Miss him now, Bill?

Well that should put an end to the "it's not Welker, it's the system" crap.

In his debut with Peyton Manning -- oh, and the rest of the Broncos -- Wes Welker grabbed 9 passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. It would seem that another 100-catch season has begun for #83. What else would you expect? The guy can't be covered. 

You could see the Welker departure coming for a while, so when he did leave for Denver there was a lot disappointment but an equal amount of acceptance. That's the way it goes. As I've said before, Bobby Orr didn't finish his career a Bruin so nothing should surprise. The Pats made Welker a solid offer before last season, Welker turned it down, then the Pats took their usual stonewall stance, Welker hit the market and, although settling for a little less, he was quickly lured to the Rockies. It's called free agency.

It didn't bother me too much until I saw the photo above. Manning and Welker could be better than Brady and Welker. They could be better than anyone. Ever. The photo above says it all. As smart as Brady is as a quarterback, Manning is just a little smarter. Now he has a guy who plays the game just as smart. Manning's quick mind with Welker's quick feet will be tough to stop. 

The Sports Blabosphere offered the theory that although Welker is good, it was Brady and Belichick that made him great. Of course they played a key role. But it was more Welker's quickness, football instincts, tireless work ethic, tough-as-nails attitude, competitive drive, and athletic talent. The guy can't be covered.

The Patriots should be just fine. But it will be just a little less fun to watch without Welker catching those Brady lasers across the middle on 3rd-and-8 or grabbing the ball and spinning around to add on a handful of YACs.

OK, Danny Amendola. Let's see something.