker with the power of 1,000 suns. Belichick blames Welker for dropping a pass that cost him a Super Bowl ring two years ago.
Does anyone recall Bill Belichick actually saying anything explicit about this? I sure don't recall it, and a quick check of the archives don't mention anything specifically about that game and it's aftermath.
But then the game started, and it was obvious. Tom Brady had no one to throw the ball to. Amendola, the man who replaced Welker, was targeted only once and dropped the throw, a no-show performance that would put the Celtics’ Jeff Green to shame. Meanwhile, Welker — Peyton Manning’s fourth option in the Broncos’ pinball offense — caught four passes for 38 yards.
Welker also took Aqib Talib out of the game with a pick-play block.
And now Belichick hates him more than ever.
This, from a columnist that has criticized and run out of town more athletes than I have time to write about.
Belichick has been unusually contrite these last couple of days. Sunday he talked of “mistakes, especially by me,’’ and Monday he said, “Nobody makes more mistakes around here than I do.’’
Everyone forgives you, Bill. You took this team much further than it deserved to go. But some of the mistakes were made last spring and summer. And letting Welker go was one of those mistakes.
He’s going to the Super Bowl. And the Patriots are picking up pieces of their broken luck. Again.
You can almost picture Shank with a shit-eating grin when he's writing this column, can't you?
Shank merely assumes letting Welker go was a mistake. He obviously paid no attention to the fact Welker was irrelevant to the Broncos in both games against the Patriots and was never relevant to any outcome - Manning never threw to Welker when the game was on the line, he only did so to pad a lead. Shank of course also ignores that Welker piled up volume stats in New England yet never advanced the offense - when he had to be the focal point he didn't do anything.
ReplyDeleteIt's why Shank remains an embarrassment and would be treated as such should Belichick deign to pay attention to him.