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| Welker reacts after his drop in the fourth quarter. (AP) |
INDIANAPOLIS -- There are many people in the Patriots organization suffering the pains of losing a Super Bowl right now; Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft all certainly feel an inordinate amount of pain over the loss. But no one's taking it harder than Wes Welker.
It was Welker who had a shot at closing out the game, but dropped a critical catch on a high-but-catchable pass from Tom Brady.
"It's one of those plays I've made a thousand times," a somber Welker said Sunday. "Just didn't make it."
Take a look at the play. Brady misses the throw. If he hits Welker in stride, it's a touchdown and it's ballgame. But it's still on Welker to make that catch.
"The ball is right there," Welker said when asked if he was looking for it on the other shoulder. "I've just got to make the play. It's a play I've made a thousand times in practice and everything else. It comes to the biggest moment of my life and I don't come up with it. It's discouraging."
Welker even went so far as to say that he held himself personally responsible for the dropped pass. Brady didn't exactly refute him, but he also pointed out how important Welker is to the team.
"Wes was running down the field and it looked like they messed the coverage up a little bit and I threw it to him," Brad said. "He went up to try and make it, as he always does, and we just couldn't connect. He's a hell of a player. I'll keep throwing the ball to him for as long as I possibly can. He's a phenomenal player and teammate and I love the guy."
Bill Belichick echoed that sentiment, shrugging off any potential for making Welker the goat.
"I didn't get a real good look on it," Belichick said. "I'm sure he did his best. He's caught a lot of passes for us."
Belichick's right, because the Patriots don't make the Super Bowl in either 2007 or 2011 without Welker. He has been their most consistent offensive threat for the past five years, catching 554 balls for 6,105 yards and 31 touchdowns in that time.
That he could suddenly become a goat for the Pats because he dropped one catch isn't realistic. Just don't try telling him that.
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