Wes Welker Going to Denver

Why would you ever want to leave New England and give up playing for quarterback Tom Brady? To play for quarterback Peyton Manning.

Wes Welker has agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos. The contract is worth $12 million over two years. Welker has spent most of his career with the Patriots with this last season being put under the franchise tag. The team opted not to tag him this time around and tried to reach terms with the 31 year old receiver. They failed and are now trying to pursue other options like Danny Amendola.

I didn't think that Welker could better than Belichick and Brady but Peyton Manning in Denver seems just as good. Manning can make any receiver look good but it's hard to believe that he can make Welker look any better than he already is. Welker has caught over 110 receptions in 5 of his 6 seasons with the Patriots. He's a chain mover that will be valuable for Broncos.

Where does this leaves the Patriots? While something tells me that they will do fine without Welker, their offense is still significantly weakened. Welker was their top receiver with the only player with over a thousand receiving yards in 2012 (1,354). To rely on your injury prone tight ends along with Bradon Lloyd might not be enough. Hopefully New England can find a suitable replacement for Welker or at least come up a better way to distribute the ball more evenly.

P.S. Broncos are not my favorite in the AFC, at least not until the rest of the offseason plays out. Both Welker and Manning have great regular seasons and then drop off a bit in the postseason. I can say they are still the overwhelming favorite in the AFC West, though.

2012 AFC East Preview: Can Anyone Contend with the Pats?

The answer to the question above seems to be "Who cares? When will Tim Tebow start for the Jets?

The most talked about team during the preseason and training camp has been the New York Jets and it's not because they are contenders for the Super Bowl. It's Tim Tebow drawing the attention in and everyone trying to figure out when he will be starting for the team. The official party line is that Mark Sanchez is still QB for the Jets and while he will be in week 1 it's a forgone conclusion that at some point Tim Tebow will take the job away. This Jets offense has stunk in the preseason and while the games don't matter, they still look atrocious. This whole season might be a wash no matter who is behind center (or in shotgun). Your seat looks hot, Rex.

As for the other teams, the Bills have a chance. They showed last year that they can play ball and even though they went through a really rough patch, they still looked good at times. Getting Mario Williams will help that defense and could get them over the .500 mark. The Dolphins will have a wash this season in which they will be concerned with Ryan Tannehill and his development.

The favorite is clearly the Patriots and this is one of those picks that seems like a guarantee. Securing up the TE positions for years to come with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez makes Tom Brady happy and having Brandon Lloyd is not bad either. That defense, however, has been sub par and they never really dominated on that side of the ball since their Super Bowl winning years. It could change this year considering that their draft last spring was basically a defensive theme but I just don't have a good vibe for that defense.

Of course the Pats have to be considered for more than just a division. Finishing with a bye week in the postseason is a possibility and going to the Super Bowl is another.

P.S. Week 6 is when Tim Tebow takes over as the starter. Those first five weeks are basically killers and week 6 vs. the Colts might be the best time to make a QB change.