For the last decade The New England Patriots have won 10 or more games in every season. The three constants over that time have been Patriots owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady. Brady recently restructured his contract with The Patriots which allowed the organization to have more cap flexibility. With Brady’s unselfishness it was assumed by many that Belichick and Kraft would re-sign wide receiver Wes Welker. Welker and The Patriots could not strike a deal and once negotiations stalled, Welker began to talk with other teams. Before you knew it Welker had reached an agreement with The Denver Broncos.
For professional sports teams it is always about getting younger and better. The Patriots have always followed this model to a tee as they didn’t waste any time in finding Welker’s replacement. Last Wednesday, The Patriots reached an agreement with former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola on a five-year, $31 million deal to replace Welker as he will be Brady’s new slot receiver.
Welker and Amendola share several similarities. Both attended college at Texas Tech University and they both went undrafted by The National Football League.
Welker’s deal with The Broncos is for $12 million dollars over two years while The Patriots were offering him $10 million over that same period. Welker has fallen victim of the dubious franchise tag by New England and he wanted the maximum compensation. In the grand scheme of things, $2 million isn’t that much more money, but The Broncos made him feel wanted.
Amendola is five years younger than Welker and he can do everything on the football field that Welker can. Before Welker was traded to The Patriots in 2007, he only tallied 1,121 receiving yards in three seasons as a member of The San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. In five of his six seasons with The Patriots, Welker tallied more than 100 receptions while he led The NFL in the category on three occasions. Welker wanted to be paid for his work, but unless your last name is Brady you are replaceable for The Patriots.
In 2001 when starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured, Brady stepped in an led The Patriots to their first Super Bowl Championship. After the season, Belichick traded Bledsoe to The Buffalo Bills. In 2003 when safety Lawyer Milloy did not agree to a pay cut, The Patriots released him just days before the start of the season. By 2005 outside linebacker Willie McGinest had recorded more playoff sacks (16) than any player in NFL history as he helped The Patriots win The Super Bowl three times, but he was released by Belichick. In 2007 wide receiver Randy Moss had revitalized his career with The Patriots as he set a single-season NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions. By 2010, Moss was no longer the main cog in the offense and he also wanted more money. Moss figured that he could strong-arm New England’s front office like he did for years with The Minnesota Vikings, but Belichick didn’t budge and before you knew it Moss was sent to Minnesota on the first thing smoking. Welker now joins a long list of Pro Bowl caliber players that have been shown the door by Belichick.
Like Welker, Amendola won’t be the star, but he will still be important for Brady and the offense. In his four seasons with The Rams, Amendola only netted 1,726 receiving yards along with 7 touchdown receptions, but that was with Sam Bradford as his quarterback, not Brady. Belichick continues to have a “pick your poison” offense for opponents to defense. The Patriots have two Pro Bowl tight ends in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. Amendola’s job will be to move the chains. Last season Welker led the league in yards after catch with 619 while he was responsible for 72 Patriot first downs.
When Brady and The Patriots won their first championship in 2001, the starting wide receivers were Troy Brown and David Patten. When The Patriots went back to The Super Bowl in 2003, the starting wide receivers were Brown and Deion Branch. One year later in Super Bowl 39, New England’s starting wide receivers were Branch and David Givens. When The Patriots went to Super Bowl 42 following the 2007 regular season, the starting wide receivers were Moss and Welker. Throughout all of this Brady was the quarterback. My point is that as long as The Patriots have Brady under center, there is no stopping them from being a competitive team. Amendola will fit right in to what New England is striving to achieve and he will make Patriot fans quickly forget the departed Welker.
Source: Pro-football-reference.com
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